How many chickens have you had total and how many lost?

[Aunt Angus]

I currently have 12 chickens, ages range from 2 months to 3.5 years, although I have a rescued hen who is probably even older.

I lost one rescue hen to salpingitis and 3 bantam chicks to shipping delays.

 

[STACEYH]

I have 15. Knock on wood 0 lost.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I have 15. Knock on wood 0 lost.

I hope it stays that way!
❤

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Have had chickens here for 11 years. No idea how many chickens have come and gone in that time. Three weeks ago, if you had asked me, I would have said we've lost maybe half a dozen or so to predation, mostly to raccoons, one or two to coyotes, snd perhaps two to hawks. We processed several and had a lot just die of old age. But my faithful little Sheltie is getting old and is spending her days in the house instead of on patrol, and while our birds were out free-ranging a week or so ago, a coyote stole my good BJG rooster and four or five of my hens. So we're not free-ranging any more. It's our biggest loss ever. We've not had illness; we keep a closed flock. We did lose one hen to a prolapsed vent; we culled her.

I would say to you and your girl friend that there is a fairly steep learning curve when you first start keeping chickens. We all make mistakes, and our mistakes tend to be costly in terms of chickens' lives. But we try to learn quickly from our mistakes and correct them as quickly as possible. The rewards are worth the effort.

There is such joy is keeping chickens. It took me a while to figure out what it is, but this is it for me: chickens are a bridge between wild and domestic animals. They aren't dogs or cats, they are BIRDS. Yet they feed at my feet, which cardinals and blue jays won't do. I love hearing them purr and cluck and cackle contentedly to one another and, yes, to me. It's such a homey sound. Hang in there, don't get discouraged. You'll do okay!

Oh, we currently have 16 adult hens, 2 - 3 years old with a rooster, and 18 chicks about 7 weeks old, six of which are cockerels headed to the freezer. The 3-year old hens will also be processed before too long. I love them all but space and finances do not permit keeping the retirees on social security indefinitely.

 

[OzarkChooks]

23 chickens and we have only lost one to an ear infection. We live in the woods and our birds free ranged exclusively up until very recently. They are under a year old though so I'm sure we will lose more at some point.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

I currently have 24 chickens. Started with a flock of 18 sold and then hatched 28 this spring. Ive sold 13 roosters. I lost 1 of the original hens to a unknown predator and two more too illness (egg binding and sour crop). I also lost 5 chicks due to what we believe were hatching complications and one more to a chicken snake.

 

[Angel07]

At one point we had between 300-400. Lost them over the years to predetors and the girls couldn’t lay fast enough to catch up. We went chookless for a while but now we’ve got 5 chooks and are hoping to get a rooster soon.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

6 two year old girls, and I haven’t lost any yet.

 

[Chicken Heel]

I currently have 56 chickens and have had as many as 142 at one time about ten years ago. I have been raising them for over a half century and been fortunate to have only lost about a half dozen to predators with 5 lost to a neighbor's dog and 1 to a feral cat. I will say that there are a heck of a lot more wild predators now than there was when I began my lifelong hobby as a young lad. Back around 1970, I hardly ever saw a hawk and now they are like sparrows. Raccoons, opossums, skunks, coyotes, weasels, and the occassional cougar are often seen so the Rewilding of America program appears to be a real thing based on my observations.

As an update, I am now up to 79 chickens with nine mixed bantams, six Shetland Hen, and one Bruge Fighter chicks being my latest additions. My wife keeps telling me to start a Chickens Anonymous group.

 

[Chicken Heel]

As an update, I am now up to 79 chickens with nine mixed bantams, six Shetland Hen, and one Bruge Fighter chicks being my latest additions. My wife keeps telling me to start a Chickens Anonymous group.

Down to 78 as of yesterday... the Bruges Fighter chick did not survive the weekend due to failure to thrive. Fortunately, the six Shetland Hen chicks that I received with him from Greenfire Farms last week are doing great and are chunky little fuzzballs.