It happened to me, too many chickens

[HAPPYCHICKENLADY17]

I need to make room for new layers this spring, but part of me is like or I could build another coop.

i have 4 coops for 26 chickens, 17 laying hens, 4 under the age of 20 weeks and 5 cockerels......

 

[cottontail farm]

Well... in MO you need a license to sell eggs at a farmer's market. This costs $5 a year and does involve an annual inspection, requires candling, weighing and labeling your eggs. BUT! - You DON'T need one if people come to your house to buy eggs! Doesn't say anything about meeting people at a neutral location ....

Here we can as sell onsite for free but to sell off site is an inspection and an $80 permit... they lump small flocks together with people who have life 1,000 chickens.

 

[cottontail farm]

There's a post like this called chicken math.... I've posted in that one too, this also happened to me one year, and it got to be an incredible chore...I always had around 10 chickens but one year I went up to about 30 or 40 and it was crazy I felt like all I did was take care of the chickens and work... And I've had chickens for over 20 years still processing them isn't a problem for me but I came up with excuses on why to keep every single one old ones middle aged ones new ones I like this one's personality that one's color this month it's good eggs etc etc....when I finally couldn't take it anymore I posted on Craigslist and I make sure 10 chickens that I absolutely wanted and the rest went up for sale....I sold some and ended up processing about eight of them and it was such a relief finally after... I wondered why I was procrastinating for so long and making myself suffer... Sometimes you got to do what's right and what you can handle, when it no longer is enjoyable that's when you know you got to make a change!!! Good luck you got to just

I know... I have thought about it and I *know* that if I boxed up some of the hens and a goose I am just making excuses about and had someone ELSE drop them off at the processing place I would be ok with that.
Because I have not still lived down taking a group of ducks to the processor with my meat birds... making the mistake of peeking into the box in the parking lot and then taking all of the females back home with me quite alive.

 

[Folly's place]

So understandable! How much can they eat, really?
Mary

 

[aliciaplus3]

Ok I am a little jealous the only way any of my numbers come close to Any listed here is if I only count a single coop.... I currently have 4 laying flock coops(each holding up to 25ish hens and at least 2 roosters), one "breeding pen" that only has 6 hens in it with one rooster, a tractor with 3 hens and a rooster, and unknown number of growouts ranging from 3.5 months to a week old(unknown number because I refuse to count them till I know rooster from pullet).... oh and a turkey pen that has less than 20 and a duck pen that has less than 40, I think? So yeah feeding only 48 sounds wonderful!
But chicken addiction. I Have to keep most of them for one project or another... ok it's a choice not a Have to but still.

 

[Folly's place]

It's still a 'small flock' compared to those huge commercial operations! At least you can (usually, sometimes) count them!
Mary

 

[aliciaplus3]

It's still a 'small flock' compared to those huge commercial operations! At least you can (usually, sometimes) count them!
Mary

Oh it's just a hobby... I only get between 12 and 20 dozen sell-able eggs a week... I have my egg license so I could sell where I want, but my measly little numbers and the fact that I choose to only sell to the end user means I dont Have to have a license.
I have managed to be pegged as the crazy foul person and I routinely sell all my eggs each week.
I do plan to whittle my chicken numbers down more before winter gets serious... I think we will process quite a few... I just have to decide who is not essential to my breeding projects.
As I tell my hubby "but honey we eat Good"

 

[Folly's place]

Yes, I didn't count my summer numbers in my winter count; usually I have 75 or more birds each summer.
Mary

 

[Mimi13]

Ok I am a little jealous the only way any of my numbers come close to Any listed here is if I only count a single coop.... I currently have 4 laying flock coops(each holding up to 25ish hens and at least 2 roosters), one "breeding pen" that only has 6 hens in it with one rooster, a tractor with 3 hens and a rooster, and unknown number of growouts ranging from 3.5 months to a week old(unknown number because I refuse to count them till I know rooster from pullet).... oh and a turkey pen that has less than 20 and a duck pen that has less than 40, I think? So yeah feeding only 48 sounds wonderful!
But chicken addiction. I Have to keep most of them for one project or another... ok it's a choice not a Have to but still.

Oh mercy, me thinks your username is a tad misleading!

 

[aliciaplus3]

Oh mercy, me thinks your username is a tad misleading!

No it's only a 3 acre piece of land.... and 3 Real chicken coops..... kinda