How many chickens?

[czechsonofagun]

We have a neighbor who sells eggs and it worked great for years, but he is getting out of his little enterprise. Well, we got used to free range eggs, hard to go back to store bought.

How many chickens for family of five? We usually eat at least two dozens a week. I gotta admit I am not sure I want to do this, but at least soem research is due

Also what chicken, I know absolutely nothing - ok I know Foghorn Leghorn from the cartoon

 

[300UGUY]

We have a neighbor who sells eggs and it worked great for years, but he is getting out of his little enterprise. Well, we got used to free range eggs, hard to go back to store bought.

How many chickens for family of five? We usually eat at least two dozens a week. I gotta admit I am not sure I want to do this, but at least soem research is due

Also what chicken, I know absolutely nothing - ok I know Foghorn Leghorn from the cartoon

To reliably get 24 eggs per week, from a home flock, I'd get at least a 12 chickens. A lot of locals here have gotten out of chickens lately, as the feed price has gotten pretty high. I used to pay about $10 for a 100lbs of feed, now it's over $20. I used to give the girls oilers - sunflower seeds, as a treat. They were about $9 per bag. Last I looked, they were $28. I don't feed the oilers anymore. It takes 20 weeks from hatching to laying eggs, so unless you buy hens, it will take awhile.

 

[DennisArrow]

So, 12 hens for 2 dozen eggs per week. What kind is best to start out with, the best layers, the healthiest?......How long will that 100 pounds of feed last vs how many dozen eggs???????.........

Thanks......God bless......Dennis

 

[wrflt]

I raised chickens (hens, didn't have any roosters) for several years in the past, no longer though. Had a lot of fun with it.

Had the most luck with Rhode Island Reds. They lay a large brown egg (very rich) almost daily. When it gets really cold, they'll slack off a bit. Tried a few other varieties that were great, but the RIR's were the best.

So, for 2 dozen a week, 8-10 hens but you'd probably want to start with 12.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

I've had as many as 36 hens (I think).

I feed cracked corn twice a day and they free range in the yard all day. I'm paying $11.13 for 50 lb bag and feeding 12 guineas, 6 ducks, 2 roosters, and unsure how many chickens (at least 24, have not counted in months). Not sure how long it is lasting. Side benefit is we have almost NO BUGS.

During the winter you get a LOT fewer eggs, it is rigged to their daylight cycle. I am only getting a couple a week right now, but they are also hiding their laying spots, and we have only found one spot so far...

Leghorns are white, lay white eggs. Rhode Island Reds, lay brown eggs. Americana's lay greenish/blueish egg (I love them).

Go up on Crigslist and see what you can find. DO NOT PAY TOO MUCH, those people selling chickens for $25 each are rip-off artists!

My girls all love them. :thumbsup:

Be well,
David

 

[blueriver]

Cold weather ... short days ... less eggs. I have about 40 hens total. During the peak laying I can gather 36 eggs a day. Last night 10 eggs total.

 

[Kyle241]

We only have 6 hens and they only recently started laying. We now get 3 eggs a day, all brown. We have 2 Rhode Island Reds and 4 Plymouth Barred Rocks. The latter are real characters and fun to have around.

 

[Lloyd_E]

Have 6 hens... no eggs now.

Other than the fun. It may be cheaper to find another supplier.
You will need:
Chicken coop: $500-1000
Lamp $25.00
Timer: $5.00
Feed/Water dispensers: $40.00
Misc: $50.00
Chickens: $1.29 each(12 chicks $15.48) you may want to start with more to allow for loss.

Your first dozen eggs will cost $635.48!!!!

We started this spring. Hens are not laying well.

Lloyd

 

[mbosma]

We still get an egg per day from alot of our birds in the winter, but you need to supply light in their coop every day. We're supplementing light in the evenings so they get at least 12 hours per day. 15 hens, 10-12 eggs per day average so far this fall. They will slack off a little when it's below freezing during the day or heavy snow on the ground.

 

[mbosma]

One more note...

It will not be cheaper than buying storebought unless you really work at reducing costs.
• Build a coop out of materials already owned. We used an old wood trailer with old wood siding as a roof for the first year until we decided we like chickens and built a coop out of other found materials plus minimal siding/roofing. We spent $200 and can have up to 25 fowl tenants.
• Find a cheap source of feed. Buying feed from the feedstore is expensive. We buy overage from a local pig farmer - $4 per 50 lb. bag. vs $12 per 40 lb. bag at local store. The birds need some supplemental feed to lay regularly unless it's spring/summer and food is abundant.
• We made our own feeder out of a 5 gallon bucket and plant pot tray, and use the creek as a waterer. Heating a waterer during the winter to keep it from freezing doesn't sound fun to me.
• Try to buy hens that are laying. Chicks are fun, but by the time you buy and raise them, laying hens are the same price or cheaper. We usually pay $5 per bird.
• 15 hens (and four roosters for their protection) allows our family of 7 to sell about 2 dozen eggs per week to pay for feed costs, bird replacement, and coop. We also have all the eggs we can eat for free.

