Introducing myself! :)

[SunBun]

Hello All,

I'm new here and just wanted to say hi. My name is Sunny and my family of 4 lives on a little over 1/3 acre. I garden and plan on free ranging my chickens to take care of pests. I have not yet purchased one thing for my chicken empire but I have 2 questions. We are a family of 4 and would like to raise chickens for eggs. Will 4 chickens give me a nice egg supply? too few? too many?

Also, when should I buy them. I'm very nervous buying eggs and hatching myself especially my first go around. I live in PA, is it too late to buy them now this year? (meaning beginning of July)

Thanks so much for your help and I can't wait to get started!

Sunny

 

[ronmauldin]

Welcome from the Ocean State!

Depends on the breed. If you get prolific layers, such as RIRs, Barred Rocks or Leghorns you are going to get about an egg a day from each pullet. As far as where, I don't know about local to you, but there are lots of online hatcheries. See link belowhttp://www.backyardchickens.com/t/894915/buying-chicks-on-line-reviews-and-experiences#post_13705952

As far as when, it is really a personal choice. I prefer getting new chicks in the early Spring so they are laying in the summer/fall before Winter hits.

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Being a beginner with chickens, I would start with chicks or started pullets instead of trying your hand at hatching. Chickens best laying years are their first 2 years and then the eggs start to decline. With 4 birds, you might get 3 eggs a day average. Not every bird lays everyday.

You can order chicks from hatcheries around the country still....Meyers and Mt Healthy are both in your area. You can also do some chatting in your state thread and talk to your chicken neighbors. Maybe someone nearby has some started birds you can pick up easily...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/248345/pennsylvania-unite

Have you stopped by our learning center yet? Lots of good articles on getting started and raising your birds proper....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

Enjoy this new journey you are on! If you have any questions, that is what we are here for. Welcome to our flock!

 

[sumi]

Welcome to BYC

Glad you joined us!

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC!! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

Hens lay every 25 hours so you can expect a pretty good constancy of eggs from 4 of them. Like Two Crows said, they will start declining in their 3-5 year of life.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! How many eggs you'll get depends mostly on the breed and age, some breeds lay a lot better than others and birds start laying less after about two years old and lay about half what they did at their best when they are five, here are a couple of links to some nice chicken breed comparison charts that compare breeds including egg production http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html and http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/chickenbreedcomparison.pdf and http://www.mypetchicken.com/chicken-breeds/breed-list.aspx
when you have narrowed down your choices, don't forget to check the BYC Reviews section for member reviews on the different breeds. https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/category/chicken-breeds

One other thing to take into consideration if you hatch eggs, is you are going to get half roosters, so you would need a plan what to do with them.

 

[Michael OShay]

Welcome to BYC! You have received some good advice from the other members. If you are strictly going for egg production, the best layers under ideal conditions (warm temps. and good lighting) are White Leghorns. The laying record for a hen was set in 1979, when a White Leghorn hen laid 371 eggs in 365 days. However, White Leghorns are high strung and flighty (mine cried bloody murder whenever I handled them) and in cold and dark winters (like you have in Pa), Sex Links (Stars) will outlay them and they are calmer birds to boot. If you want a standard breed (Sex Links are hybrids and will not breed true), Black Australorps are usually the best brown egg layers among the standard breeds. Until it was broken by the White Leghorn in 1979, a Black Australorp hen held the laying record with 364 eggs in 365 days, and while none of mine have ever had that kind of production (and likely never will), I have had a few lay over 300 in a year. Black Australorps are also very hardy, calm, and gentle birds. Whether or not 4 chickens will give your family of 4 enough eggs depends on how many eggs your family eats per week. With one of these good laying breeds, you can expect to get an average of 5 eggs per week (6 in some cases) per hen. That means 4 hens would give you about 20-24 eggs per week on average. Whatever breed (or breeds) you decide to buy, good luck in getting your chickens.

 

[drumstick diva]

 

[gander007]

Alright Sunny,

 

[Frindizzle]

Welcome, Sunny!

Hello and….

from Washington! BYC is the best fowl website you can find.

I hope you feel glad you signed up! In our flock we have great people and it is always great to have a new member In our flock, we have no pecking order!

By the way, not saying that you will do anything bad, but no fowl play