How many chickens? What kind?

[CanyonCoopKeeper]

Hello! About to make the jump and put my first EVER order of chickens in. Our space will allow about 12 chickens. They will not be free ranging, but have a run of about 40x25 feet, and I could see myself doing some supervised free ranging one day if I did a bit more research on doing it properly. I know it's smart not to order all 12 chickens in the first batch to leave room for expansion. I'm curious to get your thoughts on how many I should start with and maybe even recommendations on which breeds I should start with on my list of possibilities that might make it easier to integrate more chickens later. I'm considering Mottled Java, Cream Legbar, English or Lavender Orpingtons, an easter egger (Sapphire Olive Egger and/or Starlight Green Egger). I'm also considering getting some Salmon Faverolles or Turkens, but they're maybe lower on the priority list. I tink the Javas and Legbars are my tops at the moment but it's so hard to choose! I am planning to order from my local feedstore, who I orders them from Hoover (minimums of 2 or 3 depending on the breed). Flock goals: docile breeds that get along in a mixed flock with mostly low drama, egg color variety, sustainability factor like laying in winter or laying late in life. Thanks in advance for your insights!

 

[ABQ chicken keeper]

Hello! About to make the jump and put my first EVER order of chickens in. Our space will allow about 12 chickens. They will not be free ranging, but have a run of about 40x25 feet, and I could see myself doing some supervised free ranging one day if I did a bit more research on doing it properly. I know it's smart not to order all 12 chickens in the first batch to leave room for expansion. I'm curious to get your thoughts on how many I should start with and maybe even recommendations on which breeds I should start with on my list of possibilities that might make it easier to integrate more chickens later. I'm considering Mottled Java, Cream Legbar, English or Lavender Orpingtons, an easter egger (Sapphire Olive Egger and/or Starlight Green Egger). I'm also considering getting some Salmon Faverolles or Turkens, but they're maybe lower on the priority list. I tink the Javas and Legbars are my tops at the moment but it's so hard to choose! I am planning to order from my local feedstore, who I orders them from Hoover (minimums of 2 or 3 depending on the breed). Flock goals: docile breeds that get along in a mixed flock with mostly low drama, egg color variety, sustainability factor like laying in winter or laying late in life. Thanks in advance for your insights!

Hi,
Congratulations! A run of 40x25 is great ... how large is your coop?
As for chicks I would get 12 all at once to avoid trying intergate 6 chicks into a group of 6 larger chicks, (just my preference).
Also after reading different (Can you help me ID this chick ... I bought it at my feed store and it's supposed to be ....) I would order chicks from a hatchery that allows you to pick and choose the breed you want. Meyers, Murray/McMurray are a couple, Hoovers seems more rigid as far as selection of chicks is concerned. I'm sure others will chime in with their preferences and reasoning.
Are roosters allowed in your neighbor? DO YOU WANT A ROOSTER? With 12 hens you will be collecting 9-12 eggs a day for their first laying season, then expect fewer eggs as the hens age, they are still fun yard pets.

 

[ChickenShepherd_6116]

Congrats on this new adventure!!
Your run is huge, so 12 hens will be happy in there for sure. As for breed recommendations, I have a few! I would just get 12 chicks right now. There isn't really any reason to break it up - 6 hens is no easier to care for than 12. With 12 sexed pullets, expect probably 1, maybe 2 mistake roos in there. Although some breeds (like the Cream Legbar) are autosexing, meaning you can tell their sex at the moment of hatching.
Also something to note: If you decide to keep/buy a roo, you'll want about 8-10 hens per rooster to prevent over breeding any hen.

Docile breeds: Australorps, Sussex (love these!), Orpingtons (some of my sweetest hens)
Pretty eggs: Easter Egger/Ameraucana, Cream Legbar, Olive Egger
Good layers: Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island Red (can be a bit bossy), Marans
Just fun!: Silkies, Cochin, Brahma (I love my Dark Brahma!), Polish

Good luck with you flock!!

 

[SnowyClucks]

Amazing coop setup you have there. If they ever get added higher priority, Faverolles seem like a pretty good choice for your criteria. They lay throughout the winter and are well suited for it. They are also really docile and funny looking chickens. If you did decide to add more chickens my advice would be to have the number of new chickens added to be higher than the current number to help prevent fights (ex: You chose to have 5 hens, and now you are adding 7 more). I’ve noticed in a friend’s flock, this helps disrupt the pecking order and allow new chickens to come in. If there was only 1 chicken coming then they would certainly be an outsider and possibly driven out. If they are equally sized ish and age it helps a lot. Most bantams and faverolles in particular are likely to get bullied. 2nd advice would definitely to have a first aid kit in case any new chicken interactions go bad..

