How often do you get new birds?

[ChickenCanoe]

I haven't bought new chicks in years. Keeping a closed flock and hatching 10-11 months a year. I processed 4 cockerels last week and have another 10 not right for the breeding program to do once it gets above freezing.

 

[cmom]

I hatch once a year (spring). I do some staggered hatches for awhile. Tomorrow I'll be putting some eggs in the incubator for my first hatch for this year.

 

[cmom]

Remember a few weeks ago we talked about this exact subject. If you do not cull and get 4 new chicks every spring, yu will end up with a lot of hens. I do not cull at less then two years. They are still laying fairly well and I concentrate on good winter layers.
But cannot resist new baby chicks either, so must cull the less successful layers and there is always, sadly some loss from predators no matter how careful we all are. I suggest you cut down on new chicks every spring and cull at 2 and one half years. You could also rehome your fairly good layers to someone who does not want to bother to raise chicks, cannot imagine that but there are people out there like that. Good luck.

I sell rather than cull except for chicks that aren't thriving. Most people like to have birds for eggs but some want them as yard candy.

 

[woodmort]

One thing I'd add to this in re to adding chickens. I'm pretty fussy about bio-security so will not add adult birds. In fact, I only add chicks and, as a rule, only from the same hatchery. If, as I'm doing this year, I get chicks from another source I isolate them until they are 2 or 3 months old to assure they are disease free. As an aside, I also monitor the people who have poultry from having access to my coop and run. Diseases are easy to get into your flock and hard to eradicate once they're there.

 

[cmom]

I do not let people around my coops and pens, because I don't know where they have been and don't want my birds exposed. Rarely an egg customers will want to see the birds so I just point to them. Most don't want to walk out to the coops but every once in a great while someone will ask if they can walk out to see the birds. I have electric wire around my coops and pens and I tell them so if they insist on going out to look they don't get too close because they are afraid they will get a shock. I have been asked if I have found anything dead from touching the wire and I say no but it will make your heart skip a few beats.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I might add this cautionary note. Getting day old chicks from a breeder or hatchery is the safest way to bring in new birds as there are few vertically transmitted diseases (hen to chick through the egg). But getting chicks at a feed store is different. Think of all the people that pass through a feed store in a day and those with kids in tow may want to pick up the chicks/ducklings. Half of those people have chickens at home and could be bringing a disease into the store on their hands, clothes and definitely on their shoes. Some feed stores have an employee standing guard preventing handling but most don't.
There is a slight risk with mail order chicks contracting something in transit. There are distribution points where animals of all kinds are sitting on loading docks. There is a chance they could be near adult birds that could be carriers of something. However all the approved shippers for adult birds I've seen have filters over the air holes that may help control transmission.

When we used to have coop and garden tours, most hosts had boot washes outside their gates for visitors to use. I had plastic disposable booties I made everyone put on as they got out of their cars. I discontinued visitors here when I narrowed my focus to one very rare and expensive breed.

 

[woodmort]

Remember too at feed stores you're also at the mercy of the people caring for the chicks. If they have chickens just hope they're practicing bio-security.

 

[Chickassan]

I started fresh again the summer of 2016 with four new birds and iv'e added four or so each year since doubling my little flock.
2016 birds came from a friend, 2017 were mail order eggs plus one gifted hen and 2018 was a combo of hatchery and incubation from the 2017 bunch.
This year will just be incubation from 17 and 18.
No feed store chicks, too much rooster risk and I can hatch roosters myself pretty well.

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

I'm not really into chickens for the money, and i like to have fun. I order new chicks every spring. You can sell year old laying hens for a good amount of money, since they still lay well, and use the money to buy more chicks! That way you always have tons of eggs, because you have pullets. Just as long as you keep enough to lay for you while the chicks are growing. I just got mine. Most of them are bantams, but some of them are standard chicks:

 

[cmom]

I hatch my own.