?? Average Home Flock Size ????

[ChickenToes]

Let me think...I started off with 31 chickens. After butchering roosters, I had about 25. Then I found out that I like ducks a whole lot better, so right now I have 10 ducks and 1 chicken on 1/2 acre. I hope to be down to 7 ducks after selling drakes.

 

[birdseyeview]

This family of 7 has 24 chickens and 4 quail (with over 40 quail eggs waiting to hatch in the 'bator). Our chickens don't free range so we provided a nice sized closed in run outside their coop.

 

[AnnesChicks]

We live outside of city limits on 1/3 acre which makes a very large yard. I couldn't find any zoning info specifically on chickens ~ so what the heck! We have eight hens, who are not allowed to free range....my neighbors yard ends at the woods and lost both her cats to coyotes.

So for their first full month of laying: 104 eggs oh my! We had no idea...so my son, my parents and my sister have been gifted with eggs. I had no idea this would be so fun.

 

[goldeneggtees]

Hi, that is the same with us, family of four on . 5 acre with 8 pullets

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[barred-rocks-rock]

4-5 , and do something with ur second rooster

 

[Beekissed]

Family of four with approx. 27, including 2 roos. If I were just providing for my family in eggs, I would have 6-10 hens, one roo. Since I sell the extras and eat culls and extra roos, we have more than I consider necessary for the average family.

 

[Uppity Peon]

My DW bought 24 sexed babies. We expected a few to turn out to be roosters and I think she expected more to die before they started laying. But thanks in part to BYC we have lost only 2 so far and we accepted my neighbor's cockerel, so we still have 23. And 20 appear to be pullets after 3 months. I think we are going to be eating a LOT of eggs!

 

[allmypeeps]

If you don't have alot of acreage and want chickens (of course as pets) but more so to produce eggs for your family, I would think about how many eggs your family realistically requires/week.

Its just my husband and I here and we only eat eggs about 2X/week, and I may use eggs in a recipe or two a couple times/week also. We have two chickens and STILL find ourselves giving eggs away to our friends when we've acumulated too many.

Depending on your egg consumption, just get 3-4 or so to start (depending on breed as some lay more regularly) and then, when they start to slow down in productivity, add one or two more.

That way you will always have eggs and the fun of getting new chicks, (because getting more is quite addicting!!!

But if you start off at the top of yor limit theres no room to get more later ) with the small acreage So this way you don't have to worry about having too many birds for your lot (or neighbors) to handle.

Its fun to have extra eggs to give to friends BUT if you start out with a bunch of chickens they will all inevidable slow down together so your eggs will become less and less over the years and you'll wind up with a coop full of retired hens and being at your # limit, you won't be able to get more unless you consider rehoming the old gals- which will almost certaintly be a stew pot sentance.

They DO however lay till' they die. Just at a rate which causes every egg you find to be more of a 'surprise' than it used to be.

Some breeds only lay 2-3 eggs/week as is, even in their prime. So just be sure to choose breeds that are particularly good at laying. My RIR mix lays 7 days a week ((I keep telling her she can take the weekends off, but she doensnt listen!!)) She lays thru the winter too!

g'luck

e

 

[kathyinmo]

Family of 4 adults. See my signature for the chickens I have.

 

[Rae_37066]

3 Adults, 6 acres, and a bunch of grateful friends that are happy to pay for fresh eggs over store bought eggs any day. They pay $1.00 a DZ and was broken hearted when they all went on strike due to the heat and being broody

I have 23 laying Leghorn hens with 5 of them broody, 2 leghorn roo's,
11 - 6 week Leghorn's hatched with an incubator (2 of them are roo's),
4 -6 week EE's ( they all look like pullets so far),
10- 5 week old RIR pullets, 10- 3 week old EE pullets,
so far 9 leghorn 2 day chicks that the broody's hatched out.
have 9 more eggs due to hatch any time now.
and 1-6 mo. old RIR roo I bought at a fresh egg farm I past while going to work.

so right now I have 70, hopefully tomorrow 79 and then I am done!!

but why did I want that RIR roo then?? ... shush don't tell my hubby lol