Chicken Breeds

[Millie1]

Can i have some advice please (again ) on breeds?

I'm planning on 3 or maybe 4 chickens but need to make my mind up on breeds. Thought about 2 large fowl (ie. RIR or New Hamp Red or maybe Light Sussex) and 2 bantams (Pekins or a Pekin and a Light Sussex Bantam). Can they all f/r safely together and sleep safely together in my Maggie's 6 which I'm getting on Thursday ?

I had no idea that bantams are quite so tiny until I found my chicken book in a Pickfords box this morning!

Thanks!

Ho exciting Millie

I will be watching this thread with interest - I have NO idea what chickens I want to get!

They can be in together but if you were to get bullying you might find it worse because of the size difference. It's not generally recommended. Having said that I have huge dopey hubbards and at the other end of the scale my tiny pekin x is a little madam.

Thanks for your reply Bronze. Do you think that if the chooks all arrive at the same time, they would settle better and that there would be less likliehood of bullying? Also, if they come from different breeders (regardless of breeds) can I just bung them all in togetheer on day one? I'm planning on them being around 8-10 weeks old.

Salty ... I'm eating, sleeping, dreaming chickens - when I can sleep, that is! I'm soooooo excited !!

yes and yes

I would go for ones who are the same maturity and make sure they all go in at the same time so noone can say this is my turf. Try and bung them in at dusk so they have a night to check each other out while theyre dopey.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt but I know plenty of people who've got their girls at the same time, same breed form the same person and ended up with problems so why not give it a go

ps get four, theyre addictive and you'll only wish you had

Oh lord, what if it doesn't work and I've got two girls who can't live with the big ones (cos, yes, if I were to get bantams, I'd get 2 so that they'd be company for one another - along with 2 large fowl - no bantams = 3 birds!), then i'd need a second ark and DH will divorce me !

Thanks for the tip re putting them in at dusk on their first night. Should I put them straight in when I bring them home - except this will be around 4-5pm, or let them run around for a while or leave them in their travelling boxes? No, that last suggestion would be cruel!

I would stick them in the house

you could leave them int he boxes depending on how long it would be for altogether. Afterall thy sometimes travel for a few hours.

It will work it may just take some time and effort, hopefully they'll be ok straight away

We have 4 LF,a speckledy,a welsummer ,a colonmbine , and a bluebell.We also have 2 pekins ,the pekins make lovely pets especially for the children they are always happy to be cuddled and rush up to say hello as soon as they see you.We did have some bullying problems though and the pekins are in a separate forsham 603.Probably you wouldn't get so much of this if you get them altogether ,and in fact the pekins now tell off the colombine .If you are going to have bantams and large hens pekins are good ,or so I was told ,because they tend to be quite feisty and hold their own.

My pekins used to see off my cocker spaniel! she was terrified of them.
You are taking a risk, I would only do this if you are happy to separate them in a crisis. Why not scale up and get cochins rather than pekins, or scale down, rir and light sussex both come in bantam sizes as well. Personally I love bantams as they are so friendly and take up less space, therefore you can have more! :-)

Thanks for replies everyone. Don't know what to do. Am so torn as I think the Pekins would be lovely for the kids - but knowing my luck the kids will have no interest in the darn things!

Have spoken to a couple of breeders about them ... their advice is I ought to be okay with pekins and large fowl if all introduced to their new home at the same time, and same age. However, the closest pekins are a 2 1/4 hour drive away and I think that's just too far.

Other breeds I have the option of are:

Breeder A: RIR, Light Sussex, Buff Sussex
Breeder B: New Hampshire Red and AN Other (according to his list of breeds, he does Gold Laced Orpingtons and Silver Sussex, amongst others).

So, I could get 2 from A (RIR and Light Sussex) or 3 LF from B (the 3 that I listed) or 2 from B (New Hamp and Orp) and 1 from A (Light Sussex) ... so 3 large fowl - and forget the Pekins. Maybe get some later in summer if all going well and just f/r them with large fowl during day and get another hen house for the bantams .

What does anyone think ... or do I let DH divorce me and drive 2 hrs for the Pekins? Afterall, breeder just told me that someone drove from other end of Ireland last week for some!! He has frizzled and ordinary, Cochins and Silkies too.

Pekins are gorgeous! Where do you live? have you contacted your local poultry club? they usually have a breed directory of people locally and what they breed. Pekins are very popular, they are usually everywhere! at least a dozen people round here with them!

