Is 300 chickens enough?

[Redhead Rae]

Good news i crunched the numbers and all these people are wrong.... u need 30,000 chicks... So get to shopping and post pics along the way!!! Good luck!

Also like they said maybe go with a more calm breed? Or just say screw it get two of each!

......... AHEM.........

 

[Papaw-John]

You could bring in new birds and sell your chickens as they get older, but still laying well. I see people selling chickens that are laying locally all the time for 10 to 20 dollars each. If you hatch your own eggs you could also sell chicks locally. You can also sell fertile hatching eggs on eBay. Just a few thoughts.
Keep us posted.

 

[ShrekDawg]

@Krazyquilts @lazy gardener

Thanks. I know that I am not vegetarian and it's sometimes hard for me to make those choices too, so I can't imagine someone who is veg and trying to give them a pet quality life having an easier time.

I have a splash ameraucana who is getting older, like 4-5 or so, and she only lays about 3 eggs a week at her peak... They're always mis-shapen and lumpy. This spring she seemed to catch a cold and was sneezing for about two weeks and had me real worried. I love her, she's one of my favorite birds, she's worked so hard to survive, she's survived countless hawk bombings and coon attacks... Most recently a coon got into the coop itself and she survived scott free by playing possum. She was lying, dead and belly-up on the coop floor immobile and when I touched her she bounced to her feet totally unharmed. She's super chill to other birds and helps keep the whole flock a little steadier and calmer. She always makes nice with new birds that are introduced. She's a fighter, a trooper, I like her SO much.

I wanna let her keep going but soon she's going to catch something she can't heal from, she'll become eggbound, or who knows what other problems... No way I can take her to a vet, I would wave goodbye to every dollar and cent she's given me over the last few years and then some in just one trip. And she's not laying well, plus I only have so much space for chickens since my whole property is 1/4 acre... Every year she lays a little less and gets a little worse health-wise. So this will be her last year in the flock. I'm already raising out her replacements. She'll be buried in the compost pile this fall (she's too small and old to be worth feeling sad over eating her, so she'll go on to grow our vegetables instead) and there will be room for a robust, healthy young bird in her place. I don't want to do it but it has to be done.

We kept her around because we fudge things a little around here. As a pet she could live out her life as long as she wanted, but she's not a pet. We just have wiggle room. There's no wiggle room when a single sneezing hen could kill off 100 chickens. If I were doing this on a larger scale she would have been replaced when she hit 3 years old and started laying lumpy eggs and her risk for egg binding skyrocketed. As it is she's been kept around too long already and soon her weaker immune system could put the rest of the flock at risk.

I do think making choices like when to remove a member of the flock is tough, but essential for anything but a pet flock. Even when you have a free-range organic flock that's well cared for, sometimes you have to remove birds that have the potential to keep living longer lives. It's just how things go.

If it was me, I don't think I would be able to get rid of that hen. Obviously it's not a practical business model to keep every old hen so I wouldn't do that but I think I'd make an exception for her. Of course, you already have and have probably kept her too long as it, but I don't think one hen would add too much to the feed bill or cut profits too much but idk. I could be wrong. Maybe it adds up? But, btw, this is not to be judging or anything at all because I do absolutely get it, that last little it doesnt cost too much thing was strictly talking about myself if it was my farm I'd pay for that and not the other possibly tone of it doesn't cost much so dont kill her. Cause I get why you're doing it. Although, would anyone take her as a pet or is she too old? And obviously if she is sick, you don't want to give anyone a sick bird either or endanger your flock, so I get it, but idk, I wouldn't feel right about it after all she's survived and already being so old, wouldn't last much longer anyway likely?

But maybe I'm too much of a softy lol and why I would probably (definitely) fail at farming. I couldn't kill or part with animals. But then again, even I could with most of them without a problem (which I couldn't, there's also sometimes there is just that special one that doesn't come along often that an exception might be made and she seems like it

But businesses don't have special ones I suppose.

 

[skullgrrrl]

That's way too many birds on that small space. In will be an ugly dirt patch almost immediately. Overcrowding = stress = decreased egg production. What kind of barn are you going to house them in? How will you protect them from predators? I have @40 birds and I spent time before and after work daily filling waterers/feeders, cleaning, collecting eggs etc. Then on the weekends I do more. My birds pay for themselves but not for my labour.

