Maybe Going Chicken Crazy

[ChickenGeorge]

Hey guys. I think I may have a problem. Last year we bought 20 acres. I turned an old barn into a coop, bought 15 laying hens and now I want to add more. I am looking at 15 White Leghorns. I love them, feeding them, gathering eggs, throwing them scraps. Problem is we eat few eggs, there is only three of us. We are going to sell some eggs, but when is enough, enough? I can see this getting out of hand, I want some of all. I am also getting quail and ducks. Have I caught that Avian Flu I have been hearing so much about.

Great day to you all.

 

[Llysse]

Well, it can get as big as you want it: if you can sell enough eggs, you may be able to keep your chickens for free or even turn a profit!!!! Hooray!!!

 

[justusnak]

Llysse......is there such thing as enough chickens??? I live in the country as well...but only have 5 acres. I started with ONE RIR rescued roo....a week later, he had 3 girlfriends......3 months later...they had 15 room mates...then 3 little frizzles found thier way "home". Now, here we are a year later...and I have 17 Buff Orps, in the garage....waiting to go outside soon...and...with my little home made incubator....I can see little ones "poping up" ALOT! I told family and friends, SAVE THOSE CARTONS....I currently have about 75 cartons waiting on the buffs...LOL I told them....5 cartons, for a dozen eggs. Seems fair to them....everyone is saveing them for me now.

Summer is coming...egg salad sandwiches....potato salad...macaroni salad...Easter eggs ( if you have white layers) Boiled pickled eggs....OH THE POSSIBILITIES!! LOL
I say.....Never too many chickens! If so, fill the freezer for the winter too!! Have fun...and orders away!!!!!!!

 

[HenHappy]

This is not the place to go if you are looking for restraint!!!!

 

[Llysse]

Look carefully... I didn't say enough chickens, I said enough EGGS, meaning... enough to support your hobby

I would never be so foolish as to suggest enough CHICKENS, silly!

 

[LICHICK]

As soon as I say I have too many eggs my girls stop laying, so shhhhhh. Give them away, make quiche, cakes, make eggs with potatoes, onions & green peppers. Man I wish I had 20 acres. I have 10 girls and 25 more comming in May on 1/2 acres

 

[ChickenGeorge]

Someone please help!!!! Stop me!!!! I ordered 25 more babies yesterday. 20 White Leghorns and 5 Brown Leghorns. They come home a week from today. I have 5 Buffs, 4 Dominques, 5 Black Giants, 25 Leghorns coming, what do I need to get next? What is a great laying hen? I am thinking RIR, but I like the white eggs more. Of course, I will have 25 white egg layers, I have 14 brown egg layers, and we can't discriminate. Ok, 11 RIR's it is. Then I will have 25 of each. Anyone need Eggs? HA!!

Hope everyone is having a great day.

 

[keljonma]

Ok, I'll be the enabler...

Keep getting those girls...

Give a couple dozen away to get paying egg customers.

Separate the whites and yolks and freeze separately for future use.

Bake and donate the baked goods to schools, organizations and churches trying to raise money.

Donate the eggs to your local food banks, shut-ins, shelters and churches. A number of churches in our area will take them to help feed the less fortunate.

 

[ChickenGeorge]

Oh, man I never even thought of all those things.

I may not even have enough, I should order more.

How many chickens can you get on 20 acres?

I did think of getting some of the little half cartons and giving them away so people would buy them.

Me and my son raced to the coop yesterday to gather the eggs. He inspects every egg and tries to guess which hen layed it.

Does anyone play music for their hens. I don't, yet, but am wondering if they would like it.

 

[keljonma]

When I'm out in the barn, I usually have a book on CD or tape playing if we don't have the music playing.

This year, we've listened to Our Founding Brothers, The Speeches of Winston S. Churchill, Profiles in Courage, Agatha Christie's Black Coffee, Agatha Christie's Unexpected Guest, Lucky Man the Michael J Fox autobio, and episodes of The Shadow radio program.

Musically, our flock listens to everything ... gospel, folk, bagpipe, Celtic, all types of rock, country, r & b and jazz. And I lullabye them at night. Which either means they love me or they're tone deaf..