How did you decide on how many chicks to get?

[Chickensrock10110]

It seems I`m having a hard time choosing how many pullets I want/ need?How did you decide on how many to get?I want them for eggs laying and I use eggs alot for eating them myself and my other birds like /need it for their breeding season daily.I think I need at least 5 to 7 eggs a day.I heard that some hens will not lay everyday so I need a good amount of hens that will guarentee me at least 5 to 7 eggs.How many do you think I should get/need without having too little eggs or to many?

 

[crooked stripe]

I would go with 10 chicks. I have 7 and never get more than 6 eggs a day. There are even days I only get 3 eggs. From what I have experienced you can't count on chickens for laying. I have BO's and BA's. I would rather have to many than not enough. There is always someone wanting the extras if you have them or feed them back to the chickens.

 

[One Acre Wonder Farm]

I think for you breed selection may be just as important as the number of birds you have. Perhaps choosing reliable layers (leghorns, production sex-links, even RIRs) would help you meet your -5-7 egg goal with as few as 8-9 birds (although 10 sounds better). For me too many eggs is an easier problem to tackle than too few!

 

[Tweeza]

I have 4 golden sex-link, 3 speckled sussex, and 3 australorps. I get an average of 8 eggs per day. The goldens started to lay first and they're the more productive and the sussex lay the smallest of the eggs collected. Good luck.

 

[citalk2much]

I think I would go with 10 good laying breeds

To start LOL addition is not always a bad thing

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

Well first I went through the hatchery site and picked one of everything they had....

Then I cut that in half....

And in half again.....

That was last year. My first chick order was 12 chicks.

This year, I have already gotten 60 and I have 32 more coming next week. Plus I have hatched some myself....


BE CAREFUL, you will get sucked in before you know it!

 

[Chicken Lil]

Actually I have 2 leghorns, 4 wyndottes, and 2 silkies and I get 5-6 eggs a day, and once a week I get 7 eggs.

Really I would suggest going with leghorns, RIR's, or Astrolorpes if you want a good egg production. I just got 4 more chicks, 2 lehorns & 2 astrolorpes, and as soon as they start laying I will sell my two silkies. This way I will have good egg production.

Plus I'll be rid of those two broody hens.

You should do well with as few as 8 hens if you get the right breeds.

Good luck!

 

[crazy hen quartet]

I just want to mention a breed - I keep track of who in our flock lays eggs daily. We have a cinnamon queen who has laid an egg a day for the last 23 days. It boggles my mind.
My parents have one too and they say she is the most prolific layer of their flock.
Personality wise they are also very nice birds.

 

[kbarrett]

My goal last spring during ordering was to end up with 8-10 layers. Since I had read so many posts about shipments arriving with a few dead and posts about losing a few soon after arrival I ended up ordering 14 chicks thinking I may lose a few till they were laying. They arrived in perfect health and all surived. Though I had to cull one last fall due to an impacted crop

My family would have plenty of eggs for eating & baking with just the 3 white leghorns & 2 brown leghorns. At this point I give lots of eggs to friends & family as well as cooking a dozen every couple of weeks to give back to the girls and of course some for the dog.

 

[rhondapiper]

We're building a coop large enough for 8 standard birds. I ordered 8 supposed pullets due to arrive in May. I figure I could get a few mis-sexed ones and possibly lose a few in shipping or just from weak chicks. I really only want 5-6, so I ordered 8 because I can house 8 comfortably, and I won't mind if I have fewer in the end.

I didn't want to order more than I could house because then they'd all end up being healthy hens with my luck and then I'd be overcrowded.