How many hens for a 4 person household?/Potential oversupply??

[ChickenChick46]

I'm not selling the used bedding. I'm selling the compost. The compost that took me two years to produce. And that's after I take what I need for my vegetable garden beds. This year I did not have an excess because I expanded my pond landscaping.

Oh wow, sorry I misunderstood. What an investment of your time and energy!

 

[ChickenChick46]

+1 what @ChickenChick46 has to say about the FlockStar app. So much more convenient than spreadsheets or notepads, in my humble opinion. Just log expenses / eggs / etc. on the go and the charts are there ready for you.

Also +1 what @DobieLover says about waiting for next year to add to your flock so that you are rotating in fresh producers. Note my perspective is that I have plenty of space to retire my old biddies. Others choose to cull at first or second molt for efficiency. You need to decide for yourself how to approach aging egg layers.

Good luck on your chicken journey!

Great thoughts! Only you can decide what is best for you when it comes to aging layers.

 

[DobieLover]

I'm hoping my bantams will be my broodys

They will 100% go broody. I battle breaking my two bantam hens every single year, multiple times to stop their broodiness. I have a little Seabright out there who's being quite tenacious to this day.

Orpingtons

This breed is also well known for going broody. But as opposed to the bantams, they can actually cover a decent amount of chicks to hatch. Although bantams do make excellent mothers, they can only cover about 3 LF eggs/chicks. So you can't get a lot of production from them.

 

[DobieLover]

Oh wow, sorry I misunderstood. What an investment of your time and energy!

Not really. I clean the coop out once a year and it goes into a pile layered in with last year's poop boards daily siftings. Then I start filling up the second bay of my compost bins when I do my daily PB sifting. The following year the first pile which took 2 years to get to that stage is now ready. I do not turn it while it's in the compost pile it just sits there. And I have to clean my coop out regardless.

 

[ChickenChick46]

They will 100% go broody. I battle breaking my two bantam hens every single year, multiple times to stop their broodiness. I have a little Seabright out there who's being quite tenacious to this day.

This breed is also well known for going broody. But as opposed to the bantams, they can actually cover a decent amount of chicks to hatch. Although bantams do make excellent mothers, they can only cover about 3 LF eggs/chicks. So you can't get a lot of production from them.

Oh wow, I didn't think Sebrights went broody often. I do have one, and I love her.

It's so much to know and consider. I think the only way I'll really "get it figured out" is just continuing my journey and seeing what works and what doesn't. Thank you @DobieLover for being such a helpful member here.

 

[DobieLover]

Oh wow, I didn't think Sebrights went broody often. I do have one, and I love her.

It's so much to know and consider. I think the only way I'll really "get it figured out" is just continuing my journey and seeing what works and what doesn't. Thank you @DobieLover for being such a helpful member here.

I have videos of my little broody monster in the article I wrote about how I manage broody hens. She's NUTS!!

I replied to this thread because I knew there would be a lot of information that new hobbyists need to understand and take into consideration. Things that I did not know until I had chickens for several years.

Keeping costs down is admirable but my primary goal is to give my birds the best quality life they can possibly have. That makes me feel good about having them. Every single day I take joy from these birds. Just by watching them be them! Other people spend their money going to the movies or going out to dinner. I would prefer to have something that gives back to me every single solitary day. Which my chickens do in spades.

What works and what does not work is different for everyone. It depends on the amount of space you have to give the chickens, the amount of money you are willing to expend, your skill level when it comes to construction, and what you really want to get out of your flock. It's a very rewarding experience. Enjoy yourself!

 

[RubelliteRose]

How many laying hens do you have, and how many eggs do you regularly collect?

That is a somewhat difficult question to answer, because after 5 years, at any given time the number of laying hens changes . Currently, we have 19 chickens - 3 roosters, 11 hens, and 5 pullets. Of the hens, I think only 2 are currently laying as the rest are in molt (one girl also permanently stopped laying this year, but we still love her). 2 of the pullets just started laying and the rest should be starting soon. We tend to keep around 6 dozen eggs in the refrigerator during the summer. We have 3 people in our house and also supply eggs occasionally to 3 other households.
Before chickens, we consumed eggs like normal people. After chickens, we have made eggs a major part of our diet. I have a whole Pinterest board of egg recipes - egg casseroles, egg bread, egg noodles, chiffon cake... So many meals made with eggs! We thought we would be sick of eggs, but last winter when all our girls stopped laying, we found that we missed eggs!

 

[MysteryChicken]

I've got lots of hens, & roosters. I gotta count the entire number of hens again. Extra eggs I sell to the locals, & use for baking.

The reason I have so many is based on the breeds/types of chickens I have. They're heritage type, so they don't lay tons of eggs, so you get more in numbers, rather then just 6 High Production Hybrids, that lay 5-6 eggs every single day.

 

[RubelliteRose]

I'm concerned that I haven't looked into the ongoing costs of keeping chickens enough (although I know our current lot are covered), and maybe I don't even need more..?

Once you have your initial set up, costs aren't too bad. For our 19, we go through 50 lbs of food a month - maybe a little more in the winter when there is less forage while free ranging and maybe a little less in the summer. A 50 lb bag of oyster shell lasts us several years. Bottles of dewormer and mite treatment can be more expensive, but will also last a very long time. We replace coop shaving once or twice a year and buy more pdz for the poop board in the large coop once a year as well.
However, chicken math is the expensive part We have expanded our set up 4 times in 5 years and will never recoup the cost. Our chickens are pets as well as food suppliers and are totally worth the cost to us

 

[thecatumbrella]

With hybrid production breeds, I'd assume 1 egg/day. For heritage breeds like yours, 1 egg/every other day. You'll likely have some extra eggs your first year, but you shouldn't run out. Friends and family will appreciate the extras, or you can refrigerate the eggs at collection to extend their shelf life (do NOT wash them until you're ready to eat, though).

Hybrids tend to burn out fast with reproductive issues, so if you're cost conscious, you need to be willing to cull when that happens. I have heard EE's and Orpingtons have some good longevity with laying, but that probably depends on the parent stock. All my chicken costs are upfront with the coop, run, supplies, etc. Once you have that, you're good.