Starting out breeder: what do i need to know?

Meg, If your nomdeplume means that you have lots of other pets--when starting with a new breed, I would recommend starting with a trio of a single variety, the very best you can afford from a reliable breeder. You can learn their temperment and their requirements--and have room to keep their offspring to see how they grow and look when older. Until you have done this, kept and grown their young, you will not be ready to "cull", nor will you be able to SELECT the best to keep. Later, another line of the same variety may be a good thing. By then you will have enough birds to choose correctly. Starting with too many (or baby chicks that you must wait nearly a year to assess their quality) is a pretty big project, especially with OEG Bantams, where competition is keen and success comes to fewer breeders. But go for it, and it is a wonderful learning process--and in time, you will meet a while flock of neat new people! CJR