How many hens to supply a family of 6 with eggs?

[MoonGoddess]

Hi all,
I was wondering how many hens you need to supply a family with two adults and four kids? We just bought 5 baby chicks. Three Production Reds and two Plymouth Rocks. (Hopefully all sexed correctly) I was estimating getting about 23 eggs a week from them. Am I correct in this assessment?
Thanks,
Jennifer

 

[chickens^^]

hi well 15 chickens will lay a dozen eggs a week, so going form that your guess is close to correct.

 

[MoonGoddess]

Do you mean 15 chickens will lay a dozen a day?

 

[chickens^^]

oh yeah sorry. XD

 

[chickenlips]

With 5 hens you will get 4-5 eggs a day during the summer, but less during the winter because of loss of daylight hours.

 

[chickens^^]

red stars lay year around so get those!!

 

[MoonGoddess]

But I can counteract the winter abatement by using correct timed lighting in the coop right?

 

[Rooster01]

Quote:
Lighting in the coop will help but their will still be a drop in egg production because of the cold and most chickens molt in the fall so egg production will be down fall-early spring.

You estimate is probably right. 5 good hens will lay around 20-25 eggs a week. Some weeks you might get more.

 

[MoonGoddess]

Thanks guys.

How much do you think the production will go down? We generally use quite alot of eggs in my house (no less then 2 dozen a week) If I am going through the moves of becoming a chicken owner, I'd prefer not to have to buy any at the store. Especially because I'm not particularly happy with how most companys go about producing eggs.

I only ask this because I have heard that you should buy chicks altogether to keep them from fighting later on. Should I buy two or three more...or would that be overkill?

 

[Chickenmom]

I have 7 Buff Orpingtons and just got 3 Eatser Egger chicks. We eat 4-5 eggs a day and in the summer they keep up with the demand and then some. In the Spring and Fall production falls off some and in the Winter I do buy eggs at the store even though I have a heat lamp on in the coop. Their internal clocks know what is really going on, length of day, temp. etc. You may want to get more. I have added to our original flock twice already and if you supervise the introductions the newbies should be fine. I separate the new ones at first by chicken wire in the coop with water and food on each side so they can see and talk with eachother but not peck. After a day or two I remove the chicken wire and supervise the meeting. They establish the pecking order and so far we have not had any aggressive behavior (knock wood). Good luck.