argh!! what should I do

[lauren6]

K... I need some help here

Im brand new to chickens and have 6 silkie chicks right now, now hubby says if we are going to have chickens I want some eggs!! now i know that the silkies arent the best egg layers but dang they are so cute

so I had to get some, they are st run so Im sure I have some roos in there, heck they could all be roos for all I know and will have to get rid of them when they start cookadoodling due to city ordin. also I can only have 10 chickens in my backyard sooooo working within those limitations should i go to chick day and pick up 2 ees and 2 barred rocks?? or maybe one of each? maybe i should just go for it!! and trim the flock if need be??

the whole introducing new chicks thing worries me and i have cold feet about overwhelming myself and my neighbors lol, with a flock of ten..

So what the heck is my question?? i dont know

just looking for some input...

 

[bigstack]

Im kinda in the same boat. I wanted to get 20 JG hens and 3-5 roos. To make sure I got what I wanted I bought alot of eggs. I wasn't expecting a very good hatch rate. It being my first try at hatching and using an LG incubator. BUT.... NOw I have 35 Jersey Giant chicks. 10 RIR and still have 17 more eggs going into lock down the 4th. I think I might have over done it! LOL

But at least I will have enough to get the quality I want. Then I can either sell or eat the others. I don't really look forward to the eating... well the killing part. The eating won't bother me. I just have to keep telling my self they are here for that purpose! They are not Pets! No matter how cute and sweet their personalities are! But I say, GO FOR IT! You just keep what you want and .......thin the herd so to speak.

Good Luck and God Bless!

 

[Kittymomma]

How old are your silky chicks? Depending on their age introducing some LF chickes might not be much of a problem. I'd go with six LF chicks since the silkies were straight run you're bound to have some roos. You should be able to buy the LF chicks sexed so that should help.

 

[ranchhand]

Find a feed store that sells chicks labeled as pullets. Pay a bit more for them, it's worth it! You may still get a roo but the odds go from 50/50 to 90/10 for females.

And another thing I have found is that getting there right as they get their chicks is a good thing- you want to get them before the staff and customers have mixed them all up!

 

[lauren6]

My silkies will be 2 weeks old tomorrow.. Im not sure how old the chicks will be at the feed store on thursday though, so I may have to set up another brooder.

I mean how much is 4 more really!?!

 

[Kittymomma]

Quote:
Yeah, with a two week difference you may need another brooder. With the silkies being the older chicks it could work out though. I'd try it, but have another set up ready just in case. Only four more? I'd go for six, half of the silkies are bound to be roos and if you get look-a-likes the chicken police won't be able to keep count anyhow. Hmmm, maybe I am a chicken enabler.

 

[IggiMom]

Quote:
Hi Bigstack. Ha. You don't fool me.

Those chickens are pets.

Catherine

 

[lauren6]

Quote:
Yeah, with a two week difference you may need another brooder. With the silkies being the older chicks it could work out though. I'd try it, but have another set up ready just in case. Only four more? I'd go for six, half of the silkies are bound to be roos and if you get look-a-likes the chicken police won't be able to keep count anyhow. Hmmm, maybe I am a chicken enabler.

Now stop giving me ideas!!! as soon as I read that I thought well if they have silkies maybe ill get two whites if they have them.

Yep ours are going to be pets with the benefit of eggs

Im just worried our yard (.15 acres) is going be overrun with chickens..

 

[LeghornLisa]

How old are your silkies? I was in your shoes a few months ago. I ordered all pullets 6 of them, 2 BO's, 2 Cochins and 2 silkand both of my silkies were roos. I also live in a community that only allows 10 hens in an enclosed run. My boys did not crow until they were 14 weeks old and only one of them crowed. It broke my heart knowing I couldn't keep them. I suggest you wait and see what happens...you might only have one roo and he could be friendly. One of mine was friendly and the other was not so much. Bottom line is, I miss them dearly and wish I had done things differently. Take the time to think it through and decide what is best for the flock, for the boys and for you. Good luck!

 

[felidaet]

Quote:

"They are not pets". We were new to chickens last April. We started with 18 chicks and everyone clearly understood they were there for egg laying. They were not pets. They were not going to be named. Ya right...

One turned out to be a roo. We can have roosters but did not want any. We talked about trying to find someone to "process" him for us. However, everyone said they could not eat him. We finally found a good place to rehome him. We still have not named our chickens but we are attached to them. It was hard to see our roo go away. And a few weeks ago we rehomed two pullets that were VERY noisy (we did not like the noise, no complaints.) and it was hard to let them go. Maybe adding another 25 in a few weeks will weaken our attachment to them

. I am sticking to that reason for increasing our flock size no matter what some people think...