What should you look for when choosing a breeder? Is there anything that they should be offering as standard e.g. vaccinations? I get confused as some breeders have a vax programme, whereas others don't (sorry for the thread hijack Millie - hope you don't mind as it's on the same subject )

Ooh, that's a poser, I'd probably pick someone with a few varieties, who focuses a bit more than someone with loads, otherwise, I'd have to visit. Look for clean tidy pens which don't have sour ground, birds should be in good condition, no featherloss, wheezing, and fairly close in shape to the picture in whatever book you have. If you have a club nearby, a member is good, as these people are serious about their birds. I've never bothered about vacs myself, as whenever I've looked into it, they seem only to come in 200 dose boxes! And be very dear. The chair of my local club, who I bought from doesn't either. If you visit, pick up the birds you like, have a good feel/inspect them, parasites like lice will be visible around the vent feathers either lice or eggs or grey dustlike faeces. Breasts should be firm and plump, beaks should be straight and clean eyes clear, and you shouldn't be able to hear them breathing. Legs should be clean with no scaly build up. Hope this helps. X

Don't mind the hijack Salty ... interesting questions and a great answer from BWGI. I was talking to a vet friend yesterday about vaccinating ... she doesn't vaccinate, red-mite or louse her chicks! And one of the breeders I spoke to told me that purebreds wouldn't be vaccinated, however hybrids are generally vaccinated at 1 day old. Why? I don't know!

Still can't decide what to do about the Pekins (I'm in N. Ireland) - wonder whether i should collect them one day, settle them overnight (or for a week) and collect large fowl the following day or weekend. Geez, better decide as I want them on Saturday!

Also beware pale droopy combs, and pooey bottoms. I would also suggest worming before you let them out into a pen, flubenvet can be added to feed. That stops your ground becoming infected.
Crikey, I need to get out more!

Thanks so much BWGI, that's so helpful .

I now have visions of me taking along my poultry book to the breeders to do a contrast and compare with the pics - they will be able to see me coming I am about to phone a breeder through our local poultry club - eek!

How did you get on Salty?

BWGI ... where can you get the flubenvet? Is it available from Vets or on-line poultry supplies - I'll check the latter out now, but local vet would be handier.

I've ordered my chicks!!! They're only 5w old - are out from heat and outside during the day, in henhouse at night. Drumroll .... one of each of New Hampshire Red, Buff Orpington, 2 Pekins which are just 2w old now but I won't get them for at least 4-6 weeks (Black and Blue) and maybe, just maybe, a Brahma - she has lemon and gold. OMG!! Am collecting on Saturday. Experienced chicken people - 5 week old chicks, is that really advisable? The lady seemed to think so - they breed quite a lot but not intensively.

I can get flubenvet at our local marriages feed supplier, or cwg, any good petshop of feed merchant should have it. 5 weeks old sounds okay, they should have all their feathers by then. Only thing I would recommend at that age, is to get a guarantee that they are female and you can get a replacement/exchange if she gets it wrong. Sounds like you will have a nice selection, glad you got pekins, and the brahma should look just like a giant Pekin, like little and large! Have fun. X

Thanks BWGI ... I'm beginning to have second thoughts ... I think it's first-timer's nerves .

Do it! Once you get them, you will wonder why you didn't get chickens years ago. Like babies, the only hens you regret are the ones you didn't have.

Love that BWGI. In that case I shall go for 4 or 5 to start with.

Millie - I spoke to a couple of breeders, and we're off to see some chooks maybe a week on Sunday. The downside is that I have just ordered a Cube (after being honest with myself that I am an absolute slattern and I will not have the time for taking care of wood ), but it doesn't arrive until early June as Omlet are so busy. Harrumph.

SO excited to hear about your chicks. The breeder that I'm visiting has Orpingtons - I really want one. Do let us know how you get on - pictures please! I have ordered two run of the mill hybrids from Omlet just so that I get plenty of eggs - DH needs convincing about this chicken keeping business and a good supply of eggs should keep him quiet .

I heart my cube. It's the slattern's choice. Will they deliver for self-assembly any earlier? Omlet hybrids are the absolute bees knees (am v sad as one of mine died on SAturday - I totally hearted her muchly).

Salty .... that's such a long time to wait for your cube but good choice . What colour have you ordered?

Will look forward to hearing how you get on on Sunday.

Am going through the 'what the heck am I doing?' phase now - despite BWGI's words of comfort! Reading about the fox attack last night on the other post is really worrying - and the fact that young chicks are so flighty. I've nothing to contain these bar 50m electric fencing. No run - yikes.

I bought a roll of 2ft small hole chicken wire from our local odd stuff shop. It cost about £8 for 10 metres. Also purchased half a dozen broom handles, use them to make a makeshift run. Clematis net is quite useful for this too. Anything with holes they can't get their heads through.

Oh brilliant idea BWGI ... I've been thinking about getting lengths of wood and banging up some sort of a covered run with chicken wire that i could set inside netting so they'd be safe from fox but not have too big an area to roam in for a couple of weeks. Did you cover the top to stop them flying out or is there any need? I guess if I did put something together, it means that when the Pekins come, I've somewhere to start them for a while whilst they get to know their bigger buddies. Am designing it now ...!

Millie - it's a purple cube. Lush. Not as nice as wood mind you but I know my cleaning limits

bramblebooks - so sorry to hear about your girl, but nice to hear that she was a good un. Now v.pleased to have ordered some Omlet hybrids.