Just getting my flock started- a numbers question for you

[ChickenDaddy523]

That's great! I hope they hatch for you!

 

[jenn-]

Will a hen go broody if there isn't a roo around? I'm not allowed to have them.

Butchering isn't an option (vegetarian). Mine will be retired to a free range farm that my FIL owns. He is more interested in bug patrol out there then egg production.

 

[AmericanMom]

Will a hen go broody if there isn't a roo around? I'm not allowed to have them.

Butchering isn't an option (vegetarian). Mine will be retired to a free range farm that my FIL owns. He is more interested in bug patrol out there then egg production.

Yes, hens will go broody whether or not their is a rooster present.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yes, we all do it so many different ways. You have to find your own system. You at least seem to know what you want which is a great help.

Each hen is an individual. Some will lay 13 eggs in 14 days at peak production, some maybe 3 eggs in 14 days if they do well. I’ve had pullets start to lay at 16 weeks, some wait until nine months. Strangely those started in the first week of December, the shortest days of the year and marginally getting shorter. I do not use artificial lighting. No matter what anybody says on here, someone else has had a different experience. Each chicken really is an individual.

On average a flock of commercial laying hybrid hens will lay as well after the first adult molt as they did before and the eggs will be bigger. Then after the second adult molt and every adult molt after that the egg production will drop somewhere around 15% each time and egg size will increase. Most of us don’t have the commercial hybrids. Most of us don’t have enough chickens for the averages to mean much anyway. With six hens you certainly will not. You’ll have to remain fairly flexible.

It’s fairly common for a pullet to skip the molt their first fall and continue to lay throughout the following year, not molting until the following fall when the days get shorter. Not all do that, but it is pretty common. The eggs start out pretty small but will gradually get larger, but after the first adult molt you will see a big difference in size.

A flock of a few thousand commercial hybrid layers follow a production graph. They control this cycle by manipulating the lighting. They crank up egg production reasonably fast and maintain that for a while, then it declines. But after about 13 months of continuous laying production has dropped to about 60% of peak production. That’s when the operator has to decide whether to force a molt and feed them through a molt when they are not laying eggs or replace the flock. It’s pretty common for them to feed them through one molt but not two. Sometimes the operators will force an early molt if the pullets’ egg size does not increase fast enough to get to those profitable Grade A Large size.

My main laying/breeding flock is seven hens. There will be times I have over 40 chickens here, but most of those are young, growing out to butcher size. My goals are obviously different than yours. I try to keep four replacement pullets every year, with the seven hens laying until the older ones molt, then I remove the older ones that have already been through an adult molt. This way I have adult hens laying through the peak season plus the pullets when they start. After the molt I get some pullet eggs throughout the winter and only feed three molting hens. I know my numbers don’t add up, but things happen as others mentioned. Stay flexible.

Hopefully you will get something out of this rambling that will help you come up with a plan. Build some flexibility into your plan because things seldom work out exactly as you plan.

Since you will be integrating regularly I suggest you build larger than the absolute minimum. You might want to follow the link in my signature to get my thoughts on size. A lot won’t apply to you but some will. The way I understand your plans, I’d either build a coop big enough to partition it off so the younger could live next to the older for a while behind a fence before you integrate or build a separate grow-out coop on the far end of your run and partition your run so you can split it between them until you integrate. I’m convinced the majority of integration problems you read about on here is because space is too tight.

Good luck with it. Your plan is certainly doable.

 

[jenn-]

Yes, we all do it so many different ways. You have to find your own system. You at least seem to know what you want which is a great help.

Each hen is an individual. Some will lay 13 eggs in 14 days at peak production, some maybe 3 eggs in 14 days if they do well. I’ve had pullets start to lay at 16 weeks, some wait until nine months. Strangely those started in the first week of December, the shortest days of the year and marginally getting shorter. I do not use artificial lighting. No matter what anybody says on here, someone else has had a different experience. Each chicken really is an individual.

On average a flock of commercial laying hybrid hens will lay as well after the first adult molt as they did before and the eggs will be bigger. Then after the second adult molt and every adult molt after that the egg production will drop somewhere around 15% each time and egg size will increase. Most of us don’t have the commercial hybrids. Most of us don’t have enough chickens for the averages to mean much anyway. With six hens you certainly will not. You’ll have to remain fairly flexible.

It’s fairly common for a pullet to skip the molt their first fall and continue to lay throughout the following year, not molting until the following fall when the days get shorter. Not all do that, but it is pretty common. The eggs start out pretty small but will gradually get larger, but after the first adult molt you will see a big difference in size.

