We currently have nine hens. I started out my journey of backyard chicken keeping at the beginning of 2011, with three chickens. Two of them ended being roosters and getting rid of them was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I had fallen in love with chickens and I hope to move to a beautiful place with land on which I can keep roosters if I wish. Before getting rid of the roosters I had picked up three Red Rockets from a local breeder. So, at the end of 2011 I had four full size hens, a beautiful, well-built coop, and large tasty brown eggs 
I was so proud of myself for actually doing it. Raising chickens has been so rewarding, I love it! In February 2012, despite the fact that my husband would not be happy, I picked out five chicks from the local feed store. I got three Araucanas and two Buff Orpingtons. After spending hours on the forums here and reading books, magazines and various websites, I was able to pick out the kind of chickens I would like and know what I was getting out of them. (Whereas in 2011 when I picked out the three, I didn't really know what I was doing.) The five babes are absolutely amazing. I enjoy and get more out of raising them from babes. The three I got from the farm don't think of me as mama and are very skiddish. The araucana's are so gorgeous, it's been nice watching them change and grow. The buffs feel like balls of feathers, they are so light, with a beautiful yellow glow. I am so excited to see their eggs pop up in the coop. I am hoping they will by the end of the year. We were lucky enough to only have a two month break without eggs with the four hens. They started laying again in January, which was a huge surprise to me. The problems I currently have are the four constantly shooing the new five away. I wish they would just accept them already. Another big problem is the feed prices being raised. Although I try to have a garden, it would never be enough to grow my own feed for the whole year. With all that said- my future goals include moving to a new place with land, getting more and more hens, selling my eggs and various fruits and vegetables and herbs, and later in life breeding chickens. Happy pecking!!
I was so proud of myself for actually doing it. Raising chickens has been so rewarding, I love it! In February 2012, despite the fact that my husband would not be happy, I picked out five chicks from the local feed store. I got three Araucanas and two Buff Orpingtons. After spending hours on the forums here and reading books, magazines and various websites, I was able to pick out the kind of chickens I would like and know what I was getting out of them. (Whereas in 2011 when I picked out the three, I didn't really know what I was doing.) The five babes are absolutely amazing. I enjoy and get more out of raising them from babes. The three I got from the farm don't think of me as mama and are very skiddish. The araucana's are so gorgeous, it's been nice watching them change and grow. The buffs feel like balls of feathers, they are so light, with a beautiful yellow glow. I am so excited to see their eggs pop up in the coop. I am hoping they will by the end of the year. We were lucky enough to only have a two month break without eggs with the four hens. They started laying again in January, which was a huge surprise to me. The problems I currently have are the four constantly shooing the new five away. I wish they would just accept them already. Another big problem is the feed prices being raised. Although I try to have a garden, it would never be enough to grow my own feed for the whole year. With all that said- my future goals include moving to a new place with land, getting more and more hens, selling my eggs and various fruits and vegetables and herbs, and later in life breeding chickens. Happy pecking!!