How many chickens did you start off with?

[lovemychix]

My daughter got 2 from school and now look at the siggy. And I have 2 broody hens.

 

[Mourningdove]

1 of my friends gave us 4 white chicken house chickens, I then bought 4 started birds, then 25 surprise pullets, 3 sexlinks, 2 golden comets, 1 golden laced wyndot, hatched some chicks myself, bought another 12 chicks, 3 game birds, now have 2 broody hens hatching,
and my total has multiplied to over 67+ birds... This is addicting!

 

[4hooves&featheredfriends]

Started by raising 18 chicks for my family; 7 chicks and 2 ducklings (black runners)

and 7 more for another girlfriend - all at once. Then the surrogates went home

, so I went out and got 4 bantams for my Mom and just recently got 3 blue runner ducklings.

At 76, my Mom does a lot of baking and we love to have fresh eggs. I also have a few egg customers once the babies start laying so that is how I came up with 18. One chick turned out to be George, the roo and I lost an Australorp.

 

[tomato lady]

I started out with 8 plus 4 for my son-in-law the end of April or the first part of May. A few days later I decided I didn't want to part with any so bought 4 more to raise for my son-in-law. Those were so cute I bought more. Just brought 6 more home for a total of 26 chicks. My son-in-law has purchased 4 older pullets now so he thinks he can only take one of mine. I'm not sure I have an extra one for him now.

3 Light Brahmas + 1 that was supposed to be a Light Brahma but has no leg feathers.
4 Jersey Giants
2 Black Sexlinks
2 Red Leghorns
2 Polish
4 EE
2 Partridge Rock
2 Golden Comets
4 Silver Lace Wyandottes

I did build my coop first and my run while chicks were growing. I am now eyeing the old goat barn as another possible coop location(10 x 12).

The question I get asked most is, "What are you going to do with all those eggs." I don't know. I don't even have my nest boxes built yet. Maybe a local food bank can use some of them.

 

[patandchickens]

I started with 3 point-of-lay ISA Brown pullets from the feedstore. Just for eggs. There was no danger of my getting attached to them, because I do not care for birds and chickens of course are dim and uninteresting even by bird standards.

Sooooo, at the moment I have 6 Speckled Sussexes and several chicks of theirs, working up to a goal of having two 8-chicken breeding pens of them; and 6 EE chicks, and several mutt chicks from the sussex roo over my golden campine hen, and three turkeys who are destined for the freezer but next year I am going to build a turkey house and get a small breeding flock of them too

And I would have a lot more than that if chicken feed weren't so expensive.

I guess chickens really are *kinda* interesting...

Pat

 

[espressola]

I first got the broody banty that hatched out and raised my guinea keets (the lady I got them from was moving). I still have her then answered a Craigslist for three year-old sexlinks for the eggs... I now get around 2-3 eggs a day from those four- I think one is a deadbeat but oh well, they are part of the family now...

In March I received an assortment of chicks from Ideal including two roos. Hopefully the roos will be nice and can stay (I have a five year old and a nine year old child) since we live on a ranch. I've been enjoying hearing them learn to crow. I ordered a variety of chicks (16) that would lay different colored eggs and have unique personalities... I haven't finished the run yet but I will first let them out there and will have netting on the top since we have hawks in our area. I do let my older four freerange and will let the new ones do that too once they have been out in the run for a month or so, while I am home during the day.

I imagine I will have some attrition, and I have room for about a dozen more in the coop anyway, so next Spring I am planning to get some more of course

, I am drawn to the Blue and Blue Wheaten Ameraucanas so I am hoping to buy some hatching eggs for those and maybe some Blue Andalusians (I have some but they are hatchery birds and I'd like to see if I can get some better ones...) and maybe some Speckled Sussex and better Welsummers and some other interesting types.... It's an addiction for sure!

Patty N. ;-)

 

[scarter]

We started out with 5 spring of 08 and then incubated and ended up with 5 more. Stayed that way until this spring when we ordered new babies for 4-H and have 14 more. I'm getting rid of most of the roosters so will be back down to 12 or so. We might give away 2 of our laying girls to some friends. I like around 10. It's manageable for me even though we could have more space wise.

 

[SunAngel]

I put my first order in with McMurray last Spring...39 total. 8 of them were for a friend and 3 died...so 28 was our starter flock and we also purchased 3 ducklings from TSC.

I only have 4 of those original 28 left. We sold most of them....lots were the same breeds due to ordering the Ornamental collection....and then bought more chicks/adults as my breed favorites changed.

Now I have over 30 adults (bantam and standard), 60+ chicks and 10 ducks!!!

 

[ChicknJ]

Haha, my DH and DS wanted chickens, I said no! Well, they went ahead and got 3 hens an 1 roo and history was written. I know have 11 layers and 32 chicks in various stages so 43 , oh wait, 34 chicks and 2 more broodies, so ummm, many.

My hubby looked at me a couple of months ago and said to me "all this just because I wanted a couple eggs a day"

I directly blame him, I originlly said no.

Our chickens give my son and I more enjoyment, I don't think I would ever be without chickens again, just may cut back tho... but how do you choose?



(coop # 4 being built

)

 

[Schultz]

We started out with 6 that we rescued, 2 we killed in a coon attack. We got 7 more and had to give away 3 extra roos. (8 total) We then found Indiana hens and bought 8 pullets and 1 roo but had to give up the roo and let a hen go with him (15 total) Well, this spring we decied to let a 2 broodies hatch some and we incubated some, gave away some, hatched more and on and on so as of yesterday we have a total of 51 chickens and 2 turkeys. I love them all eacept the turkeys