 

[Reurra]

I imagine you will need to consider a few other things:

Bio Safety, for you and your birds
Waste Management and Water Safety
Zoning
Food Safety Inspections
Cost of Feed
Carcass Disposal
Pest Management (Predator as well as Mites/Lice)
Permits required

Most Facilities that raise birds cull the ones over 2 years old and raise new ones to replace them. You will need a sex linked breed or buy sex links as chicks, or straight run and remove the boys as they age. The size of your propery is also something you need to consider. A barn raised set up with small cages or free range. Free range is "cleaner", but predators and other problems can arise from pests and disease. Free range can also cause a small patch of earth to be a brown muck pile in a few weeks. Barns offer safety, but are cramped and require more cleaning and biosecurity.

Its a huge undertaking.

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

That's way too many birds on that small space. In will be an ugly dirt patch almost immediately. Overcrowding = stress = decreased egg production. What kind of barn are you going to house them in? How will you protect them from predators? I have @40 birds and I spent time before and after work daily filling waterers/feeders, cleaning, collecting eggs etc. Then on the weekends I do more. My birds pay for themselves but not for my labour.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

@KDOGG331
I understand where you are coming from, unfortunately the decision to cull isn't just made on a "is she producing" basis. Because, of course, as you yourself point out feeding a single chicken isn't very expensive. (Hence that wiggle room.) She slowed down really dramatically at about 3 years old and if it were just about production of course I would have removed her then.

But given the fact that she has been having some other miscellaneous health problems alongside it, it would put the rest of my flock at risk to keep her around especially through the winter. A bird with a strong immune system carries and sheds contagions and parasites less than one with a compromised immune system. With age comes a lowered immune system. With winter comes an even more lowered immune system. Carrying her through the winter without diagnosis, treatment or specialized care could risk the whole flock.

I sell my eggs for $3/doz. If she layed 900 eggs over 4 years she would earn me $225 before I subtract my feed/maintinence costs, which probably leaves $120 or so. A single vet trip would use all of that, and that is before I even factor in the time I spent on the labor. This is what I mean when I say she's not a pet and I can't keep her around. As a pet I would take her to the vet and just eat the costs, but as a farm I can't afford that unless I try to sell my eggs for $10/doz. At $10 I would get $750, which would cover $250 in (non organic) feed for her entire lifetime (8-10 years), plus labor and a couple vet appointments, even overhead for extra housing to keep sick chickens away from a younger laying flock.

I won't send an aging chicken with a failing immune system to someone else, and without to resources to either isolate her or treat her there's not many options left. If I had the space and funding to treat the nearly inevitable illness or condition that she will probably get soon then I would do that, but since the goal is to reduce my grocery bills/make money I can't do that... Especially when she COULD be a productive chicken instead. I wish I could but local egg prices won't support it. Plenty of people already turn down my eggs at $3/doz because eggs are super cheap at the supermarket. But as people become more educated about how badly the animals (and people) are treated to get those prices I hope the market will expand and the option to keep chickens under excellent (even pet-like) conditions will be available, even if it's only a niche market.

 

[ShrekDawg]

@KDOGG331
I understand where you are coming from, unfortunately the decision to cull isn't just made on a "is she producing" basis. Because, of course, as you yourself point out feeding a single chicken isn't very expensive. (Hence that wiggle room.) She slowed down really dramatically at about 3 years old and if it were just about production of course I would have removed her then.

But given the fact that she has been having some other miscellaneous health problems alongside it, it would put the rest of my flock at risk to keep her around especially through the winter. A bird with a strong immune system carries and sheds contagions and parasites less than one with a compromised immune system. With age comes a lowered immune system. With winter comes an even more lowered immune system. Carrying her through the winter without diagnosis, treatment or specialized care could risk the whole flock.

I sell my eggs for $3/doz. If she layed 900 eggs over 4 years she would earn me $225 before I subtract my feed/maintinence costs, which probably leaves $120 or so. A single vet trip would use all of that, and that is before I even factor in the time I spent on the labor. This is what I mean when I say she's not a pet and I can't keep her around. As a pet I would take her to the vet and just eat the costs, but as a farm I can't afford that unless I try to sell my eggs for $10/doz. At $10 I would get $750, which would cover $250 in (non organic) feed for her entire lifetime (8-10 years), plus labor and a couple vet appointments, even overhead for extra housing to keep sick chickens away from a younger laying flock.

