Just realized ordering is now open for my local hatchery/breeder!

[baymule]

It is fun to get a mixed crew of chickens. You get to mix up the colors and breeds.

 

[sumi]

You picked some good breeds, best of luck with them!

Oh and I beat you @baymule I started with chickens many years ago, bought 40 "straight run" chicks off the back of a truck. Well you guessed it, I got ONE pullet

 

[treerooted]

lol I've stolen a lot of emoticons from a local chicken forum I'm on.

 

[treerooted]

I used to have a smaller list:
Plymouth Rock
Jersey Giant
Australorp
Sussex
Dominique
Wyandotte
Buckeye
Chantecler
Orpington
Brahma
Dorking
Java
New Hampshire Red
Cuckoo Maran
Araucana
Delaware
Faverolle
Barnevelder
Ameraucana (EE)
Welsummer

 

[treerooted]

But now, I'm starting to think I'd be open to more breeds...

 

[treerooted]

I'm thinking about selling eggs next year, so I'm leaning towards getting a couple non dual-purpose breeds. But the problem is that everything on the homestead is "dual purpose", so spent hens will still be used in the soup pot. I don't want to get birds that are too small.

Plus I still need to consider cold hardiness and temperament.

 

[treerooted]

Buckeyes for sure

Barred Rocks probably (I know Dominques are better, but these aren't birds I'm planning to keep for a long time and they're cheaper so I think I'd like to see how they do, plus these will be more for egg laying)

Maybe Easter Eggers, maybe Welsummers

 

[treerooted]

I thought a mixed basket would be nice; and something a bit different if I'm selling to just a few people.
My layers already have a good spectrum of browns so the Welsummers and EEs would add to that.

I'm not sure yet how many layers I want to keep in total. I have 13 now, this new batch will probably add another 10 or less (getting straight run - I think it's more ethical that way, plus it gives me a choice of roosters to keep).

Decisions decisions....

I even started looking at brown leghorns, but I think I'm going back to my original idea of large breeds only so the culls will be decent.

 

[baymule]

Be careful with straight run. I ordered 50 Delaware chicks, straight run for spring 2015.......when the dust settled I had ELEVAN pullets. I figured I would wind up with 20 pullets at the worst, but I got the worst of the worst. That has been other peoples experience as well.

 

[treerooted]

I think I'll get 20 total this time around.
I may consider getting EEs sexed.
My straight runs I got last year were an ok split; heavy on the roos. Of 25, 9 were pullets. I lost a couple and I'm not sure what sex.