Help...Considering an amazing chicken opportunity...need advice

[lizrndiver]

Hi Everyone,

I have a small backyard flock of 4 pullets aged 9-11 months. (one GLW, one Dominique, and 2 Sussex).

Backing up to my suburban backyard is an old farm. The farmer has always kept chickens, in fact my Dominique hatched from his last flock. He culled all his birds last fall due to lack of time to care for them.

He has offered me the use of his chicken barn in exchange for a dozen eggs a week. I will be responsible for all expenses, chores etc. as if it were my own. Utilities will be $15/month. So I will pay that plus the cost of feed and oyster shell.

He typically housed 25 chickens in there with no more than 2 roos. There is about a 1/2 acre free range fenced field attached to the barn. Once the chickens are fully feathered, he usually keeps the pop door to the field open all year.

It sounds very enticing!!! 25 chicks to brood in my garage and then move to his barn

SO here are my concerns.....

If I have been managing 4 in my backyard, would it really be much harder tro care for 25 in a barn? (I know the cost is higher)

I am pretty sure I will be able to sell the eggs.

Second, Can I integrate my four hens into the group of 25 chicks once the chicks are big enough to go to the barn? How hard would that be to add 4 hens to 25 maybe 10 or 12 week old chicks? I don't think I want to have 2 "flocks".

Finally, is there any reason not to get a bunch of different breeds? I was thinking about getting some Buff Orpingtons, some EE's, some Welsummers or Marans, some more Wyandottes, and finally some Dominiques for the farmers sake.

Can't wait to hear what you all think......

Liz

 

[Ms.FuzzyButts]

I think it sounds wonderful. If you are ok with it, then why not? Also, in my experience, it isn't that hard to integrate young chicks. The hens will let them know who's boss, but other than that, not alot to it. And I also don't see anything wrong with a mix of chickens. If that's what you want, I say go for it!!

 

[wvgal61]

To bad he didn't think of that before he culled

 

[gaeamama]

Go for it! If it were me I would definitely do it.
I don't personally find it any harder to care for 25 than for 4. Since i'm down there a few times a day it wouldn't add any extra work, except for the poo in the coop where they roost.

Sounds like a great opportunity.. ESPECIALLY in exchange for only 1 doz eggs/week and $15 utilities.
I'd jump all over that opportunity.

Good luck!

 

[babyblue]

I would do it, but keep one flock for "pets" and the other larger one for some higher end egg producers. that way I could be assured of enough eggs for money put out.

 

[teach1rusl]

I have to say, it would make me nervous NOT owning the property where "my property" (aka the chickens) are being housed unless I had some type of written contract. But I'm a cautious person.
I would scout around to get an idea of whether you WOULD be able to sell dozens of eggs each week. Between rental fees and feed costs, I don't know that you'd profit, but maybe it wouldn't cost you anything. And if it's kind of a hobby thing...well...we all pay for our hobbies...lol.
So your own birds would be about a year old when integrating w/the chicks you may take on. I think you'd really have to monitor your girls to make sure they're not hurting the young pullets, but at least the mature birds would be outnumbered. Hopefully they would have been exposed in some way to one another as the chicks grow and feather out...that would help with integrating. Good luck w/your decision.

ETA: Oh...and I almost forgot to address the issue of care. I have a small flock, five girls. I recently added a rooster and I notice the difference in cleaning with just his addition (he poops a LOT...lol). So if you're like me, you've been spoiled on easy cleaning. THAT aspect will get a lot worse!

 

[AZKat]

I'd be all over that deal. As for the amount of time, I've got thirteen chickens, and I spend about half an hour taking care of them. I'd spend less time if the little ones weren't sleeping in a separate area, and didn't have a feeder that needed refilling once a day. Otherwise, I spend about an hour a week cleaning up the coop.

 

[underground chickenman]

Sounds like a great opportunity. Give it a shot.

Integration shouldn't be too difficult. There are a ton of posts on this site telling how to do it, so no need to repeat it here. Do a search.

As for different breeds, it won't matter too much if you are not breeding, or don't care about maintaining breeds. If you do, you will want to keep the roos with their own breeds.

Keep us posted.

UGCM

 

[breezy]

Dang! Why doesnt stuff like that ever happen to me? Id jump on that like a duck on a Junebug.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Go for it. I never did just the egg selling though. I think I could do just that alone and come out ahead because of where I get my feed, but I choose the whole chicken picture. Meat, eggs, selling of chicks and nice little feathered lawnmowers. If you have known this man for a long time and trust him and ya'll will respect each other's property, you shouldn't have a problem. I don't know if he will be able to stay away from it though. The chicken sickness that most of us are infected with is a hard disease to overcome. It usually has lasting effects.