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 ~:>

Are you new with chickens? I don't know if you need advice or not, but I am going to give it anyway. Always carefully inspect any feed you give your chickens. When you open each bag, smell it for any hint of mold or spoilage. Run your hands through it and feel for heat, which is a clear indication of spoilage. Look at it closely for anything that doesn't look right. Keep the feed well away from the water. If it gets wet, it will spoil. Keep the water sparkling clean. Not easy to do with hens. I use self waters and suspend them so the chickens can reach the water, but most of the dirt they scratch doesn't get up that high. Then they still need to be cleaned a couple of times a day. Heat will kill chickens. Make sure they always have good shade in the summer and that their hen house doesn't heat up in the sun. I would not introduce new birds to my flock without keeping them in quarantine for at least a week to make sure they weren't sick. And then.... even with excellent care, sometimes birds just die. I'm sorry you lost your baby and hope the rest of the flock is OK.

The kids and I LOVE Tuna Casserole. DH HATES it! We don't have it anymore, but now I am thinking the heck with him, I want it! LOL I make it like this. Cook a 8 oz bag of egg noodles. Drain and cool slightly. Put in casserole with 1 can tuna 1/2 cup Miracle Whip about 1 cup diced celery and 1/3 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup milk Mix all ingredients. Heat one can cream of celery soup and 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese until cheese is melted. Add to cooked noodle mixture. Salt and pepper it. Top with crushed potato chips. Bake at 425 about 20 minutes.

some of my fav's still around include hamburgers at Redamaks in New Buffalo MI and yes I do drive to MI from Chicago just for their hamburgers LOL. We used to have a summer place in New Buffalo MI and that place is THE place to go for lunch & dinner. I still always visit Teibels in Schereville IN when in NW IN seeing friends, I always have the Walleye grilled. My DH makes us stop at Zel's for barbeque sandwiches & plain pulled pork in Hammond IN and Schoops for hamburgers - he won't drive to MI LOL. House of Pizza in Hammond IN when I'm in the mood for square cut, thin pizza. A few fav's long gone include Puntillo's Restaurant, growing up we used to eat fish (either lake perch or breaded cod) there every Friday, they closed up in the mid 80's :-( Ralphs Pizza we used to get pizza delivered on Sat nite or Sundays for Cubs or Bears games when I was little. There was also an awesome DQ around the corner from my house, we used to bug my dad to walk over there and get us a bag of dilly bars in the summer, when we were too little to go by ourselves LOL. Food was very different back then, I rarely find a place to go out to eat that is as good as the restaurants I grew up with :-( ~ liz