Is 300 chickens enough?

[lazy gardener]

I believe that they don't do well if ground freezes. However, if you had a green house that maintains moderate temps without overheating or freezing, you could overwinter them.

https://ie.unc.edu/files/2016/03/bsfl_how-to_guide.pdf

 

[oregonkat]

I believe that they don't do well if ground freezes. However, if you had a green house that maintains moderate temps without overheating or freezing, you could overwinter them.

https://ie.unc.edu/files/2016/03/bsfl_how-to_guide.pdf

Excellent! Thank you for the link.

 

[Jamie Molihan]

I want to thank everyone for all of the advice I've been given! I guess my excitement and dream is bigger than reality.

It's always been our dream to homestead full time. We're fixing to build a small earthbag house for ourselves and we're trying to come up with ways to earn an income from the stead.

I guess we will start out with 30 hens (15 RIR and 15 Australorps) and see where things are a year from now or sooner if things go well.

What is an earth bag house?

 

[Jamie Molihan]

Lofty plans is correct....

Now the rule of thumb on chickens is....You lose more money with each bird...

So 1 chicken you lose a few bucks a year..

300 chickens you lose a lot of money in a year..

I am very experienced in losing money with chickens, I have about 200 right now. I have had more, but I did not get an increase in Social Security so some of the chickens were required to fill my freezer to make up for the difference...




BTW... 300 chicken is 1/4 acre will never qualify as free range birds in my book. Also if I read this correctly you think you can feed a chicken for a dollar a month?

You must be figuring on those new anorexic chickens. My plump little buggers eat that in a day or two.

You seem like you might be a gluten for punishment, maybe you should raise DUX too so you can really lose money...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, I only have three...about to be two, and the mess and care is crazy; and I am a lazy woman so they pretty much fend for themselves from dawn till dark.

 

[aart]

earth bag house

 

[Jamie Molihan]

View attachment 1377280

Is that a people house or a chicken house? Does the rain leak in? I am going to google this, it’s peaked my curiosity.

 

[duluthralphie]

Is that a people house or a chicken house? Does the rain leak in? I am going to google this, it’s peaked my curiosity.

My question is how do you get the building inspectors to pass it/

 

[Hopperkiller]

It really depends on the area you live in. I've heard of people who have had success rehoming older girls to backyard flocks, particularly if they live hear a major metro area where chicken keeping is a popular back yard hobby. Some people are happy to take girls that are past their prime and turn them into pets. In my area, it wouldn't work at all.

I have a small flock of older hens i got from my friends egg laying business. Their purpose is bug control and plain old entertainment. Went all winter without laying but now getting 8 to 10 eggs weekly. Thats slightly more than we need. You most likely can find people who have similar usages in your area. Advertise the older hens as safe grasshopper control! Im sure they are a pest in your area also.

 

[bobbi-j]

I have a small flock of older hens i got from my friends egg laying business. Their purpose is bug control and plain old entertainment. Went all winter without laying but now getting 8 to 10 eggs weekly. Thats slightly more than we need. You most likely can find people who have similar usages in your area. Advertise the older hens as safe grasshopper control! Im sure they are a pest in your area also.

I think OP has made up their mind to house and feed their nonproductive birds year after year. Experience is sometimes the best teacher, and if one doesn’t want to learn from the experience of others, they have to do it the hard way and figure it out for themselves.

 

[gator75]

Don't have much to add, except I would buy and raise only sex links. They'll give you the most eggs and die earlier than other breeds.