Good Sized Flock?

[technodoll]

Um.

All my chickens are pets... they all have names... when they get sick they come inside the house to get treated, some lay eggs and most don't, they all have forever homes here - no freezer camp for anyone.

I had in mind to start with 4, came home with 7.

Upped to 14 two months later.

Then a couple more.

Another couple more.

We now have 19 girls and 3 boys, with maybe a couple chicks on the way if mama hen is successful at hatching...

DH was a bit aggravated at first but he fell in love with them too and since we sell the eggs, the flock is paying for its upkeep and then some! I really see no end to the madness since there are about 5 to 8 other breeds I want to add to the flock!

Really... feeding and cleaning up after 6, 12 or 18 is more or less the same to me...

GOOD LUCK!

 

[ponygal12]

Wow, I learned a lot today! Thanks everyone!

 

[dwegg]

I am brand new to chickens as well and have 7. I was only getting 4!!!

I purposely got one of each kind or color because I wanted a good-looking and interesting flock.

I have a:
blue Orp. (beautiful blue color - still young),
Buff Orp. (yellow excellent layer both friendly),
2x Easter Eggers (mine lay green eggs- simply amazing! excellent layers),
Rhode Island Red (red, hand raised and good layer),
Silver Laced Wyndotte (pretty black and white pattern),
and a barred rock (lavender color I don't know why?)

I didn't get them for the eggs but for the breeds and colors.

and I think 6 is a great number...I am getting to know all my girls..and i think I have one or two too many!

 

[elmo]

Quote:
Chickens aren't pets?! Oh, I have to disagree there, at least in our case. Chickens are right up there with dogs in my mind as excellent pets. I can feel my blood pressure go down and all the worries of my daily life just melt away as I sit in the back yard with a beverage and watch my chickens free range. I call it my "chicken therapy."

We have five bantams we raised from hatch and they're all tame enough to be lap chickens. With such a small number of chickens, we've been able to get to know their individual personalities...and they do have individual personalities.

I'm hard pressed to think of anything I've done in the last ten years or more that has given me more enjoyment than getting this small flock of chickens. I'm hooked.

 

[Rocky Top Chick]

We have 15, rehomed the extra 5 roos. I found that the ones that there is only one become much more like pets. We have 2 BO', 2Barred Rocks, and 2 leghorns, all the others are different breeds so I can tell them apart. Those are the ones with names. However one of the BO's has wry neck (always has) and we did name her crooked neck, because we could tell her apart. I want five more in the Spring and will stop at 20. I agree, I don't think there is much difference between 10 or 20 as far as work goes, maybe food, but we let our free range supervised so we are able to cut down on food.

 

[elmo]

Quote:
Excellent point, Patandchickens (as usual). One thing to consider: if you want more chickens, but don't want excess eggs, consider bantam breeds. The eggs are smaller so you don't end up with too much. Our four bantam hens produce just the right amount of eggs for our small family of 3 every week.

Oh, and bantam poo is smaller, too.

 

[fiberart57]

Welcome to BYChickens.

Another thing to consider is your zoning. If you have a rural lot and/or are in the country where you have the option of lots of livestock, you could keep 12. I you're inside a city's limits, then there's likely to be some ordinances about chickens.

I myself have six lovely mixed girls: Carmen- Blue Andalusian, Bunnie - Buff Orpington, Copper - NH Red, Sissy - Speckled Sussex, Sheila - Black Australorp and Stormy Chuckles - EE. I raised them from 36 hours old and they are the best flock in the whole world. They are lovely lawn ornaments, pest control and egg producers. I vote for a mixed color flock and six is a great number. I'd have a Barred Rock and others but I'm only allowed six. Sigh.

Mary

 

[chookchick]

Just remember--you might want to start with a smaller number and work your way up. That way you can add young pullets each year and have a more steady flow of eggs. Plus it's fun to raise chicks! And you will learn more, and want certain varieties...Start with 3 or 4 and then you can add a couple or so each year. I think six is a great number, but I want to add a couple more, of course...

 

[farmin'chick]

I started with 16 in April...have around 200 now, more in the incubator and more coming..... Yes, they're all pets. And 5 pairs of silkies live in the house, along with a pair of cochins, a bantam frizzle roo, and 10 rabbits....And of course the kitchen roo and the porch hen.

 

[AnnesChicks]

I wanted three, ordered six and came home with eight. Chicken math or so I hear from other BYC fans. For the two of us, that has been plenty of eggs, enough to share with our son and my folks from time to time. Care and upkeep for this size flock is minimal I use the deep litter method and have only cleaned out the coop twice so far. Once a week I add more shavings, a little stall dry and fill up their feeder. Other then daily water, scratch and letting them in and out - easy as can be.