A couple of questions

[mjdtexan]

I have a couple of questions that I hope dont seem to silly.

My neighbors on either side of me have chickens. One has roosters as well. Neither speak english (my neighbors-I dont know ifin the chickens speak english or not) so I really can't ask them these questions. The question is- will there be any type of competition between the roosters and a rooster I would get (not even sure I want a rooster) or the hens? I can hear their roosters crow in the morning but I like it as I am up anyway.

Do I have to buy chicks that are only a couple of days old or can one buy pullets that are a little older?

Our goal is to gain 8 to 10 eggs every morning. After the insurance adjuster gets here on the 6th of this month (IKE) I am going to build the coop. Does each bird need its own egg nest or will they share a few of them?

From yalls pictures you have posted I see that yall raise different "breeds" together. Is this a good practice for someone who wants eggs every day? What are yalls thoughts on this?

One more thing, these chickens will have plenty of space but they will not be free rangeing because of predators (dogs-hawks-etc). I plan on doing a good size covered run for them.

Thanks for taking the time to read my questions and Thank You in advance for any answers I may get

 

[Fudgie]

First of all if you are going to cover your run and not allow them to free range, don't worry about the roo issue. Not a problem.

Second if you can find a swap in your area you can buy pullets and start there. Usually livestock barns have some small animals or search for small animal sale online. or call the local extension office, they may know.

Third, they will share nesting boxes but have a few on hand so they can use them whenever they want.

If you are not concerned about keeping purebred chickens (ie raising babies) you can run whatever you want together. The only concern you should have is if you want to raise babies and don't want crosses. It sounds like your goal is to get eggs so "rock on"!

 

[Wynette]

!!

Good starter questions - I'm glad to hear you're learning/planning before getting your stock.

If I'm understanding your rooster question, no, you shouldn't have any problems with your rooster fighting with the roosters on either side of you, as it sounds like you will have your poultry in an enclosure - very smart of you!!

Most chickens take breaks from laying now and then, as they need the time to recuperate. Laying eggs takes a lot out of them!! Lots of breeds slow way down in the winter; be sure to pick a production breed if you're wanting eggs every day, every season. There are lots of good production breeds out there; look for sex links (called MANY different things such as black sex link, red sex link, golden comet, cinnamon queen, etc.). There are also some good, old-time breeds such as rhole island reds, barred rock, etc. that I believe lay well through winter. In any event, just know up front to find out about how they lay. I believe this chart will be very useful to you in choosing the right breed:

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

You can buy day-old chicks, or started pullets. Day olds will be less expensive. Started pullets are very expensive to ship. You can also check places such as www.craigslist.com or www.bestfarmbuys.com for folks selling pullets or hens already laying. Be careful when you do this that they look healthy, and NEVER NEVER add new chickens to an existing flock before quarantining the new ones for a month to make sure they are disease-free.

You'll only need one nest box for every 4-6 chickens. In fact, I've got a coop with 6 nest boxes for 7 hens (when I built it I wasn't as smart as you & didn't research that beforehand), I thought they would each need their own nest box. Well, most days, they ALL lay in the same one!

BEST of luck to you, hope you enjoy BYC!!

 

[Hobbley_Farm]

I cant answer your first question.

You don't have to buy day old chicks. You can buy from craigslist. We have two different people selling their flock right now of layers. They probably don't want the expense of feeding them through the winter and having to use lights to keep eggs up.

I would say about 1 nesting box to every 4 birds. I have 4 and a huge nesting box that would allow all four but they only lay in one spot. The "Chosen spot" I guess.

I don't know if it's "good practice" to raise different breeds together so much as variety is the spice of life. I have different breeds because some are going to be meat, while others are layers. I have some poults that will lay jumbo eggs when they start. Some of mine lay medium to large eggs. And now I want to get a couple of banty for smaller eggs. We bought three polish for our son but now...well...he's moving to Wyoming. But that's ok, they're funny to watch. It's just all in what you want them for. Many on here just like them as pets and egg layers so they buy sell trade like crazy.

 

[mjdtexan]

Thank all of you for your answers. I found them educational and nothing was left unanswered. I do have one more question if thats ok. How many chickens should I get for that for the 8 to 10 egg a day program?

Again, Thank Yall in advance.

 

[Fudgie]

Quote:
Well in my very limited experience

, some skip days so I would get like 12-15 chickens to start, you can always sell them or the extra eggs if you get too many.

 

[Hobbley_Farm]

Quote:
Well in my very limited experience

, some skip days so I would get like 12-15 chickens to start, you can always sell them or the extra eggs if you get too many.

ditto

 

[Wynette]

Yep, I'd say 12-15 would be about right. It takes 24-26 hrs. for a chicken to make an egg, and that's when they're in optimum egg-laying mode.

 

[mjdtexan]

Thank Yall for the responses. I was reading a post last night (I think it was in the section dealing with area chicken laws) and someone in my neck of the woods (they live in Crosby Texas) mentioned a chicken farm or the like on highway 90. I wasnt smart enough to subcribe to that thread last night. Does anybody know who the Crosby person is so I can PM them and ask them for more information on that particular Chicken place?

Again, Thank Yall in advance.

 

[Wynette]

I'd do a search - you can specifiy who the poster was, what the subject was, or certain words of the subject. See the blue bar at the top of the page? Just click on Search and you should be able to find what you were looking for by searching.