Considering Getting Chickens - Have Questions

DH and I have talked about getting chickens to have eggs for our own use. We're only interested in flock of four-six chickens, but I wanted a couple of different kinds. Is it possible, and recommended, to order two or three chicks of one type and two or three of a different type?

I've done some research for layers that would do well in my area, and, while I'll probably go with Ameracauna's and Orpington's, I'm interested in Orpington, Red Chantecler, Ameracauna, Plymouth Barred Rock, Buckeyes, and Norwegian Jaerhon. If anyone can give me some info on whether these are good choices, or not, that will be greatly appreciated. Again, I will probably go with two different types.

Okay--TamaraFaye--tell her about the Buckeyes!

I ordered 5 different breeds of day-old chicks from Meyer Hatchery. I ended up with a total of 7 pullets(?) with only two pairs that are the same breed. I don't think they care what breed they are with, as long as you don't mix aggressive breeds with docile ones that might get bullied. They are usually comfortable with the birds they have grown up with--mixing in other chickens, even the same breed, later is where the trouble starts.

I love the temperament of the Orpington pullets. If I were interested in a pet egg layer I would go with one. Delawares (my new discovery) are wonderful too, very curious and engaging and lay big brown eggs. They are a critically endangered heritage breed.

I think some of the sex-links are very nice if you are not concerned about working with a pure breed. They tend to lay a ton of eggs and have nice personalities.

Oh and Australorps are great if you want a calm, quiet hen that lays a lot of eggs

I started out thinking 3 or 4 nice laying hens would be nice. Hah! It is very addictive:0)

This message was edited Apr 24, 2008 3:43 PM

Is there a place where you can just order a few? McMurray sends 2 dozen minimum, which is why I don't order them. (Keeps them warm during shipping.) I'd like to get 3, and I don't care what breed. I guess I could go bug some farmers?

I've been running into the same with shipment size, brigidlily, so I tried my area Craig's List and Backyardchickens.com. Nothing on CL and no one in my area has responded on BYC.

I'm also on the local Humane Society's list, in case they ever have to rescue chickens. My friends who run the place tell me it happens now and then.

I thought the Chantecler would be good for winters here, but read they "avoid human contact". Does anyone have this problem with their Chantecler?

Hi brigidlily. Meyer will sell as few as 6 in a special small order with a heat pad. They sent an extra pullet in case something happend in shipping, but all mine survived and are doing very well 9 weeks later. They don't pack the box with roosters which is why I went with them and I have been very happy.

One way to get fewer is to go to the local feedstore. If they are selling black or red sex-linkeds you can choose pullets, otherwise it is hard to tell what you are chosing. You can sometimes also order through the feedstore since they will put in your order to the hatchery with others, so you only get the number you want. One caveat with that is you may not really get what you ordered. I ordered 4 pullets last year from our feedstore who uses Privett and got 4 roos and others on the forum have ordered specific breeds and ended up with something else entirely.

Good luck!

Thanks, Cat! Since I live in a Neighborhood I can't risk inflicting roos on my neighbors (though I personally would LOVE to have one) but I'll check with the feed stores. There are quite a few around here.

Just found a place about an hour away selling Silkies for $7/each; still too young to tell roo's from pullets. Is that a good price, and are they good for eggs?

They are good if you want to hatch eggs--very broody! But I don't think they are usually kept for eating eggs because of that. Also they are almost bantam size, so the eggs are small. A lot of people here can tell you about the price (it seems high to me, unless they are exhibition quality) and if they work as layers. I'll be interested in learning about it too.

Just received an email from a woman 15 minutes away with "cross bred rare breed chickens". She wants $4/each and they should be laying age (hatched last fall.)

That sounds good! Can you go and see how they are being cared for? I'll bet they are great--but it is good to make sure they are coming from a healthy home. I would jump on it, if that looks good. They may be a little shy at first, but they should get use to you and you will get eggs sooner than I will:0)

I was thinking the same, catscan! I'm waiting to hear back from her about their 'laying abilities.' ☺

Is there a way to id a young adult chicken from a more mature adult? The woman says they were hatched last fall which would be fine but if they were hatched the fall before that they'd be past their prime egg laying days.

