Help me decide...new to chickens...2 or 4 hens?

[black_fx_35]

So I am brand new here, have been lurking for a month or so, but this is my first post. My wife and I are thinking about getting chickens in our urban backyard. We are trying to determine if it makes sense to get 2 or 4 hens. I think we should just get 4 (more eggs), and the difficulty to keep 4 is nominally harder than keeping 2 (I think). We have never kept chickens before, and because this is new to us, my wife thinks it makes sense to start off with 2. I have read that it is difficult to introduce chickens to a coop at a later date, but I am looking for pros and cons for keeping 2 vs 4. What do we need to think of to help make the decision? Noise, work involved, egg production, etc etc??? Thanks so much for your help!!!

 

[KDH]

Your situation and ours is very similar - we decided to go with four or five hens for a couple of reasons, not the least being that they're social creatures and (from everything I hear) are susceptible to... ummm.... early demise (via predators, etc.). So, we didn't want to suddenly have only one chicken with no buddy...

 

[math ace]

Go FOUR - Don't go smaller.

I have a couple of posts out there right now because I am trying to add a couple of chickens to my existing flock and was not going well.

It is easier to get rid of too many hens than to add a new one to an existing flock.

Also, you may get 4 hens and not like all of their personalities.
OR One may turn out to be a HE - oh no ! !

Plus, you could lose one or two to predators, dogs, disease, etc.

So, go with the 4 and downsize if you need to.

 

[felidaet]

I would go for 4 or 6 or ...

There is not going to be much effort in raising 4 than 2. You are not going to get an egg everyday from every bird. Some breeds lay every 2nd or 3rd day. Probably the biuggest concern would be housing. You will need twice as much space for 4 birds than 2. Something else to consider is that one could turn out to be a rooster (unless you get Sex Links) or something could happen to one of them. If you decide you have too many you can always get rid of the extras on Craigs list.

I currently have 15 and find that it takes very little effort to raise them. I spend much more time than I need to with them. The 15 have been so easy to raise that I am adding 25 more (only 1 week away - yahoo).

 

[gryeyes]

Aside from the fact that absolutely everybody on BYC will tell you to get 4 not 2, here are MY reasons for instructing you to get the four:

There will be MINIMAL difference in taking care of 2 more chickens.

There's a chance you might end up with an "accidental" rooster, if you get chicks. Sexing them is considered to be 90% accurate. That would cut down on the egg production.

Not every chicken breed - or chicken, of all breeds, for that matter - lay an egg every single day. If egg production is important, get the four chickens.

Four is twice as much fun to watch grow up, and twice as much fun to watch doing chicken things. They're just adorable to watch! And flock interaction is also interesting. They make a lot of different sounds other than cluck cluck cluck, y'know.

If you get two, and later decide you want two more, then you will have to endure the pecking order issues again. It's not horrible, but it can be distressing (for tender hearted folks) to watch them establish a new pecking order. If you get all four at once, that situation occurs that once, and that's it. Everybody will know who belongs where on that hiarchy.

Hens aren't terribly noisy except during pecking order skirmishes, or when laying an agg. The Egg Song is not a melodious - it's a great big BuhBAWK BAWK BAWK episode.

Roosters can be very noisy.

Each chicken deserves at least 4 square feet of coop space, and 10 square feet of run space. So, four chickens would need twice as much room as two. That may be an issue for some.

Hope this is helpful.

 

[ByHisHands]

I also think you should start with at least 4. I have 10 hens and a roo, plus 3 bantams...they are very easy to take care of. I hope to be getting
new chicks very soon! Once you start you will want MORE MORE MORE!!!

Keep us posted and don't forget pics!

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I would get 4. It is a lot harder to introduce adults. In a perfect world, you would never lose a chick or chicken, but, well, it happens. Between 2 and 4, the work would be the same. Cost of housing would be more for 4, but for so few hens, it wouldn't be double, unless you are buying a pair of Eglus.

(Those are plastic, ready made chicken coops that are quite small and rather expensive.)

If you want to keep them a long time, as they start to decrease in laying, with 4 you will still have plenty of eggs for a longer time. Also, if 1 is broody and not laying or they are laying less when molting, you still have plenty of eggs. When they are all laying, you have eggs to share. In our case, our dogs can have some eggs once in awhile. Plus, you can have 4 different cool chicken breeds, instead of 2 different cool chicken breeds.

Now, my husband just said when I asked, that he would say to only get 2.

Maybe 3 is the right number! A compromise all the way around!

How many eggs do you eat a week now? We eat more with our own eggs, than we do with store eggs, too. They just taste better, as well as being better for you. Are you planning to share with anyone? That's probably the most sensible way to decide.

 

[Kelly G]

I'm going to be the only one REALLY honest with you....

Four will not be enough!

They are MUCH more addictive than potato chips!!!

 

[clothdiaperingmom]

I was going to start with 8, and I did. But then added, and added, and am incubating...LOL. So now, ummmm, I have lots more then 8.

 

[suburbanminifarm]

No way will 2 make enough eggs for you......they don't lay every single day all year you know....and envision how excited you will be to have them for breakfast- to cook with in recipies- to share with the nice neighbors- to share when you go to visit relatives...etc...
I started with 2 and now have 30 in a suburban backyard.... and more in the incubator.... but the neighbors look forward to seeing my DD deliver eggs to thier doorsteps!