Hello,
I designed my coop and run for 6 hens utilizing the 4 sq ft and 10 sq ft suggestions mentioned on this forum often. Looking at the current cleanliness and Flock health I am very happy with how it is built but I am also aware that I would certainly not keep 7 chickens in this setup.
My chickens are just started laying in the last 3 weeks, but I am planning ahead would like to eventually start replacing hens going into their second molt (2.5 years) with new chicks so I will have 3 age classes of 2 hens each for egg production during fall and winter from the 2 youngest hens and bigger eggs from the old. I would cull the two oldest hens each Fall and replace in late winter
/ early spring with 2 new (coop brooded with mama heating pad and in sight of the existing flock, integrated with escape routes at 3 weeks old).
Many hatcheries, including my particular favorite, have minimum quantities (3) for the chicks due to warmth issues.
If I cull my flock down to 4 hens in November would there be an issue with ordering 2 female chicks for laying and 1 such as a Red Ranger broiler chicken that will be eaten at 12-14 weeks old? That would be 7 chickens for 3 months but at least the two egg chicks will be a smaller bio load being less than 14 weeks old.
Would the red ranger eat the Flock raiser with the whole flock and be ok on that? Not interested in a separate meat bird feeding program.
I designed my coop and run for 6 hens utilizing the 4 sq ft and 10 sq ft suggestions mentioned on this forum often. Looking at the current cleanliness and Flock health I am very happy with how it is built but I am also aware that I would certainly not keep 7 chickens in this setup.
My chickens are just started laying in the last 3 weeks, but I am planning ahead would like to eventually start replacing hens going into their second molt (2.5 years) with new chicks so I will have 3 age classes of 2 hens each for egg production during fall and winter from the 2 youngest hens and bigger eggs from the old. I would cull the two oldest hens each Fall and replace in late winter
/ early spring with 2 new (coop brooded with mama heating pad and in sight of the existing flock, integrated with escape routes at 3 weeks old).
Many hatcheries, including my particular favorite, have minimum quantities (3) for the chicks due to warmth issues.
If I cull my flock down to 4 hens in November would there be an issue with ordering 2 female chicks for laying and 1 such as a Red Ranger broiler chicken that will be eaten at 12-14 weeks old? That would be 7 chickens for 3 months but at least the two egg chicks will be a smaller bio load being less than 14 weeks old.
Would the red ranger eat the Flock raiser with the whole flock and be ok on that? Not interested in a separate meat bird feeding program.
