How many chicks is enough??

[LaceyJune]

Hello fellow BYC memebers!
Im having trouble deciding how many more chicks i should get since
I started out with 3 baby chicks, and one had passed, then ended up getting a replacement but sadly another one of my first 3 had passed unexpectedly..
How many chicks is enough when considering chicks dieing from many common causes? Any numbers of chicks I should add on to my two I have??
Thank you!!

 

[Logar]

I would add 2 or 3 more personally. Disease, failure to thrive, internal issues that may not affect a chick until it is larger, stressors such as heat, and a lot of other things are all common issues that can kill a chicken. If one of the current chicks dies that leaves you having to look for another companion which may not even be possible depending on the time of year/location.

I also feel that having 3 chickens in a flock is the minimum (for most flocks at least) to have the happiest birds. So having 4 is ideal as if one passes you don’t have to worry about them having a proper sized flock. A chicken can happily live with one other bird just in most cases it isn’t the absolute best option if you can help it.

 

[LaceyJune]

I would add 2 or 3 more personally. Disease, failure to thrive, internal issues that may not affect a chick until it is larger, stressors such as heat, and a lot of other things are all common issues that can kill a chicken. If one of the current chicks dies that leaves you having to look for another companion which may not even be possible depending on the time of year/location.

I also feel that having 3 chickens in a flock is the minimum (for most flocks at least) to have the happiest birds. So having 4 is ideal as if one passes you don’t have to worry about them having a proper sized flock. A chicken can happily live with one other bird just in most cases it isn’t the absolute best option if you can help it.

Ok, thank you so much, cause there are endless complications sometimes leading to losing baby chicks.
So I will ask the lady I have to have a couple for availability to add two more for the chicks I have now, thank you again!!

 

[Logar]

Ok, thank you so much, cause there are endless complications sometimes leading to losing baby chicks.
So I will ask the lady I have to have a couple for availability to add two more for the chicks I have now, thank you again!!

No problem, and yeah chicks seem to be so fragile but so tough at the same time. I also think getting an extra chick or 2 is always a good idea.

 

[FrostRanger]

Depends on your setup. How big your coop and run is will determine the maximum amount of birds you can realistically have. Now you don't want to get the max you can support right away as you'll want to add more later. I would say 4-6 is a good minimum for a small flock as chickens can die for various reasons no matter how well you take care of them. That said, if you only have space for 3, just keep 3. It's better to have a small flock with adequate room than to cram more birds into too small of a space

 

[LaceyJune]

Depends on your setup. How big your coop and run is will determine the maximum amount of birds you can realistically have. Now you don't want to get the max you can support right away as you'll want to add more later. I would say 4-6 is a good minimum for a small flock as chickens can die for various reasons no matter how well you take care of them. That said, if you only have space for 3, just keep 3. It's better to have a small flock with adequate room than to cram more birds into too small of a space

Alright, thank uou for your input!!
My hens house is a about 5ft 7in x 4.2 fir the henhouse while my run size will be about 16ft long by 5-6 ft wide, which is probably plenty but I hope that helps to give an idea.

 

[LaceyJune]

Alright, thank uou for your input!!
My hens house is a about 5ft 7in x 4.2 fir the henhouse while my run size will be about 16ft long by 5-6 ft wide, which is probably plenty but I hope that helps to give an idea.

How many chickens do you think would be comfortable in my coop do u think just out of curiosity?

 

[FrostRanger]

Alright, thank uou for your input!!
My hens house is a about 5ft 7in x 4.2 fir the henhouse while my run size will be about 16ft long by 5-6 ft wide, which is probably plenty but I hope that helps to give an idea.

Using the general guideline of 4sqft of coop space and 10sqft of run space per bird, I think your current max is 5. You could of course expand if you want to add more but that of course takes planning

 

[LaceyJune]

Using the general guideline of 4sqft of coop space and 10sqft of run space per bird, I think your current max is 5. You could of course expand if you want to add more but that of course takes planning

Alright, thank you!

 

[tlcmurphy]

How many chickens do you think would be comfortable in my coop do u think just out of curiosity?

I’d say 5, which is a great number for a small flock!
Sorry, I see FrostRanger already answered