How many chickens did you start with and when?

[Lbrad7]

I started with 6 Rhode Island Reds and 6 Barred Rocks back in 1974. Since then, I have had as many as 485 birds on the lot too as little as one hen. Right now I have just under 120 birds.

 

[waitin on eggs]

I got 7 production reds in April 2010 3 were roos, sent them away!

Lost one!

Now I have my 3 great girls I'm deciding which new ones to get this spring, DH says only "7" more for a total of "10" I'm thinking more!

 

[WYOwhy]

Started with 18 baby chicks last May. Raised them and returned them to their country home. Missed them once they were gone. Then I got three more for me. Planning another 20 for the country home this spring.

 

[abhaya]

Sarted with 1 lonely hen on the property when we bought it this summer.Got 24 chicks on line. Lost most of them to a dog that"never hurt any of our chickens" and a couple to a stray cat that found a way into the existing coop. The coop has been fortified down to 3 chickens after all that got 3 pullet sexlinks from the guy down the road he felt bad that we had such a hard time getting going and he has a big laying flock he wouldnt take anything for them!!! We let him hunt our land.got 6 chicks from a local hatchery "never again the conditions there were not great toooo crowded" Then got some silkies built them a new coop of there own with a big run.

 

[karimw]

We moved to our new farm a year ago so I got 35 chicks from a local lady who raises various pure breeds. We butchered the extra roos and were left with 1 Ameraucana roo, 2 EE roos, 5 Welsummer hens, 3 Cochin hens, 2 Black Sexlinks 3 Ameraucana hens 1 Cuchoo Marans hen and 2 EE hens. 19 total. THEN they started to go broody so I let one raise 8 mixed breed babies and bought 25 chicks from the breeder again Ameraucanas, Cochins, Wellies and a new breed for me Barred Rocks. I also bought some hatching eggs. One of my Cochins hatched 3 Buff Orps, 1 BR and an Ameraucana.

So now I've gone from a watertank brooder in March, to 1/2 a barn full of chickens including 3 separate brooders!

And I bought 10 Iowa Blues for a breeding project that I will pick up after Thanksgiving. Not bad for a 1/2 year's work! I love chickens!

 

[chicken_crazy93]

Well let's see, My buddy thought he wanted to thin out his yard & I have been wanting chickens for awhile sooo... In mid Oct. of this year he brings me three, 3 month old Dom's, a peice of tin, some 2X4's & screws. We thru up a very small temporary roosting area onto the side of my back porch. A few days went by, I bought enough material to build the start of my chicken house, called my buddy, got it built & I decided that I would like to have a few more chickens. I ran an ad on CL & within a couple of hours I had worked a deal with a feller on five young mixed chickens for $20.00 & he bring them to me after I found out he lived just accross the ridge from me. He shows up with them in a large pet carrier, I take each one out to check it over & all were between 3-5 month old. I didn't notice any mites or sickly lookin chickens & after talkin to him he sounded like he took care of his birds so we put them out with my other three. Well, I went out the next mornin to give them a little scratch & check them out & I counted 8 which would have been right. I went back out later that evenin to feed & counted 9, so I recounted & came up with 9 again! The next day I went out to give them their treat of banana, yogurt & cheese & counted 9 again, my buddy came by the next day to see the chickens & help me clip their flight wings & he counted 10!! We both recounted & came up with 10 chickens. Well a day or so later I was comin back from town & saw a sign in a feller's yard for eggs for sale so I stopped. We got to talkin & he showed me some of his chickens & I saw the most prettiest young rooster I ever saw. The feller said he was 5 months old & just startin to crow & would take $10.00 for him. Just so happened I still had my chicken box in the back of the truck so I bought him & that made me have 11. I was content for the time being & got a call from another buddy of mine that wanted to thin his yard a little & offered to give me 5 young Sex-Link pullets. I told him I would pass but another buddy of our's would probably take em. Sure enough he did. Well, the next day his wife called & invited me for dinner, I went over & after dinner he showed me the new Sex-Link chickens but there was just 4 of them. I really liked the color of two of em so I brought them home with me & he kept the other two. That gives me 13 & that's where I'm at now BUT.. I'm lookin to buy a trio of young Delawares so there might be 16 on the yard any day but it will probably be spring. We are gonna add 8ft onto my chicken house in a couple of weeks so I should have plenty of roostin room for them.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

If I don't count the birds my family had when I was a boy the first chickens I bought for myself and built their house and yard would have been in the spring of 1988. Ten Barred Rock chicks from Alachua Feed & Seed in Gainesville. Built their house out of entirely salvaged material but for some fasteners and the same for their yard. Even cut the fence posts on the property. Come to think of it that's about the time that my circle of friends (who were all a bit strange) began to look at ME like I was a bit strange

.

It's funny about poultry. As a boy coming up I hated having to fool with them, livestock in general really. Grew up and figured I was done with the things. Took a few years but I was finally able to move to Gainesville. Being a major university town it had everything I wanted - wide variety of ethnic foods, different cultural events, and lots of book stores. Lived in town about six months until we rented a house on the edge of town. Folks out there had a bit of livestock, horses, poultry, occasionally a pig. Spring came along and I developed this yen to get some hens. Bought those ten Barred Rocks and it's been a steady slide further and further out of town. I still like all the things I've always liked about Gainesville I just don't want to LIVE there any more. Now I'm further out of town than I've ever lived before and have many times the number of birds that we ever had as a boy and it's my kids turns to cuss having to fool with all those birds. Well, except for the Kinder Major's Silkies that are hatching even as I type this. THOSE she is definitely interested in!

 

[chooniecat]

I started with 4 straight run(turned out to be hens, thank you God) from TSC and 2 pekin ducks(you had to buy at least 6 then, 2003). still have the ducks(drake and hen thank you!!!!) and had my son cull the chicken hens when they were 6 1/2 yo so we could get more pullets(1 was a pet and she died on her own at 6 yrs old) currently have 25 pullet/hens and 1 cockerel. I refuse to "give away" any so if they need to be culled we do it ourselves and eat them. they live joyous lives til the end. just got a "pet" hen, BO, from a city person and that was a mistake as she is a pet now with us also. various breeds and plan to try to breed/hatch some of our own in the spring. I don't want to keep any males so HOPEFULLY we'll be able to process any of the cockerels hatched. Its been a fun experience(heartbreaking at times but......)