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Ordered Cube - now decisions decisions!!

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Ordered my Green cube yesterday delivery on 14th April with an Omlet guy putitng it together but no chickens so that's cool and saves me doing it!

 

Now is the hard decision which chickens!!

 

Ideally we want 6 and we'll probably go to http://www.warwickshirerarebreedfarm.co.uk/home.html for them and we'd like 6 different breeds, with a mix of egg colour, so I was thinking

 

Buff Orpington

Columbine

Cream Legbar

Welsummer

Silkie

Wyandotte

 

Does that sound like a good mis and ones that'll - hopefully - get along? Also are they good layers?

 

Thanks

 

Helen

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A very eclectic mix! You won't get any of those muddled up!

 

You've only got one hybrid there, the rest will (probably) stop laying from Nov-march.

 

My Wyandotte bantam is rather aloof but very business-like about laying eggs. She lays 6 eggs a week at the moment. She is my noisiest chook and behaves like a guard dog. She rounds the other bantams up if they go too far and doesn't do change very well. I moved the eglu slightly yesterday when I cleaned it and she is very rattled today as a result.

 

I have 2 columbines, but I only got them last week. They're a bit flighty so far, but other people have said they become very friendly.

 

I don't know much about the other breeds I'm afraid.

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Hmmmmmmmmmmm, thanks for that things to think about def, I would prefer hybrids and maybe I should've got a couple from Omlet to start with and then add the others a couple of weeks later but don't have the facility to keep them apart while introducing.

 

I know I def want the Buff Orpinton as they really are gorgeous looking birds, is the Columbine the hybrid one?

 

Any other suggestions for good layers and a good mix would be great, I'd really like a Bluebell but they don't do them and again as not having an additional hen house wanted to get them from all the same place.

Again if anyone has any advice about that and if it's necessary then that's great.

 

Thanks

 

Helen

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Yes, the columbine is a hybrid.

 

I've got 5 hybrids and 3 pure breed bantams because the main reason we have chooks is for the eggs. The bantams are really my daughter's, as the birds are easy for her to handle (she's 4). The little diddy eggs are lovely for the kids and a bit of a novelty but if it weren't for DD we wouldn't have bantams.

 

As for getting hybrids from different sources and introducing them a few days apart, I would have thought that would go ok, as long as they are all about the same age and size, although I haven't done it myself. Even if you get all your birds from the same place, that's still no guarantee they won't argue a little bit in the beginning, as Lisa33 will tell you!

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If they have them in stock....Omlet will certainly add them to your order. Omlet hens are excellent to start with, easy to look after and are good layers.

 

Your hen "wish list" looks interesting, But TBH, there is such a difference in size between the Orpington and Silkie that it could lead to problems.

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Thanks again for the advice.

 

Rhapsody - I just looked for the ones I'd heard good things about here and that were available at that breeders - I'd really like a bluebell so can you tell me what name they are on that site?

 

TBH I'm not really fussed about having the silkie it was just a variety of chickens I was after again using what's available on that site.

 

I haven't contacted them to see what's in stock as I wanted more of an idea of which I'd like before enquiring - hence posting on here!

 

I'm also close to cotswold chickens are there any recommendations from there?

 

Bottom line - I guess - is I'm looking for 6 different breeds that are good layers and would prefer hybrids.

 

I understand about the Orpingtons being large but didn't realise they'd be so big it would be an issue, so thanks for the heads up on that.

 

I find this site so useful even though I feel so dense when I get replies!

 

Thanks again

 

Helen.

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The bluebelle would be a Mendlesham blue I think. Mine are the equivalent of a pied suffolk, a mendlesham amber (mine's much more white than that picture), 2 columbines and I've also got an original Omlet gingernut. They've got some nice hybrids on that site. I'd have got a bluebelle if there had been one available when I went chicken shopping but I got the pied suffolk instead and she's lovely.

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In the 'Hybrids' section the 'Mendlesham Blue' is a Bluebelle by another name, the Fenning Sussex is a Sussex Star (which I can highly recommend) The 'Fenning Black' is a Pepperpot/ Black Rock and the 'Mendlesham Ranger' is a Gingernut.

All the hybrids on that page are good hardy friendly birds that lay well.

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I would see what they have got and go and have a look/talk to them to get a better idea of what you want. the Domestic Fowl Trust at Honeybourne is within an hours drive from you as well.

 

So you have plenty of choice.

 

Tracy

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