 

[homeputter]

Go to BackyardChickens.com
This Site will tell you everything you want to know about chickens.

 

[sal64]

i have 11 hens and get an avarage of 6 eggs a day, i try to replace them at 4 yrs old because egg prodution goes down after 3 yrs old. i pay 12 dollars for 50 lbs bag of mash about 11 for ccorn, but i free range my chickens in the summer so i dont feed them only a little ccorn at night there is plenty of bugs and grass for them to eat.

 

[bigbull338]

Go to BackyardChickens.com
This Site will tell you everything you want to know about chickens.

yes BYC used tobe a good site for info years ago.but i dont know how good it is now.i haven been there in a few years.the OP needs something like a 12 by 12 shed.an that will have enough room for 25 hens.an you can get 100lbs feeders.choose whatever breed you want.but know this if you get easter eggers the hens that lay colored eggs.they will stop laying in nov.an not lay till feb or mar.but most other breeds will lay year round cept when they molt.then they slow down or stop laying for awhile.an also keep them penned till most have layed their eggs,or else they start hiding eggs.you need atlest 12 hens to give you enough eggs.

 

[bp fick]

Czech,

If you wanna pm me, I'll spend as much time corresponding as you need. Been a chicken keeper for over 50 years. Yes, we do it profitably. Get rich? Nah, but cover your expenses and a few dollars for a pizza and beer each month with the wife.

The secret of having eggs, year round is to always head into winter with spring chicks, first year pullets. Gals from the previous year moult in fall and take a few months off. You have to rotate in fresh pullets each summer and frankly, I'd much rather raise them out from chicks and know what I have and keep any diseases and such AWAY from my place. Unless I knew the raiser personally, I'd stay far away from just buying stock from just anybody.

Here's some random shots of one my earliest flocks, circa 1959 and few of my current gals. Way too many to photograph in one shot.:laughing:

 

[bp fick]

Here's the old photo.

 

[forgeblast]

There are 3 of us, and we have three chickens. We started with six but the roosters had to go and one jumped into the dog pen when it was little.
We have plenty of eggs. I really like our barred rock and RI reds. Good layers and tough little girls. We have a light and an an electric water bowl in the coop and they keep laying thorough the winter.
I did get a few ideas from byc.com
one was the sq footage each chicken needed. The moisture is a major cause of frost bite and coop smell. control that and chickens are happy.
Next is a Poop board, a board that goes under the roost that keeps the floor of the coop clean and the chickens from getting it all over them.
3rd is the deep litter method, use about 6inches of bedding/flooring and change every 6 mts.
I like the chicks and my little on gets a kick out of feeding them and throwing oyster shells to them. I think its something we will be doing for a while.

 

[165masseyky]

Czech,

If you wanna pm me, I'll spend as much time corresponding as you need. Been a chicken keeper for over 50 years. Yes, we do it profitably. Get rich? Nah, but cover your expenses and a few dollars for a pizza and beer each month with the wife.

The secret of having eggs, year round is to always head into winter with spring chicks, first year pullets. Gals from the previous year moult in fall and take a few months off. You have to rotate in fresh pullets each summer and frankly, I'd much rather raise them out from chicks and know what I have and keep any diseases and such AWAY from my place. Unless I knew the raiser personally, I'd stay far away from just buying stock from just anybody.

Here's some random shots of one my earliest flocks, circa 1959 and few of my current gals. Way too many to photograph in one shot.:laughing:

If I am gonna cage pen my chickens do I need to clip there wings or is a high fence enough and if so how high?

 

[Triguy1]

Bo fick,

Pretty sure that just saw that picture over on Byc. New to both forums.

Jon

 

[bigbull338]

your fence needs tobe 6ft tall to slow them down from flying over.an yes clipping 1 wing helps prevent them from flying over.an the wing clipping needs tobe done 2 or 3 times a year.even then some can still fly out of the pen.

 

[Mousefield]

We have 88 egg layers and get in the mid 70 to low 80's for eggs per day.
If you get chickens that are egg layers, not meat or duel purpose chickens, you should expect close to one egg a day for the first year, after that they do fall in production a fair bit. We get our chickens as pullets, so about 18-20 weeks old. After about a year we replace them as their production really slows. Early in the morning we let them out of the coop into a fenced run, late morning after they have finished laying, they are let out to free range on several acres. Every year we have been increasing the number of chickens as we end up getting more customers than we have eggs. If you are into gardening the manure makes great compost.