MollyD

I know "younger" chickens are suppose to have smooth scales on their legs--while older ones are rougher and "dirtier" looking. I am assuming "younger" means under 2 years. You are suppose to be albe to tell by their vent and combs if they are good layers. "Combs and wattles of a good layer are large, bright and waxy--the vent of a good layer is large, moist and oval---the abdomen should feel soft, round and pliable under your hand--the pubic bones should have enough room between them for two or three fingers and be flexible." "Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens" by Gail Damerow.

Don't know if I want to get that personal with a strange chicken! I'd go with the scales on the legs:0)

Just heard back from the woman with the $4 hens. I asked, "what kind they are, and are they good layers?"

Here's what she said: They are a cross between a Sliver Laced Wyandotte hen & a Sultan rooster. They have feathers on their legs & tuff of feathers on their heads. They are just starting too lay. They were not old enough until now.

I've heard of Wyandotte's, but not Sultan's. Do you think I should try them?

Sultans are not steady layers. A good laying hen would be a leghorn, rhode island red, and the dual purpose Red Stars are very good too (large brown eggs every day, even in winter). You can't beat a leghorn though.

Here's a site that may help with selecting a good breed of chicken for your needs:
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKPoultryPage.html#Chickens

This is the homepage:
http://www.feathersite.com/

Incubations and hatching:
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKIncubation.html

Raising chicks:
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKRaisingChicks.html

Poultry Glossary:
http://www.poultryhelp.com/glossary.html

Poultry Diseases
http://www.msstate.edu/dept/poultry/dissymp.htm

A Chart that Shows How Well a Breed Lays Eggs
http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

Hatcheries by State:
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKHatcheries.html

It's been a while since I've chickens (about two years), but that's what I could remember off the top of my head.

I hope some of that helps.

Sincerely,
Neuling

Thanks, Neuling.

All the books I have says they are friendly birds that are easily tamed--but they have crests and feathered feet so they need dry conditons. They also they were historically good layers, but are not considered so now "the hens lay small white eggs but are not prolific and don't go broody." But the Wyandotte is considered a very good layer "Wyandottes are...known as superb dual-purpose birds that mature fairly quickly and have good egg production" and they are "extremey cold hardy." Both quotes are from "Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds". They are suppose to have very nice personality.

It might be a very nice cross. My main worry would be the feathering on feet--but lots of breeds have them. We just have very long wet winters here:0(.

My silkies are great layers, till they go broody, after they are finished raising the young they go back to laying small to med white or off white eggs. Mine laid all winter long. I like marans too, almost an egg a day all winter long, they are big friendly gals, even the roosters are sweet. I added a couple of different one this year, naked necks, black australorp and a plymouth barred rock, and for more variety I added white faced black spanish, a silver spangled hamburg and a couple americuanas*sp.

I forgot to mention she said they are "2 are white with small black specks the other 2 are black".

What is the best way to transport chickens?

Hi jasmer: One of those nice woven willow baskets you see in French films;0). But I moved mine is a dog kennel....the big plastic ones. You could probably move them in a nice strong cardboard box too--with air holes. They settled down very well once we got going. You probably don't want it to be too big so they get thrown around.

I am really looking forward to a nice ever-laying Marans, LoraK! How do you like the naked-neck?

We're going to look at them tomorrow afternoon. We have a large Rubbermaid tote and are thinking we could drill air holes in it...what do you all think?

Found this on YouTube.com: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiA8I_SlRhY&NR=1 and was wondering if any of you do the timers for lights? What do you think about the light bulb under the flower pot?

Lots of holes and something on the bottom so they don't slide around? It might be hard to get them to stay in while you put the top on. Maybe bungee down one side of the lid and lift the other and pop them in? If you sort of notched the middle of the lid so it lifted easier? They settle down once they realize there is no hope of escape, but they can be pretty determined until then. Are you getting 4?

Good points, catscan. DH said maybe we can turn the lid sideways, so only half the container is opened. I'll probably get four...I probably would have only gotten three, but I don't think she'll want to keep the fourth.

jasmerr, I love the video! You probably don't need additional light this time of year as the days get longer. You will in the winter. The flowerpot heater is great!

