Just getting started and need advice on new chickens

[SomeChickinTN]

All you guys are telling the OP that it's better to get the whole flock at once, and now I'm thinking, "But I only bought 5 chicks". I wish I would have bought more.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Mrs K, can I ask how you cull your flock? I think most people seem to have their chooks as pets, and I'm assuming they let them live out their lives on the backyard farm. Knowing myself, I'll likely be doing the same, but I am still curious; I have a close friend who homesteads, and has a large flock. When her hens age out of laying eggs, her husband goes out there and returns with a chicken he boils up for stew.

I'd come up with a plan on how you want to handle this, maybe discuss with your family and see how they feel. Would they be okay eating Henny Penny?My chickens are pets first so yes they'll get to live our their lives, but that's not practical for many people because it costs money to feed birds that aren't feeding you in return. I personally don't need that many eggs, so the more older hens I have, the more excuse I have to get more chicks.

As far as the plan to get a broody and chicks I do hope someone can pipe in with their experience. I don't know how doable/difficult that would be. My own recommendation would be to just get chicks and brood them yourself, as that's fairly simple (and takes managing a hen out of the equation) and will let you get the most hands on time with them as they grow.

All you guys are telling the OP that it's better to get the whole flock at once, and now I'm thinking, "But I only bought 5 chicks". I wish I would have bought more.

Chicken math hit you hard eh? I don't regret starting small (I started with 3) as it was easier to raise a small batch. Plus the little coop I started out with was never going to hold all that many. Now that I know I enjoy it I have a bigger coop and I'm glad I'm staggering ages, even if integration is a bit of work, as I know I'll get a steadier supply of eggs, plus it's fun watching the younger birds zooming around the older ones.

 

[SomeChickinTN]

I'd come up with a plan on how you want to handle this, maybe discuss with your family and see how they feel. Would they be okay eating Henny Penny?My chickens are pets first so yes they'll get to live our their lives, but that's not practical for many people because it costs money to feed birds that aren't feeding you in return. I personally don't need that many eggs, so the more older hens I have, the more excuse I have to get more chicks.

As far as the plan to get a broody and chicks I do hope someone can pipe in with their experience. I don't know how doable/difficult that would be. My own recommendation would be to just get chicks and brood them yourself, as that's fairly simple (and takes managing a hen out of the equation) and will let you get the most hands on time with them as they grow.



Chicken math hit you hard eh? I don't regret starting small (I started with 3) as it was easier to raise a small batch. Plus the little coop I started out with was never going to hold all that many. Now that I know I enjoy it I have a bigger coop and I'm glad I'm staggering ages, even if integration is a bit of work, as I know I'll get a steadier supply of eggs, plus it's fun watching the younger birds zooming around the older ones.

Yeah, and I've been swearing this is the only batch of chicks I'm going to raise, but I find myself trying to browse the hatchery site for spring chicks of a different breed. I'm such a sucker

 

[rosemarythyme]

Yeah, and I've been swearing this is the only batch of chicks I'm going to raise, but I find myself trying to browse the hatchery site for spring chicks of a different breed. I'm such a sucker

I browse my feed store's calendar every year. I keep planning for what variety of chicks I want "next time." Heck every time I'm at the store I'll take a look at what they have, or I'll visit their adult flock which is like a living catalog of what birds they can get. Thankfully I'm not an impulsive person when it comes to chickens!

 

[SomeChickinTN]

I browse my feed store's calendar every year. I keep planning for what variety of chicks I want "next time." Heck every time I'm at the store I'll take a look at what they have, or I'll visit their adult flock which is like a living catalog of what birds they can get. Thankfully I'm not an impulsive person when it comes to chickens!

Apparently I am, but I'm hoping it's just because I'm new and really want some hens that are already laying. Luckily, I have been addicted to BYC, and reading here has convinced me to really sleep on it before I buy any chickens locally, and have avoided doing so despite wanting to.

 

[MissChick@dee]

I have a friend cull for me. There’s always a chance you’ll need to end a birds suffering. I asked straight away my friend was the one who brought me my first chicks.

 

[feathermaid]

Why 6 chickens exactly? Does your town have a limit? Do you have space on your property for more? You say the purpose for wanting chickens is to eliminate the weeds, but goats or a rototiller and a few layers of cardboard would do the same, and in probably a more timely manner. I had my chickens free ranging for a year in my backyard, and they destroyed everything but the weeds! Is there a way you can build your coop close the area you want and attach the run over the "weed" area? Then when you're ready to plant trees, you could move the run? It just seems to me that a portable tractor would either be too small, or take too long to actually eradicate all the weeds.

Isn't a 4x4 coop suitable for 4 chooks?