 

[CanyonCoopKeeper]

Hi,
Congratulations! A run of 40x25 is great ... how large is your coop?
As for chicks I would get 12 all at once to avoid trying intergate 6 chicks into a group of 6 larger chicks, (just my preference).
Also after reading different (Can you help me ID this chick ... I bought it at my feed store and it's supposed to be ....) I would order chicks from a hatchery that allows you to pick and choose the breed you want. Meyers, Murray/McMurray are a couple, Hoovers seems more rigid as far as selection of chicks is concerned. I'm sure others will chime in with their preferences and reasoning.
Are roosters allowed in your neighbor? DO YOU WANT A ROOSTER? With 12 hens you will be collecting 9-12 eggs a day for their first laying season, then expect fewer eggs as the hens age, they are still fun yard pets.

Coop is 6x9 and I will have about 16 linear feet of roosting space. I was thinking that would probably be the limiting factor of how many chickens I get. I live in the midwest, but in the Black Hills so surprisingly mild winters with an occasional very cold bout so there may be short chunks of time they would get stuck in the coop for a few days.

My local feed store does individual orders, then multiple orders ship at once to help decrease the odds of a bad shipping experience, but I should be able to be pretty picky with my preferences. We live outside city limits with no neighbors so we can have roosters. I'm thinking with that many chickens, I will end up with 1-2 accidental roos and I will keep one or both of them, depending on who is better taking care of and protecting the girls.

 

[CanyonCoopKeeper]

Congrats on this new adventure!!
Your run is huge, so 12 hens will be happy in there for sure. As for breed recommendations, I have a few! I would just get 12 chicks right now. There isn't really any reason to break it up - 6 hens is no easier to care for than 12. With 12 sexed pullets, expect probably 1, maybe 2 mistake roos in there. Although some breeds (like the Cream Legbar) are autosexing, meaning you can tell their sex at the moment of hatching.
Also something to note: If you decide to keep/buy a roo, you'll want about 8-10 hens per rooster to prevent over breeding any hen.

Docile breeds: Australorps, Sussex (love these!), Orpingtons (some of my sweetest hens)
Pretty eggs: Easter Egger/Ameraucana, Cream Legbar, Olive Egger
Good layers: Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island Red (can be a bit bossy), Marans
Just fun!: Silkies, Cochin, Brahma (I love my Dark Brahma!), Polish

Good luck with you flock!!

Thanks for your insight on the roos and your favorite breeds. Some of these are definitely going on my coop! We are planning to keep one roo for our ladies. Hoping we end up with one that treats them nicely.

 

[CanyonCoopKeeper]

Amazing coop setup you have there. If they ever get added higher priority, Faverolles seem like a pretty good choice for your criteria. They lay throughout the winter and are well suited for it. They are also really docile and funny looking chickens. If you did decide to add more chickens my advice would be to have the number of new chickens added to be higher than the current number to help prevent fights (ex: You chose to have 5 hens, and now you are adding 7 more). I’ve noticed in a friend’s flock, this helps disrupt the pecking order and allow new chickens to come in. If there was only 1 chicken coming then they would certainly be an outsider and possibly driven out. If they are equally sized ish and age it helps a lot. Most bantams and faverolles in particular are likely to get bullied. 2nd advice would definitely to have a first aid kit in case any new chicken interactions go bad..

Thanks for your input especially about the Faverolles. They were originally at the very top of my list but now I'm super torn because I've been doing some more reading about them being super dumb, not great layers, and the difference in quality between those from hatcheries vs breeders (vs with other breeds). I'm torn because I really thought they might be my spirit chicken but now I'm not sure...

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I loved my Salmon Faverolles but they are incredibly docile so if you get them don’t get something like a Rhode Island Red because there’s a good chance the RIR will pick on them. They are a heritage breed so they’re not fantastic layers but who can eat 12 eggs a day? A good reason to buy less than 12 is to stagger your laying season to get consistent eggs—when the younger ones come into lay the older ones will be slowing down. My Faverolles laid through the winter and did well in the cold. I would also bump the Turkens up on your list because they generally have great temperaments and do well in cold and heat and are good free rangers if you decide to go that route. I would also argue that if you do keep a rooster it would be good to get something like 8 hens so you have wiggle room in case you decide to let a broody hatch chicks.

 

[rosemarythyme]

A good reason to buy less than 12 is to stagger your laying season to get consistent eggs—when the younger ones come into lay the older ones will be slowing down.

I would also argue that if you do keep a rooster it would be good to get something like 8 hens so you have wiggle room in case you decide to let a broody hatch chicks.

I agree with this. Unless you NEED a dozen eggs a day, I would grow the flock more slowly.

I'm set up for 12 birds and am currently sitting at 8, ranging from 2 to 8 years old. I've been adding 4 chicks every 2-3 years because it turns out, I cannot eat that many eggs. Because chickens don't maintain production as they age by staggering their ages you'll get more extended production of eggs while being able to keep "pet" birds as well.

On the other hand if you don't plan on keeping pets and want more production, then plan on rotating out the majority, if not the whole flock, every 2-3 years.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Coop. 6x9= 54 sq. Ft.
54 ÷ 4 = 13.5.
Yup, 12 chickens should fit okay in that coop if you don't have a bully and not much of the 54 sq ft is taken up by feeders, waterers, nests, etc. Have fun!