How many chickens to start with?

[lazy gardener]

Check out the link at the bottom of my signature. Keep in mind that the cute little coops you see at the feed store or on line are simply that: cute little coops. They are poorly designed, and the manufacturers get away with grossly misrepresenting their product by stating that their coop will hold X number of birds. The general recommendation for a back yard flock is 4 s.f. in the coop, and 10 s.f. in the run per bird. You also need to be sure the coop is TALL enough: Generally, the perches need to be ABOVE the nest boxes in height, and they should be a minimum of 18" above the floor. 2 - 3' is better, and they should be at least 12", but 15" is better away from the back wall. There should be at least 15 - 18" between the perch and the ceiling. The coop should have lots of ventilation, year round. It should be predator proof which means hardware cloth covering all openings that you could push a quarter through.

EE and Dominiques are wonderful birds, and their personalities are well matched. I really have no experience with Welsummers.

 

[Tessa's Mom]

Check out the link at the bottom of my signature. Keep in mind that the cute little coops you see at the feed store or on line are simply that: cute little coops. They are poorly designed, and the manufacturers get away with grossly misrepresenting their product by stating that their coop will hold X number of birds. The general recommendation for a back yard flock is 4 s.f. in the coop, and 10 s.f. in the run per bird. You also need to be sure the coop is TALL enough: Generally, the perches need to be ABOVE the nest boxes in height, and they should be a minimum of 18" above the floor. 2 - 3' is better, and they should be at least 12", but 15" is better away from the back wall. There should be at least 15 - 18" between the perch and the ceiling. The coop should have lots of ventilation, year round. It should be predator proof which means hardware cloth covering all openings that you could push a quarter through.

EE and Dominiques are wonderful birds, and their personalities are well matched. I really have no experience with Welsummers.

This is great info, thank you so much! The roost height information in particular is new to me and not something I'd thought of. I'm enlisting my husband in the design and construction of the chicken's home, and we're both new to chickens, so we'll keep this in mind. Just curious, is the roost height above nest box advice so that they are more likely to avoid sleeping (and pooping) in the nest boxes?

 

[Kiki]

Lazy..you need to get a couple of Welsummers! It's a must.
lol
Keep in mind DE...diatomaceous earth is worthless...it will not prevent worms and it will not kill mites.

 

[Kiki]

FF:https://tikktok.wordpress.com/2014/04/13/fermented-feed-faq/
and here on BYC.https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/fermented-feeds-anyone-using-them.645057/

 

[JurassicBawk]

I have 4 easter eggers, and average 22 eggs per week right now. It's more than enough for my husband and myself.

 

[Kiki]

View media item 78926693 darker ones are from Welsummers. the left pinkish one is Dom, the 2 blueish ones are from my EE...the larger one on the right is from an Australorp.

My Dom and Wels don't lay the largest eggs.
Some breeds lay larger than the others. Keep that in mind too.
And keep in mind they don't always lay first thing in the morning...
I have some that lay all hours of the day.

 

[Tessa's Mom]

FF:https://tikktok.wordpress.com/2014/04/13/fermented-feed-faq/
and here on BYC.https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/fermented-feeds-anyone-using-them.645057/

Cool! Thanks. I hadn't heard of fermenting feed before, but it makes sense. We cook for our dog every day to make sure she has the best nutrition possible for her needs (you should see how shiny her coat is!) so I will be happy to take a few extra steps to feed my chickens well too!

 

[Tessa's Mom]

View media item 78926693 darker ones are from Welsummers. the left pinkish one is Dom, the 2 blueish ones are from my EE...the larger one on the right is from an Australorp.

My Dom and Wels don't lay the largest eggs.
Some breeds lay larger than the others. Keep that in mind too.
And keep in mind they don't always lay first thing in the morning...
I have some that lay all hours of the day.

Oh wow! What a phenomenal assortment you have there. The dom's is actually my favorite, though I love those dark brown eggs! They're all perfect in their own way though. Egg size actually isn't all the important to us; we've been buying smaller eggs for a while now because that's what has been available from other people's chickens, and unless they're real tiny, I haven't found it affects recipes or anything. And if we're eating them scrambled, we just throw another one in.

 

[lazy gardener]

Lazy..you need to get a couple of Welsummers! It's a must.
lol
Keep in mind DE...diatomaceous earth is worthless...it will not prevent worms and it will not kill mites.

Now, you just stop it Kiki!!! I hatched 19 chicks from my flock, and ordered 27 of varying breeds. Some to provide new blood in my flock, some to produce a new crop of sex linked pullets next spring, and some just for grins and giggles. Nope. Have not experienced Welsummers yet. But, the big surprise for me is how much I'm liking the Colombian Wyandotte. In the catalogue, they look pretty frumpy. In person, I think they are gorgeous. Add to that, the huge beefy carcass, and I think I have a new favorite breed. Also liking the Plymouth Barred rocks, and finding them to be almost as personable as the Dominique. Of my own birds, the Ameraucanas have provided a new generation of beards and muffs, with one of the little EE gals being as personable as her mother. Hard culling decisions ahead with such beauty to choose from.

 

[Kiki]

You need a couple Welsummers and Crested Cream Legbars.