Yes, if the chickens are locked inside during the day. But if they can come and go throughout the day as @Ridgerunner mentions, then the coop is basically only a roosting house where they just sleep or use the nest boxes, and their "living space" is the run or outside free ranging.

All you guys are telling the OP that it's better to get the whole flock at once, and now I'm thinking, "But I only bought 5 chicks". I wish I would have bought more.

Actually, I don't know why everyone would want to get an entire flock all at once... for the same reasons @Mrs. K already stated.

Introducing new chicks to older birds is not difficult or scary at all, especially on a small scale with only 3 birds at a time. I don't think I would do less than 3, only because if you purchased 2 chicks and by chance one was lost to illness, that remaining lone chick would have a rough time.

The key to successful integration with babies is that the older birds should be mature (at least a year). Younger adolescent birds have too many hormones racing and a pecking order to get established... to them, little chicks are intruders that need to be eliminated. Older birds are usually much more tolerant of chicks and only see them as maybe an annoyance. Yes, precautions do need to be made and it will take about 4-5 weeks for newly hatched chicks to become integrated. But bringing in adult birds requires a much longer Quarantine period and after that, the actual See But Don’t Touch introduction period.

Having a broody raise chicks is a lovely notion, many people swear it's the best and no doubt it is, but you can't just make any hen instantly feel like being a mom, especially if you move her to a new home, so I'm not sure how dependable that method would be to start your flock (could work later on if you end up with a hen that likes to go broody). I've found the most rewarding way for me to raise chicks (I'm sure your kids would love it too) is with a Mama Heating Pad or something to that effect. Kick The Heat Lamp: Better, Safer And Healthier Options To Heat Your Brooder

Here's my newest chicks at 5 wks old, already integrated with older hens. You can see the "safe area" provided under the roosts/poop tray.
A helpful article on how to integrate chicks:
Integrating at 4 weeks old

If homesteading interests you, and butchering livestock doesn't bother you, you could try a Regular Flock Rotation to keep yourself in fresh eggs all year, with new birds coming and old birds going on a yearly basis. And you're already lucky enough to have a friend that could help you with that process.

 

[Heididi]

Why 6 chickens exactly? Does your town have a limit? Do you have space on your property for more? You say the purpose for wanting chickens is to eliminate the weeds, but goats or a rototiller and a few layers of cardboard would do the same, and in probably a more timely manner. I had my chickens free ranging for a year in my backyard, and they destroyed everything but the weeds! Is there a way you can build your coop close the area you want and attach the run over the "weed" area? Then when you're ready to plant trees, you could move the run? It just seems to me that a portable tractor would either be too small, or take too long to actually eradicate all the weeds.

Hi! To answer your questions: 6 hens is the max I'm allowed on our property, and I think I'd only have 6 smaller breed chooks if I did have all 6 at once. We have built the coop and the run exactly over the area that has the problem with the weeds. The weeds encroach from the fenced corner of the yard, where the coop and run is now nestled. These are low, subterranean weeds that require some good scratching and pulling on And yes, the trees won't arrive until after the chooks have had their way with that area and are moved. I'd love to have a goat, but I also have lots of plants I love and I cannot imagine trying to keep a goat contained effectively. I have a little experience with goats, and they are voracious! My friend uses them to keep poison oak off her property! In my experience of other Southern Californian chicken keepers, chickens have turned their run areas into a blank slate. I've been composting on this piece of property for 10 years, and it is full of all kinds of grubs and yummies for the chickens to feast on, so they will be doing me a great service in turning over the soil, eradicating grubs, and keeping the grasses from thriving there.

Thanks for the links and the encouragement to raise chicks myself. I'm going to have to consider that.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Chicken density has a lot to do with how well they clear the ground. Climate and rainfall has an effect too. I kept chickens in a large enough area inside electric netting that they never totally cleared the ground. They ate the stuff they liked best but ignored the other stuff. So a few times a year I had to mow that area to allow the good stuff to grow and keep the bad stuff from crowding it out.

If the chicken density is high enough they turn it all into a barren waste. Stuff grows faster in warm weather and if you get rain. I don't know how big that area is but six hens may not give you the results you want, especially not quickly.

Good luck. I like the plan just hope it works for you.

 

[feathermaid]

Oh, I can see the picture now! I thought you were planning to put the coop/run in one area and let them "tractor free range" in the other area, oops. So yes, chickens will really enjoy clearing that spot for you (if it's not overly large as Ridgerunner points out). I would love to have goats, but my place is too residential for them to be allowed... we're planning and starting to look at rural properties... so one of these days!!

I really do think you'd have so much fun raising chicks. My daughter was 4 years old when we started and it's been such a great life experience so far. The integration of my new chicks this last spring couldn't have gone smoother and my gardens are doing better than ever with all this lovely chicken compost!