How many chickens did you start off with?

[sandy sea]

Started with 6 pullets. Than added 4 more, than just 6 more. than just two more Than just another three more, Now Broody hens just hatched 30 more. It never stops!!!!!!!!!! What does that make 51 chickens. My husbands is going to be mad. OH WELL maybe some of the chicks will be roosters, and I will not have to keep them.

 

[CallyB57]

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Well, I have 12 for now - ordered 15 from Cackle Hatchery, gave 9 to my neighbor (mistake) as I only had room for 6. Got them settled in to their new henhouse & pen, then bought 6 Silkies from individuals and built a separate hen house for them. Right now I am working on large grassy area for them all to take turns pecking around in. Will eventually hatch some eggs from the ones I have. Would like to order a small number of Welsummer chickens and a couple of 'real' Ameraucanas, but can't just right now. Will wait until I have added yet another hen house and expanded my 'grassy' run even further. All this hinges on me having a job after July 1.

 

[ams3651]

I started out with 8, 3 were roos so 2 had to go. So,6 all together. My broody just hatched 4 which 2 may be roos and have to go. So for now,10. I started small because i intended on using only half my shed for the coop and I was concerned with space. Well they ended up with the whole shed. Now Id like more eggs to sell so if I get 2 or 3 hens out of the babies I will be ok for this year.

 

[Joyryder]

Hi, I ordered 30 the last week of April after my husband had finished building the coop. 15 Buff Orps for my English husband and 15 Ameraucanas (EEs) for me. My scheduled delivery date turned out to be was June 1. I didn't want to wait. So I went to Heritage Feed and bought 4 - 2week old Light Brahmas and 2 -3week old Australorps. I thought 6 pullets might be a good test group. Then I was worried I might have too many. I met a person who wanted the Brahmas, so I sold them. So now I have 33 (Crackle sent me an extra.) I only wanted 1 rooster of each breed but I had to order 10 pullets and 5 straight run for each. I don't know what I will do with the extra roosters.

 

[JennsPeeps]

I got 3 chicks a year ago.

Then I added a banty cochin.

Then I got 2 chicks.

Then one of the original 3 died.

So I upped my pending order of 2 chicks to 3.

Then I got a mistake order from MPC and kept 2 of the 14.

Now I have 10.

I meant to wait. Oops.

 

[france]

I originally ordered 10. But 7 of those were bantams. I was warned on here to order a couple more regular sized chickens. I ordered 3 more but due to a shipping mix-up I was sent 6 more. Now I have 16, 7 are bantams and 9 are full size.

 

[CallyB57]

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I know it's not the right thing to do...or rather, it's not the norm. I ended up with 2 roosters just by chance. Once is a LBrahma and the other an EE. My 2 roosters are like babies - they will sleep in my arms and allow me to pick them up at any time - they gently peck the bottom of my baggy shirt (I have spoiled all my chickens with raw peanuts, so maybe they think I have an endless supply of them). I couldn't get rid of them for anything - the girls are friendly to a certain extent, but they are not like my roosters...my roosters are totally trusting of me. I have paid them all the same amount of attention, holding, petting, dispensing peanuts, etc. They are all in together in one hen house/one pecking pen, but when it comes to hatching some of their eggs, I will separate the LBrahmas from the EE's and the one BOrpington for a couple of weeks, then use the new eggs from the UNmixed breeds and have a little Silkie hatch their eggs...or hatch the EE's eggs. Anyway - back to the roosters...I hope you can keep more than one as they are so loving and sweet.

 

[CallyB57]

One more thing - my EE rooster used to be mean and peck me so hard it would leave a bruise...that really upset me, so I started picking him up and holding him every time he pecked me..I would hold him for 10 minutes - pet his little head and talked to him and rubbed his little hangy-down feet, and suddenly he stopped pecking me - has not pecked me at all for 2 months now...but I still pick him up a lot - he has grown on me!

 

[3goodeggs]

I am pretty sure the pullet with the long neck feathers is a rooster. And he LOVES me! I am strange enough to have lawn chairs in the coop so we can bond with the flock. As soon as I sit down, He jumps into my lap for a petting and a neck rub. I guess he knew that I had crock pot intentions for the fellas.

 

[CallyB57]

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I'm just into egg-eating...I read somewhere that an egg was the gold standard for protein, so I'm trying not to eat a delicious piece of fried, baked, barbecued, broiled, chicken - forgot the chicken salad!