I won't send an aging chicken with a failing immune system to someone else, and without to resources to either isolate her or treat her there's not many options left. If I had the space and funding to treat the nearly inevitable illness or condition that she will probably get soon then I would do that, but since the goal is to reduce my grocery bills/make money I can't do that... Especially when she COULD be a productive chicken instead. I wish I could but local egg prices won't support it. Plenty of people already turn down my eggs at $3/doz because eggs are super cheap at the supermarket. But as people become more educated about how badly the animals (and people) are treated to get those prices I hope the market will expand and the option to keep chickens under excellent (even pet-like) conditions will be available, even if it's only a niche market.

Thanks for the excellent response and for being so civil too! I am sorry if I caused you any upset or anything, btw. I too can see where you're coming from and based on your excellent, detailed reply and the one before it, I can tell that you've thought long and hard about this and that it is not an easy decision. It must be difficult decision to make for any chicken, let alone such a special one, but honestly, even if you did take her to a vet, she would likely just end up with another health issue after that one is cured. It does seem like she is starting to age and fail so it probably is the best decision because eventually that aging and failing will turn into suffering. Probably better to put her out of her misery before she starts suffering. Even if it is a hard decision.

I guess just for me, only having 7, it can be somewhat hard to understand more business/farm decisions like that sometimes but it's definitely necessary sometimes. Losing any animal is hard though. I used to have 9 but lost one at only 6 days old and then I just lost one in the fall to a hawk attack. She was one of my favorite birds too and the most friendly. It's amazing how attached you can get to a freaking chicken! I never would have guessed it before I got mine.

And I've been thinking of expanding my flock but idk.

I have a lot of breeds and color varieties I want to try but have been very good about containing myself and not going crazy LOL so have kept it at 8.

But I've been thinking about more.

At first I thought I'd add maybe 3-5 more now that I have a little extra room, but I have sooo many breeds I want and everyone has different opinions and/or loves their breed for different reasons so now I've been thinking maybe I should just get 15-20 and try all the breeds I want haha

But if I did that I would have to build a new coop but that wouldn't be so hard as I'm thinking hoop coop.

I'm thinking I'd keep them totally separate from my current flock and just have a pet flock and a laying flock.

And I could sell the eggs.

But judging by this thread, it might not be as easy as that...

But I would be happy with just enough money to pay for their food.

My current hens are 2 1/2 years old.

 

[J. At ChicChalet]

I'm renovating a piece of property I own and I want to be a small scale homesteader and get to the point where I earn enough money each month from selling eggs to be able to quit my job and focus solely on my stead.

First, is this possible? Does anyone else do this?

Second, is 300 chickens enough? Rhode Island Reds and Black Australorps are what we're considering. We live in Alabama.

I want to earn at least $1500 a month. I figure if all 300 lay about 250 eggs a year (75k) + our few current hens laying about 600 a year and we eat about 4,000 a year (12 a day give or take), then that will leave about 71,600 eggs for the year which = about 497 dozen egg cartons per month. At $3 per dozen (too low or high?), that would yield $1,491 per month or $1,043 after tax.

Should we opt for more than 300 or is 300 a safe bet to earn about $1,500 a month from eggs? We also figure about $300 a month for feed. Sound correct?

Any other advice is greatly appreciated!

**NOTE: We are vegetarians. No chickens will ever be killed or sold for meat. No roosters will will ever be here so there's no fertilization.

It will be difficult. You will have to be very careful about feed comsumption, or all your profit will go there.
I,m in TEXAS and also have a chicken business, We have to watch that very closely.

Best of luck to you.

J.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

@KDOGG331

Oh, no I'm not offended or upset at all. I feel unhappy about having to remove her from my flock of course. I think that the moment you stop caring about the animals is the moment you start being able to make choices like "Well maybe they DON'T need fresh air, or enrichment, or dirt...". It's important that people care about their animals.
But the moment you make the choice to keep them as anything but a pet flock, even just to pay for themselves, choices like this crop up... Largely because vet care is just SO expensive. (Even DIY vet care can become challenging.) And years of no/low production with feed costs scales dramatically. If you keep one or two favorites around that's one thing. A whole flock of older, mostly free-loading hen would add up, especially when you only have space for so many.
Unless it's an emergency I think long and hard before removing an animal from my homestead... But ultimately if it seems likely to cost us more to keep the animal around than it would produce over it's lifetime we usually make the choice to remove them. Sometimes the animals are rude and unlikable and they're easy to remove... And sometimes we have favorites that we have a soft spot for that we keep around way too long.
It's the requirements of running a business, but luckily there's that wiggle room.