Enough hens for a family of 3?

[CountryLife4Me]

I have the following birds in my flock (only the Delaware is laying so far) and I'm wondering if these hens will be sufficient to feed a family of 3:

1 White Orpington
1 Black Australorp
1 Delaware
1 Silver Spangled Hamburg (will probably have smaller eggs)

I am considering adding a Barred Rock, but I'm just not sure that I'll need another hen. I'm also wondering if these breeds will likely have compatible temperments. So far I haven't had any issues, and they all seem very docile but they are still young (18-28 weeks). TIA!

 

[lightchick]

Yes, it is. I have 6 chicks and I have a family of 6.

 

[CindaLouWho]

I think so. I have 4 layers and a 13 week old pullet, and a family of three. Some weeks I have more than we can use, so I sell them or give them away!

This is today's egg basket.

 

[aart]

Depends on how many eggs everyone eats per day.

.......and remember egg production varies. 4 hens might not (probably not) give you 4 eggs every single day.
Different breeds and different individuals will have different production rates and even then they may vary by day, week, month. Winter they lay less, or not at all, unless you use supplemental lighting, which can throw production off at other times of the year. Molting and broodiness will stop laying cold. Stress from a number of factors can throw off production also.

One thing you can be sure of with chickens, is that you can never be sure......hahaha....of what they'll do.

 

[CountryLife4Me]

Depends on how many eggs everyone eats per day.

.......and remember egg production varies. 4 hens might not (probably not) give you 4 eggs every single day.
Different breeds and different individuals will have different production rates and even then they may vary by day, week, month. Winter they lay less, or not at all, unless you use supplemental lighting, which can throw production off at other times of the year. Molting and broodiness will stop laying cold. Stress from a number of factors can throw off production also.

One thing you can be sure of with chickens, is that you can never be sure......hahaha....of what they'll do.

I'd estimate that we eat about 12-15 eggs a week. I'm thinking we will probably have enough eggs most of the year, but may come up short during the times you mentioned (winter, molting, etc.). I had planned to just wait and see how the egg production goes and add another hen later if needed, but I'm wondering if that's a good idea. I'm not sure if they would accept a new 'friend' later once they are older and the flock is 'established'. Maybe I'm just worrying for nothing????

Thanks for the replies everyone! CindaLouWho, those are some beautiful eggs!

 

[lightchick]

I have 4 9 week old chicks and decided that I wanted more so I got 2 more day old chicks yesterday!

 

[aart]

Quote: I'd give it the wait and see, I think your 4 hens should cover your needs. When you have a surplus of fresh eggs you can break, scramble and freeze raw eggs in portions to thaw later for baking and scrambled eggs.

......meanwhile read up on integration. Adding birds (you should always add more than one, the more you add - the easier it is in a way) to a flock can be difficult as they are highly territorial even at a few weeks old. Integration is much easier if you've thought it thru first and have the facilities ready to make it smoother. Good Luck and Have Fun!

 

[CountryLife4Me]

......meanwhile read up on integration.

Wow! Guess I wasn't worrying for nothing after all! Lots to consider about adding another hen. I think I'll just wait and see for now.

I also had no idea you could freeze eggs and eat them later as scrambled eggs??? Interesting! I knew you could use them in recipes, but I didn't know they could be scrambled. I figured the texture wouldn't be right. Good to know! If I've ever had a surplus of eggs that I needed to use up, I've always pickled them. Pickled eggs however, are something you either love or hate. We happen to love them, but it may just be a Southern thing!

 

[aart]

Quote: Yeah, it can be a pain....I had a heck of a time with my replacement flock this spring, needed 3 brooder pens for 9 chicks aged 1 day to 6 weeks, they are all together now and I'll do some culling of the main flock before integrating the newbies into the main coop this fall.

I've never done the frozen eggs, but have a read about a bunch of folks using that method. Not a fan of pickled anything here.