Quote:
If you can go bigger, do it! Like fireguy said, you won't regret it in the end.
For instance, let's say I have 6 chickens that I get in the spring. By the following spring/fall, I'll be thinking about more chicks to "sustain" my flock because hens don't lay when they moult (which is usually in their second fall season-about a year and a half), and after the moult they will lay less (not always, but usually). By about three or four years old, they probably won't lay as often, depending on the breed. If you want to keep the flock "rotating" in age and have consistant layers, you'll want to get at least half more of what you started with the following year (spring).
Does that make any sense? GOOD LUCK!
If you can go bigger, do it! Like fireguy said, you won't regret it in the end.
For instance, let's say I have 6 chickens that I get in the spring. By the following spring/fall, I'll be thinking about more chicks to "sustain" my flock because hens don't lay when they moult (which is usually in their second fall season-about a year and a half), and after the moult they will lay less (not always, but usually). By about three or four years old, they probably won't lay as often, depending on the breed. If you want to keep the flock "rotating" in age and have consistant layers, you'll want to get at least half more of what you started with the following year (spring).
Does that make any sense? GOOD LUCK!