How many should I get?

[texaschick84]

Hello, new to raising my own flock of laying hens. I've ordered 9 chicks for laying hens. How many should I expect to live to a "laying" age? Some family members have said out of my 9, only 2 should live to lay eggs for me.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

That would be wrong.
If you start with healthy birds, kept predator safe, feed them well, keep them clean and dry, constant fresh water, give them big ventilation, they should all live to maturity.

People that lose 7 out of 9 usually don't manage them well and lose them to predation.

I just noticed that you are in TX. Heat can be a problem with chickens.

 

[meetthebubus]

I got 9 girls and a year later I still have 9 girls all laying well, I'm in the hot desert so if you are careful and help them through the heat they should thrive,
We aren't huge egg eaters but I'm able to get a average of 45 eggs a week with 9 girls so I have plenty,

For me 9 or 10 is good to start off with they eat a lot

 

[texaschick84]

Thank you for your responses. Any suggestions or tips for keeping them cool during the summer? My coop has good ventilation and is near a tree so it's shaded.

 

[meetthebubus]

This is my second summer, I deep freeze bottles all sizes for ice, I make ice chips to eat, cold treats like cucumber watermelon, grapes, I have misting hose for the hot part of the day. I built a "mansion" so they could roam in the shade, I set up a water system making watering holes they love to drink out of, and for the hottest part of summer a air conditioner to help the 120 feel more like 90 for just a little while each really hot day I stay away from corn, scratch and cabbage

Here's a link to a video tour of my run, you can see the "mansion" that I talked about

 

[ChickenCanoe]

In dry climates, a mister is a big help. It is always humid here so that doesn't help.
They love foot baths in the heat. That helps bring down the blood temp. I freeze small water bottles and put one in the foot bath each day.
Big shade is key.
If it stays hot at night like it does here, hanging frozen jugs of water at roost height allows the birds to sidle up next to them.

The best thing is to start with heat hardy breeds. All my birds used to use foot baths but since I only have Penedesencas now, they seem to ignore them.

 

[myfavoritechicken]

Just read about a German breed called Deathlayer. Yes, sounds a bit scary for a chicken breed name, but supposedly these hens lay an egg every day until they die. There is no slowing them down! They look cool too!

This is what one of Greenfire Farms Deathlayers look like. They just auctioned some on rarebreedauctions.com

 

[3riverschick]

Stunning. Looks like a Silver Duckwing with the barring gene.
What a stately bird!
Best,
Karen

 

[newmarch2014]

I bough 6 chicks the first time, one most likely got a raging case of coccidosis but we nursed her back to health....got rid of the one rooster, a pullet had a prolapse with her first egg and didn't make it so 4 left the first year....one died at 2 + years old from peritonitis..... I got 4 chicks the next year....got rid of the rooster (I tend to get one every time it seems). He died recently at his new home from a predator attack but my other 3 are still going..... I brought home a total of 13 chicks this year 1 was already too far gone from pasty butt and died the first night, one got her head stuck in a feeder mishap and died from a broken neck (bantam polish are fragile which is what both of these were). I still have the other 11 chicks (including 2 of the bantam polish). This years batch is approx 7 weeks old and doing great. If you watch for pasty butt, keep your temperatures within chick limits, don't let them get overcrowded so they can't pile and smother each other, have safe waterers so they can't drown (or put enough rocks in so that they are shallow enough to keep them from drowning) have Corid on hand so that if they are looking like they have runny stinky poo you can treat the probable coccidosis outbreak then you have avoided the overwhelming amount of things that cause chick death. There is many times just a case of 'failure to thrive' or getting sick chicks, or shipping stress, etc. that causes multiple deaths but if you get healthy chicks and monitor them for temp (not too high, not too cold), clean water, clean food, adequate space etc you should expect to have over 90% or better live.

 

[Yaychicks]

I'm in s texas (much of summer 100+). I don't do anything special- make sure there is shade availible, very good ventilation on coop, don't make them work during the heat of the day (disturb them, cause them to stress, etc), be absoltuely sure there is water availible at all times. They like to play in puddles, too. I usually get breeds taht have a reputation for doing well with heat as well.