Chick Picks, Urban Farm Oasis
Berkeley pickup dates, Aug 28 to Oct 16, 2026. Ranked for your flock.
Ranked pick list
1White Crested Polish
Your top ask. Wild pompom of white feathers over a dark body. Docile, curious, gets bullied easily because the crest blocks vision, so trim feathers around eyes as needed and give perches with clear approaches. Lays about 150 small white eggs a year. Not a heat champion but Oakland is fine. One is plenty for the personality it brings.
2Welsummer
Dutch heritage breed, salmon breast on the hens with delicate gold penciling. The egg is the reason: deep orange-brown with dark speckles, some of the prettiest eggs in the hobby. About 160 eggs a year. Calm, hardy, forages well. Distinct from your Ameraucana green and your current darker brown, so it genuinely adds to your basket.
3Cuckoo Marans
French breed developed near La Rochelle. Cuckoo pattern looks similar to your Barred Rock but with clean pinkish legs and a stockier build. The draw is the egg: deep chocolate brown, some of the darkest of any breed. About 180 to 220 eggs a year. Quiet, easy to manage. Note that the darkest color comes off in the bloom, so egg color fades a bit through the season and resets after a molt.
4Buff Brahma
The gentle giant. Feathered legs and feet, small pea comb, weighs up to 10 pounds. Extremely docile, handles cold well, tolerates confinement, rarely flies. Slow to mature, about 7 months to lay, then steady through winter when other breeds slow down. Buff coloring with black-laced hackle and tail. Truly a different silhouette from anything you have.
5Delaware
American heritage breed, on the Livestock Conservancy watch list. White with a black-laced hackle and tail bars. Fast growing, calm, excellent forager, lays 4 large brown eggs a week even through summer heat. Rare enough that people notice. Good for keeping a heritage line alive.
6Danish Brown Leghorn
Refined Danish strain of the classic brown Leghorn. Small, active, flighty, top-tier layer at 280+ eggs a year. Females are salmon-breasted with fine pencil markings; the hackles have a distinct gold shimmer. Not a lap chicken but visually striking and a workhorse. Handles heat well, mediocre in cold, so a strong fit for the Bay.
7Ameraucana (second)
You said you are open to another. A second blue-egg layer doubles up your prettiest current egg. Pick a different color variety from your current spotted bird (blue, wheaten, or lavender) to keep the flock visually varied. Fine addition, not unique enough to rank higher.
8Hampshire Red
American breed refined from Rhode Island Red stock. Rich chestnut plumage, faster to mature, calmer than a RIR, lays ~200 large brown eggs a year. Solid utility bird. Nothing wrong with her, just similar in profile to production layers already common in backyard flocks.
Skip
| Breed | Why skip |
|---|---|
| Silver / Golden / Blue Laced Wyandotte | You already have five. |
| Silkie | You have two. |
| Buff Orpington, Barred Rock, Rhode Island Red | You have Buff and Barred already; RIR overlaps with them. |
| Red / Black / Golden Sex Link | Great layers but hybrids, burn out in 2 to 3 seasons vs 4 to 5 for heritage. Eggs are ordinary brown. |
| White Crested Polish (as second Polish) | One Polish is the sweet spot. A pair can trigger crest-picking dynamics. |
Suggested picks and dates
Two workable orders depending on how many birds you want to add.
Two-bird plan (my recommended)
| Date | Breed | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 28 | White Crested Polish + Cuckoo Marans | The Polish you want, plus the dark chocolate egg. Same day means no integration problem, same age from day one. |
Three-bird plan, staggered
| Date | Breed | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 28 | White Crested Polish + Cuckoo Marans | Polish plus chocolate egg. |
| Oct 2 (5 weeks later) | Buff Brahma | Gentle giant, fills out the flock with a totally different silhouette. See integration note below. |
Egg-color trophy plan
| Date | Breed | Egg |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 28 | Cuckoo Marans | Chocolate brown |
| Oct 9 | Ameraucana (second) | Blue |
| Oct 16 | Welsummer | Terracotta speckled |
Integration timing at your friend's place
The rule of thumb is that chicks need to be within roughly 20% of each other's weight to share space safely. Older chicks will peck at younger ones and out-compete them for food and heat.
- Same day: raise together in one brooder from day one, no issues.
- 2 weeks apart: separate brooders for the first 1 to 2 weeks after the younger batch arrives, then combine once the younger group is fully feathered on the wings and can dodge. About 3 to 4 weeks of separation total, then fully integrated by 5 to 6 weeks. Your friend can run them side by side in the same room, ideally with a wire divider so they see each other, which speeds acceptance.
- 4 weeks apart: separate brooders required the whole time your friend has them. A 6-week-old is 3 to 4 times the weight of a 2-week-old and will bully them off food and water. Integrate around week 5 or 6 of the younger group, when the older group is 9 to 10 weeks. Wire divider through, supervised together sessions, then merge with plenty of space and multiple feeders. If the older group is going home to your coop first, that solves it, but their friend then runs two setups for a stretch.
- Adding to your existing flock: wait until the new birds are close to full size, around 14 to 16 weeks. Look-but-do-not-touch for a week (wire divider inside the run), then integrate at dusk with extra feeders and hiding spots for the first two weeks.
Practical: if you go with the two-bird Aug 28 plan, none of this matters. If you go three birds staggered, Aug 28 plus Oct 2, that is 5 weeks apart, which is the tricky window. Ask your friend upfront if they can run two brooders for about 4 weeks.
Reserve
Email ufo@urbanfarmoasis.org or call 510-665-5509. Include breed preferences and phone number. They confirm by phone and take payment to secure the order. Pickup Fridays. $10 per chick, vaccinated for Marek's.