A flock of a few thousand commercial hybrid layers follow a production graph. They control this cycle by manipulating the lighting. They crank up egg production reasonably fast and maintain that for a while, then it declines. But after about 13 months of continuous laying production has dropped to about 60% of peak production. That’s when the operator has to decide whether to force a molt and feed them through a molt when they are not laying eggs or replace the flock. It’s pretty common for them to feed them through one molt but not two. Sometimes the operators will force an early molt if the pullets’ egg size does not increase fast enough to get to those profitable Grade A Large size.

My main laying/breeding flock is seven hens. There will be times I have over 40 chickens here, but most of those are young, growing out to butcher size. My goals are obviously different than yours. I try to keep four replacement pullets every year, with the seven hens laying until the older ones molt, then I remove the older ones that have already been through an adult molt. This way I have adult hens laying through the peak season plus the pullets when they start. After the molt I get some pullet eggs throughout the winter and only feed three molting hens. I know my numbers don’t add up, but things happen as others mentioned. Stay flexible.

Hopefully you will get something out of this rambling that will help you come up with a plan. Build some flexibility into your plan because things seldom work out exactly as you plan.

Since you will be integrating regularly I suggest you build larger than the absolute minimum. You might want to follow the link in my signature to get my thoughts on size. A lot won’t apply to you but some will. The way I understand your plans, I’d either build a coop big enough to partition it off so the younger could live next to the older for a while behind a fence before you integrate or build a separate grow-out coop on the far end of your run and partition your run so you can split it between them until you integrate. I’m convinced the majority of integration problems you read about on here is because space is too tight.

Good luck with it. Your plan is certainly doable.

Thank you for taking the time to reply. My coop is going to have 33 sq ft of floor space (it has 36 but 3 of them will be taken by inside laying boxes). That should easily handle the max of 6 that I can have. Ground space is 63 sq ft., but it isn't the best ground in the world. I guess I could use this nasty weather to my advantage and plant some grass in the run area for them to rip up. I'll have to approach the husband about laying out the ground beams for the run. I can't attach it at the top until we can get it painted.

 

[BusyBearMama]

Or... You could go my route... (I'm joking) I hope to have 50 chickens by may lol... Lots will be chicks and obviously extra Roos or birds in general from our current hatch are going up for sale but I would like 50 including? eventually - maybe not all this year 8 Roos - we will have a few separate coops going up this year and will just hatch after this year if we get successfully everything we are wanting- then non laying hens can be pest patrol with the guineas ... I think getting 6 at once is probably the easiest bet. And it really depends on what you want eggs wise... 4 birds doesn't mean 4 eggs a day... I'm hoping for 2 dozen a day and don't expect it... I think that puts us where we want to be in our area they expect you to buy 6 at the feed store if you go that route check in on your laws too

 

[Finnie]

Getting chickens is a lot of fun! Since you don't have yours yet, have you looked up what kinds you want? My first ones were just bought because they were nearby. Then I learned about other kinds, and I really wanted them, too.

You can get kinds that are known for laying lots of egg, or you can get kinds that lay specific egg colors, or you can get hens for their esthetic properties, which people call "eye candy". Oh, and you can also select them for their personalities, although it seems that people have vastly different opinions on the temperaments of the same breeds.

If you decide you really want a specific breed or two, that may dictate whether you can get them as chicks, or only as adults, however you are able to find a seller. I have not had any problems integrating new hens into my original four. As long as you are prepared for a period of adjustment. If you start out with some adult hens, you won't have to wait six months to get your first eggs. But then again, raising them yourself from chicks lets you work on taming them from a young age, if that is your wish.

Sooo many different possibilities. And then there is the thrill of the hunt..... !

Enjoy!

 

[jenn-]

Getting chickens is a lot of fun! Since you don't have yours yet, have you looked up what kinds you want? My first ones were just bought because they were nearby. Then I learned about other kinds, and I really wanted them, too.

You can get kinds that are known for laying lots of egg, or you can get kinds that lay specific egg colors, or you can get hens for their esthetic properties, which people call "eye candy". Oh, and you can also select them for their personalities, although it seems that people have vastly different opinions on the temperaments of the same breeds.

If you decide you really want a specific breed or two, that may dictate whether you can get them as chicks, or only as adults, however you are able to find a seller. I have not had any problems integrating new hens into my original four. As long as you are prepared for a period of adjustment. If you start out with some adult hens, you won't have to wait six months to get your first eggs. But then again, raising them yourself from chicks lets you work on taming them from a young age, if that is your wish.

Sooo many different possibilities. And then there is the thrill of the hunt..... !

Enjoy!

Oh, I've had so much fun with breed selection. I've printed out a couple size and productivity charts and have tons crossed off the list and some possibilities. Being down in the deep south, heat has to play a factor. I've narrowed down my choices to australorps, delawares, leghorns, plymouth rocks, sussex, and maybe some sex links.