Help! I can't part with ANY of my chickens!

[wjallen05]

When my husband flipped out when I ordered 40 new chicks (who arrived today!), I justified it by saying that I was going to downsize my flock and sell most of the new chicks. But I can't bare to part with ANY of them! I love them ALL. I have nearly 90 chickens total now, with the new babies. That is rediculous. I need help. Is there some kind of chickens anonymous classes I can go to or something?

 

[Christine S]

90 chickens???!!! Holy crow...(no pun intened

). Share the love...let someone else expereince the awesomeness of owning chickens.

 

[NellaBean]

I thought it would be hard to get rid of my chickens, but I find that once they are gone I have so many others that I don't really even miss them. Kind of sad. I do have my favorites that I am going to keep but just start by selling off your least favorite ones and see how that goes. I make myself feel better by knowing that of all the ones I sell........I can then get more! Whoo hoo, LOL. Seriously, I like my chickens but once I sell them, they are kind of out of sight out of mind.

 

[bywaterdog]

90 chickens????
I hope that you have another coop/run than the one on your B.Y.C. page, it's way too small for even 1/3 of that many chickens.
Do both your husband and the chickens a favor,get rid of some of them birds.

 

[fancbrd4me02]

You will have to sell some of them. There are lots of nice people who need chickens. I use craigs list and I post ads at the feed stores. Lots of times I post ads for "starter layer flocks" which is 2 or 3 hens and a roo. I don't know what kind of chickens you have, but if they are all girls and relatively young, it will be asy to find homes for them. If you have 4-H or FFA at your local schools, contact the leaders of those groups and tell them you have starter flocks for layer or meat bird projects for the students to purchase at good prices. Right now a lot of kids might be looking for some birds to show during the summer at your local county fair. After that, be very carefull adding to your flock. I add only 2-3 layers to my flock a year because I keep all of my hens until death if possible. (Except the youngsters that go in the starter flock trios) - But thats when I hatch to many roos I sacrifice a few pullets to get the roos good homes.

 

[suburbanminifarm]

(Co-dependent cheerleading alert) Don't get rid of any of them! You only have a few chickens! Build more enclosures and tell Hubby that you are going to make lots of money towards the family grocery bill by selling eggs!

 

[bantamsrus]

I have 49 poultry--most of which are breeding stock.

(so few eggs)

I think the chicken addiction thing is some type of disease........

I can't wait until hatching season starts!!!

 

[patandchickens]

Whether 90 is really your limit or not, there is always going to be SOME limit to how many chickens you can have, so best to figure out how to come to terms with the idea that you can't have every cute feathery thing you see, however sparkly and peepy and personable it may seem

(Kind of bothers me that it is widely considered 'cool' on this forum to egg people on in this "buy buy buy! collect them all! more more more!" mentality, at *all* let alone with animals that can't just be stacked any whichway on a shelf like beanie babies. I know this is not a popular thing to say, and I apologize to anyone who feels offended by it, but I just really don't think this kneejerk "everyone should get more chickens, and keep getting more and more and more" thing does a service to people let alone to their chickens themselves...)

JMHO,

Pat

 

[FortWorthChicks]

Well.... I live in the city and am only allowed 12.

I have six and just ordered 14 more chicks :S.... then I went back and ordered 18 more chicks for late spring :S

I'm gonna have to part with some, but I figure to find some special ones in the mix to make up my 12.

 

[wjallen05]

90 chickens????
I hope that you have another coop/run than the one on your B.Y.C. page, it's way too small for even 1/3 of that many chickens.
Do both your husband and the chickens a favor,get rid of some of them birds

Excuse me. There always has to be someone to make rude remarks. I would never put that many chickens in such a small space. The coop pictured on my BYC page is my LAYING HEN COOP. The coop is 96 sq feet and the run is 240 sq feet. I currently have 16 hens in it. I have 3 OEGBs in a 25 sq foot tractor. I have 8 pullets coming of laying age that are in a 80 sq foot run with a 30 sq foot coop. I have 3 Silkies in a 100 sq foot pin. I have 4 roosters in a 60 sq foot pin. I have two separate brooders with 49 total chicks. I have three empty coops/runs at the moment. One is 48 sq feet, one is 70 sq feet, and the other is 80 sq feet.

Any more comments you'd like to make?




Oh and also, for the record, (Pat), I live on almost 80 acres. I stay at home and take care of the kids and the animals. I sell the eggs and make enough to pay for all the chicken feed and have all the eggs we want. I don't see the problem in having 90 chickens or however many I want. Not to mention all but 5 of the 49 chicks are straight run. Also, 11 of them are meat birds so we'll be eating them in 6 weeks. That will leave 33 chicks that are SR. Probably half will be males that I will give away. 2 of my roosters are extra Silkie roos that I need to give away. I have a friend that wants to buy 5 hens from me in the spring when their coop is finished. That will leave me with about 50 chickens.​