We are buying our first baby chicks for our new home today. I am planning to get black australorps (like the picture)this time. They are a dual purpose bird who are excellent layers and have a mature weight of around seven pounds. I will buy straight run (mixture of both sexes) and we will butcher the males when they achieve full size, except for one or two that I will keep so that the eggs will be fertile and the hens can raise babies next year. I hope to get to the point that I won't need the assistance of a hatchery for my chickens, unless I want to try a new breed. That will take a few years, though. I decided to choose several different breeds, and allow them to cross in the hope of producing babies that are better than their parents. Time will tell.
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