"If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?"

I can feel Spring in the air!  Maybe only until it snows again, but whatever.  It's a start.  Andrew and I are in full-steam-ahead planning mode.  We have our garden beds mapped out, seeds are started or neatly in line, waiting to be started.  Andrew even dug out the half-built chicken coop to get it finished as soon as possible.  We have our chick order figured out.  Chicks come home next month.  Things are looking up!

So let's talk poultry.  Nothing says springtime like a brand new baby chick.  Here's the plan.  We're going to order fifteen chicks.  We will have a mix of three or four breeds: Buff Orpington, Rhode Island Red, Black Australorp, and possibly Araucana.  I really only prefer the latter for aesthetic reasons.  Our family eats a ridiculous number of eggs.  I'm honestly not sure where they all go, but we go through a ton of them.  The hens will start laying in about six months.  The smaller breeds, such as the Araucanas may begin laying sooner, while larger breeds, like the Orpingtons will take a bit longer to mature and start producing eggs.

Buff Orpington

The Orpingtons are a good dual purpose breed.  They are decent meat birds with good egg production capabilities.  I'm pretty excited to have a few potential meat birds in our flock.

They're also known to have docile, gentle personalities unless they get broody.  While a hen of any breed may become broody, Orpingtons can become especially broody.  "Broody" is chicken speak for being a good Mama.  They become very protective of their eggs in an attempt to hatch them.  This can be a great asset if you want to introduce more chicks without having to purchase them or brood them artificially (which requires a large amount of energy, which we don't have.)  It can also be a great pain in the ass when you're trying to pry a broody hen out of the nesting box to retrieve her egg, or when she starts laying them in hiding places so you don't find them.

Rhode Island Red

These guys are my go-to chicken breed.  They're fairly gentle, but they have plenty of personality.  I just love them.  I tend to name them all after members of the Weasley family.  I had originally intended to have a flock consisting of entirely Rhode Island Reds.  However, there are so many great breeds out there, why not branch out a bit?

These prolific producers lay large brown eggs.  They are tolerant of both cold and heat, which makes them perfect for a Maine homestead.

Black Australorp

I think the Australorps are gorgeous. In build and purpose, they are similar to the Orpington.  They don't grow as large, so they aren't as suited for meat production, but they're good, hearty layers.  They lay eggs that are on the larger side.

Plus, look how pretty.  Let's not kid ourselves; looks are a completely valid consideration when selecting a chicken breed.

                                                                                         

Araucana

I love Araucanas.  They're so delightfully strange.  They can come in a variety of colors or patterns and they lay beautiful, moderately sized blue-green eggs.

They may not be the best producers, but they are so sweet tempered and great foragers.  Want to save on feed?  Add breeds to your flock with a predisposition for foraging!

My favorite hen that I ever had was an Araucana named Squirt.  She was friendly, sweet, and just plain adorable.  She died her first season, which was tragic.

(photos from www.backyardchickens.com)

So these are the ladies that we intend to add to the family.  I think we'll also have a rooster.  They are great leaders and protectors.   And next season we plan to add ducks!  I am so excited about ducks.  They eat slugs!  The slugs decimate my garden every year and I am so looking forward to giving some ducks free range of my garden.  What can I say?  I have a passion for poultry.