ginam, your breed choices sound good, they are all fairly mellow, friendly, docile breeds that should get along just great--just make sure you have enough room for all the birds to roost and in the coop, overcrowding ANY breed can lead to fights, picking, etc. I agree with fancifowl as to the comment on heavier and lighter breeds...but--! I have to laugh at myself, since my own flock of 40 chickens is a wild mix of just about everything...bantams and standard size, Silkies, Polish (White Crested Black and Buff Laced), Americaunas, SLW, Dark Indian Cornish Rock, Cochins, MilleFleurs, Jersey Giant, Frizzles, RIR, various mutt banties and Sultan. I'm guilty of Impulse Chicken Buying, I think I need a 12 Step Program! *G* With the exception of the minor, fleeting squabble here and there (as in any flock) they all get along great. In the rare instance I've had a bad bird develop, I've gotten rid of them--but that's only happened twice in the last 10 years--roos both times. I highly recommend the Polish. They are entertaining, VERY friendly, comical and curious. Two caveats: #1--Most of the time you will need to trim their facial feathers a bit to help them see (I'm convinced that the reason Polish have a reputation for being skittish or flighty is just plain because they don't SEE things until it's right on top of them--I'd jump, too!). If you visit browneggblueegg.com, go to the 'articles' section and click on 'Helping Silkies See', he has terrific guidelines on how to do this. Silkies are like Polish and have trouble seeing due to their heavy crests and facial tufting. I've found that once I trim my Polish and Silkies facial feathers, because they are out in the yard I don't have to do it again, or at least not until the next molt. #2--Crested breeds, due to stupid humans breeding for bigger and better crests, have developed a hole in their skull (see more info on browneggblueegg) through which their brains actual protrude! This can make them more susceptible to brain injuries from a peck to the head, and mine have trouble in heavy rainstorms when their crests get weighted down by water (this can also cause brain injuries). Keeping the feathers around their eyes trimmed so they can see and avoid threats from aggressive flockmates can help them avoid head pecks, and when it rains my Silkies and Polish come indoors and hang out in the kitchen for a bit. I keep my coop open during the day and they don't have the sense to go in the coop where it's dry...*sigh* Instead they stand out in the open in the rain, getting drenched and looking miserable. I figure a little mud in the kitchen is cheaper than a visit to the vet. Even given the extra care, the birds are a treat and I'll always have them in my flock. Shortly I'm putting up some pictures of my flock on my site, so you'll be able to see what my setup and birds look like. Velvet ~:>

Congratulations! Watch out though...chickens are addicting! I currently have a dozen - 11 hens and a rooster. I wouldn't worry too much about them not roosting. I have six Ameraucana's, two Black Stars, a Buff Orp, two RIR's and a NH Red, and they all roost except for five of the Ameraucanas. I adopted those about a month ago, and they didn't have roosts at their old home, so I guess sleeping in a big pile is what they're used to! They may come around eventually. Feeding them can be alot of fun. Chickens will eat anything! Mine love cheese, oatmeal, sunflower seeds, pasta, basically any kind of leftover you may have. I make up scratch mixes for them in addition to their layer crumbles...the current batch consists of oatmeal, millet, cracked corn and sunflower seeds. They get a few handfuls in the morning to peck around at all day, and they always have crumbles and water available. In winter, I supplement their diet with greens (cast-offs from the local grocery) and some alfalfa, while during the warmer months they free-range as much as possible. I have a portable "playpen" that I put them in to move around my acerage. It's made of pvc pipe and chicken wire and works really well. It keeps them safe, lets them eat all the grass and bugs they want, and keeps them out of my gardens! Believe it or not, chickens really don't need extra warmth unless it's frigid...like way below freezing. As long as they're kept out of a draft and have plenty of bedding to snuggle into, they should be fine. They trap warm air under their feathers to stay warm. This time of year, especially, you shouldn't worry about them being warm! Good luck and enjoy your new biddies!

Yep, I am, was diagnosed the same as your hubby 6 or 7 years ago and controlled it by diet but it progressed and I am now diabetic. The first thing I did was eliminate everything white from my diet except for cauliflower. Then I enrolled in a 3 week class offered by our local hospital, met with a nutrionist and learned how to manage the disease. If your husband is not seeing an endocronologist I encourage him to do so. Some physicians (not saying yours is one of them) just don't give this disease the respect it truly deserves. It is serious but is easily managed with knowledge. I slowly added various foods into my diet, things like spaghetti, breads, potatoes, even cakes and desserts. But I learned how to manage them, what to combine with them to keep my sugar levels where they need to be or what to do to counteract them (the answer is exercise). So that candy bar has a price....30 minutes on the treadmill! Citrus is one of the safest fruits for me. When I was trying to figure out what I could eat I ate it then checked my sugar levels in 90 minutes, again 30 minutes later. If it was too high then I had my answer, eat in moderation. Get him to a nutritionist, they are invaluable and if he goes to a diabetic class it is often free.

LOL Oh boy. Sorry for having a chuckle Jenibeth, I know this is serious for you because they are your birds, but reading the thread topics today was pretty funny. Dislocated cat tails and sprained chicken legs was just not what I was expecting to see. We have birds and if one had a sprained leg, I would put it in secluded area, where none of the other birds can bother it and give it time to heal. If it's not doing even marginally better in a couple of weeks, I'd take it to the vet to have it checked. The question is, are you sure it's just a sprain and not dislocated? If you're not sure, a trip to an avian vet for an xray would probably be wise as the care to heal it may be different. If you do put it in a secluded area, please be sure it has what it needs to nest and be comfortable. For our birds, we have a plastic bin that has perches for them and room for them to stretch their wings. You want your hen to have enough room that she can both nest and walk around a few times a day to exercise the leg.