I figured wouldn't need the light until November (someone please correct me if I'm wrong - thanks!); I also thought the flower pot for just a few chickens was a good idea.

jasmerr, those DO sound like a nice cross. it also soundl ike two pullets and two roos! if you transpoert them in plastic, please put something in so it won't be slippery. young chickens don't like car rides!

well, i would cut and paste my Buckeye info, but don't recall which thread it is on...

btw, i think that is a good price on the silkies if they are laying age...

brigidily, not sure where in TX you are. ask your feed store if they order from Ideal or Xtremegamebirds. or Meyer or Welp. I can highly recommend those hatcheries... the first two are in TX, and so the best idea. You also might search and see if you are in driving distance of a small hatchery. if you are in a warm part of TX, i recommend Naked Neck Turkens. theya re freindly, free range well, do well cooped up too. don't get overly hot, so they lay well all summer long. and they look funny, so they make an interesting converstaion piece! oh, and they come in ALL colors!

off topic, i just did a search on the NNT, and i don't recommend using the term Naked in a search. anyhow, it brought me to this site, a small hatchery in PA:
http://www.hoffmanhatchery.com/fancy-breeds.html

and here, brigidily, is the info on the Transylvania Naked Necks, AKA Turkens...

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGP/Turkens/BRKTurkens.html

tf

TF - You made me lol. I bet you did get an array of hits with naked in the search. Just trying to imagine.

Keep us laughing.

Sheila

Thanks, TF -- for the site AND for the hint! I'll check it out.

OMG, i remember when i got those chicks that were the wrong breed, i did a search on black sex link chicks. that is a NO-NO!

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!

OK, jasmerr, i am dying to hear if you got your chickens?

We picked them up this morning! I'll have tons of questions just as soon as we get them settled in.

And we do expect pictures!! Can't wait to hear...

Here's one photo...I can't seem to get the rest off the camera.

We built the chicken tractor using instructions we found in an old magazine as inspiration. I say inspiration because it had to be built according to the materials we had here, but the final project will look very similar.

First the base for the tractor is side rails from an old waterbed (waterbeds are great things to watch for on freecycle.org - we built replacement basement stairs with one!). Because the side rails are only 8' long the tractor is 2' shorter than in the magazine, but I think it will be plenty big enough.

Some of the uprights and cross pieces are some 2x2's that we salvaged from a crazy remodeling job the former owners of our house had done. In one of the bedrooms they had framed the ceiling with the 2x2's (already old then) and nailed old barn boards over the framing. While the barn boards looked kind of cool, they covered the walls in old, dried out, dirty cedar shingles - YUCK!

Back to the chicken tractor...the taller uprights and some cross pieces are 2x4's we had here. We had to purchase three sheets of plywood for the house part (not yet pictured), and a roll of 4' chicken wire; we already had a roll of 3' wire someone gave us to use
"someday for who-knows-what". The roof will be made out of tin from the rickety old machine shed that finally gave way under all the snow this past winter. And a coat of raspberry paint, bad color choice my DD made for her bedroom that's been sitting in the basement since we decided NOT to use it on the trim in her room nearly three years ago, will finish it off.

I'll post photos of the finished project tomorrow.

Jody

Chicken Questions – I’m sure I’ll have more!

1. How much feed to you give free-ranged chickens? (I’ve 110 grams per layer, but it doesn’t indicate if that is for free-ranged.)
2. How much grit?
3. Do you keep sand or anything within reach so they can groom themselves?
4. The pullets we have came from a coop with a rooster. Do you think they will hatch any of the eggs, if we don’t pick them? If so, how long will the pullets be fertile?
5. What do you keep in the layer boxes (hay, etc.); can shredded newspaper be used (I think I read no somewhere)?
6. Can the layer boxes be opened front and back, so eggs can be picked from outside the coop?

Love the chicken tractor and the waterbed tip! As to your questions:

1) I don't know exactly--it does help that they free range but I suppose it depends on how good they are at foraging--some breeds are better than others.

2) If they free range daily they really don't need grit, but they will need calcium if they are laying so providing crushed oyster shell or very pulverized clean eggs shells is necessary.

3) They like a sand box and you can add wood ashes or food grade DE to help with parasite control. They make their own dust bathing holes sometimes--can be in an inconvenient place.

4) They might hatch eggs if they go broody right away and are old enough to lay. I don't remember quite how long the roosters sperm remains active--others do though......it isn't a very long time.

5) I think the newspaper mats down gets newsprint all over the eggs and holds moisture--straw is traditional, but some people even use astroturf--of course you have to take the hen's preferences into account.

6) A lot of designs show back doors to remove the eggs without going into the coop. I think it is the smart thing to do.

Now all the experts will tell you the finer details and exceptions.......:0)