Complete novice; been reading but plain n simple overwhelmed!

[dreamcatcherarabians]

I have 25 hens and even in the middle of the coldest part of winter I had enough eggs to supply my family of 4 and 2 other families with eggs all winter.

 

[Sinfonian]

For 11 people, I'd say 20 is a minimum and I'd do some research into dual purpose birds. However, if you want regular chickens to eat, you need to cull them (butcher) when they reach maturity, not after they stop laying. They'll be too tough and be good for soups, braises and stock pots. We are getting wyndottes, welsummers, barred rocks and orpingtons for their good laying and dual purpose nature. If you want to cull some to eat at maturity, then you need far more chicks than 20, and maybe get cornish Xs and separate them from the rest of the flock.

For the run, make it tall enough to walk in, your back will thank me.

It's odd that you don't like your BIL's eggs. All eggs are the same, though feed does make them taste different, especially strong foods like onions and garlic... Free ranging makes the yokes orange, that's something.

As for making money at selling eggs, you'd need far more hens than that, and there is some limit to not get the feds involved. Paying some of your feed bill is pretty good though.

I'm sure you've read the rule of thumb of 4 SF of indoor space per bird and 10 SF of outdoor space per bird, but you'll also hear those are bare minimums. Folks here like their space for chickens!

Good luck and enjoy!

 

[gryeyes]

Roosters are not necessary for hens to lay eggs.

That being said, fertilized eggs are no big deal at all. There is no difference in flavor or nutrition or appearance (except for the white "bulls-eye" tell-tale) between fertilized or non-fertile eggs. There will never be a chick embryo in an egg without incubation. Ever. Gather eggs daily and there's no difference. Heck, gather every 2 or 3 days and you're still "safe." Most hens do not sit on their eggs - they have to be broody to do that - they just lay 'em and walk away. No incubation at all.

You cannot be 100% sure you haven't gotten a rooster unless you buy "sex-linked" chicks. Sexing chicks which are not color-linked by sex is only 90% accurate.

 

[Momagain1]

I think it was more mental..the kids and hubby loved them...
they were fine when I cooked with them IN things..just not for an omelet or hard boiled lol...

it didnt help I had to clean the poop off them...its mental..I'm sure lol...

hmmm...feds/limits etc....have to check into all of that..

maybe I shouldnt go that large number of them...""""head spinning""""

Thank you everyone!!

 

[SunnyCalifornia]

Good luck with your new venture!! How exciting!

I only have 1 year of experience, but here's what I've learned so far:

Give them LOTS of space, especially if they won't be free ranging. You'll inherently get one or two bossy hens, that think they have a right to pick on everyone else, and those poor unfortunate victims will need placed to escape to. Otherwise, you may end up with "house chickens", where you bring the the injured indoors, strap on a diaper, and protect them from the bullies....indefinitely. Then the house chickens and the family dog will vie for the same space on your comfy reclining chair, that you haven't been able to sit in for months, maybe even a year... and the chicken-dog standoffs will be so funny, you'll use up all the disc space on your camera taking pictures of the stink eye exchanges. Your friends will want to come over just to see the spectacle of the chicken in a diaper, which you won't be able to understand, because the current diaper is nowhere near as cute as the one you've been planning to make, but haven't gotten to the fabric store yet to pick up fabric.......

And the rest of the story has yet to be written......

I don't think its just me, it just happens that way!

 

[Judy]

Quote:
Yes they lay eggs with or without a roo. And people eat fertilized eggs all the time. Even some regular grocery store eggs are fertile; people have hatched a few of them just as an experiment. They won't develop unless they are incubated, which is around 100 degrees. This and a lot more basic chicken info is in the learning center here -- link at the top of the page.

If you're going to eat some you will want a roo to hatch your own. And you will get some roos; you need to decide whether to eat them or what. Chick sexing is only about 90% accurate, so if you order 50 female chicks you will probably get 3 or 4 roos if not more, plus they are likely to pack a few extras which will also be roos, usually.

But if you don't like the taste of the free range eggs you have eaten, I would rethink this whole thing a bit. They do taste different and many people find it takes some getting used to. This is even more true of the meat; it does not taste like store bought chicken, unless you raise meaties, and frankly, you don't have enough space to raise many as they really smell BAD.

Usually it is recommended that you give them 4 sq ft in the coop and 10 sq ft in the run for each chicken. This is pretty much a minimum except in very hot climates. They don't need a fan or heat. They do need shade, breeze and lots of water when it is hot.

 

[Momagain1]

Uhhh...SunnyCalifornia...that post..in of itself..has made me RETHINK my whole chicken thing...

LOL I will move out b4 I do that! LOLOL...

are you serious??? ppl need to do that??? I CANNOT/WILL NOT, EVER do that..never..

I dont even like my dog in the house...(and sometimes my kids LOLOL)

 

[SunnyCalifornia]

Quote:
LOL, I never thought I would either!

 

[ChooksChick]

If you go to my BYC page in my signature below, it's got a ton of links summing up things for new henthusiasts.

There's one that details the most important points in a coop, and others that help to choose types of birds and how to orient things within, etc.

Hope that helps, and if you have any questions, feel free to pm me!

 

[BrattishTaz]

Hi!

I can't really give you much advice about eggs because all of my hens turned out to be roosters. They won't lay no matter how much I beg.

Pullets will be coming soon though. I will share with you things I wish people had told me.

First, I have a playhouse that I converted into a coop. It is just over 5 feet in height and I am 5'4". I have cracked my head on beams and the door frame too many times to count. It hurts my back to clean it. It makes me hate cleaning it! I am now building a new one with 6 ' clearance. I would suggest going bigger (definately taller than adult birds) to make it easier to clean and prevent problems such as pecking that occur with overcrowding. I am using recycled wood from other projects and a supervisor from a construction site gave me leftovers from their project. I have only had to pay for nails so far and may end up buying a couple sheets of plywood to finish up. You don't have to pay a fortune. Please note that some people are happy with smaller coops...just not me.

The ONE thing I wish I had known...would give anything to have been told...have learned the hard way. (I'm a little dramatic

)
Learn about PREDATORS! Find out what you have in your area and build your coop/run to head off attacks. I never noticed hawks until I got chickens, now they are everywhere. I have lost one roo to them and another was injured in a separate attack. Skunks, raccoons, rats, minks, weasles, dogs, cats, bobcats, foxes, wolves, and a few others will prey on chickens. There is a ton of info on here to help you.

Don't let me scare you into not getting birds. Raising chickens is actually fun, they are naturally goofy creatures.

I just want you know what to prepare for so you don't learn the hard way like I had to. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." You will hear that alot on BYC.

Good luck!!