New and considering getting a few laying hens

[WoodlandWoman]

My 3 year old hens are still laying almost every day. They lay every day for quite a few days and then miss a day. I think one of the mods recently posted that she has 5 year old hens still laying almost every day.

Things that can stop a chicken from laying temporarily are going broody, a heavy molt or the shorter days of winter. Since unwashed, refrigerated eggs have been known to last as long as 6 months, I just store a few more in the frig, going into times of the year when production may slow down a bit. Usually, they still lay quite well the first fall and winter. Their feathers are still pretty new. The next year is when mine have usually had more of a tendency to go broody, if they're going to go broody. That's also the year when they start doing a heavy molt in the fall.

The seasonal ebb and flow of egg production is a much bigger deal in the egg business, than it is for the average backyard flock. A percentage point or two in production for a large corporate egg laying business is also a much bigger deal than an egg or two in a backyard hobby flock. I think these are all part of the concept of egg producers culling their flocks at 2 years old. Most heritage breeds of chickens continue to lay for a long time, even if they eventually start to slow down. Didn't someone on the forum even have a 12 year old hen that would still lay an egg a week? Wasn't that Goldy?

 

[JMPE]

Don't get hung up on the cost. If you have the means to provided the coop and run, you are in good shape. Our five hens have become our favorite pets. You don't think of a dog or cat and say companionship is worth this much and guarding the house is another few dollars a day. Having a few chickens is like having any other pet, but with a bonus feature. We get 4 to 5 eggs a day (3 every once and awhile). We love sitting out and watching the girls scratch around. They eat all kinds of bugs and things. Upkeep is not hard or very costly. They each have their own personalities.

 

[secuono]

Hm, ok. I would still want a mix of reg. hens and tiny Bantams, they better get along. One day a rooster may find his way over, reg. or Bantam also, maybe he will be ok with either size.
But what exactly is "going broody"? Why, how, when? I can't find much info on these two things.

 

[schellie69]

I have a flock of 15, 10 hens (3 of these are bantams), I have 4 pullets that are not laying yet. and one bantam rooster. He does fine with all of them. Right now I get about 8 eggs a day, now when my other 4 start to lay I am planning on 10 eggs a day. I am building my coop from pallets that we recycled, the flooring and frame work is new. I have figured it out that the chickens pay for themselves, since the quality of the eggs and knowing where my food comes from. Starting out might seem over whelming but it is worth it in the end. Going broody just means that the hen wants to hatch eggs and raise some babies, you can break them by removing them from the nest and there are other things that you can do. when depends on the breed and age of chicken. It does depend on breed and such. I like the heritage breeds they seem to lay longer then some of the others. I love having my chickens and would not change a thing except I wish I had started sooner. Good luck.

 

[LMS]

Wow! Keep the info coming! I'm loving reading about all your experiences.

Schellie, what's a heritage breed? I get the concept, but how do I know which breeds are and which aren't? (I've looked at the breed selector here briefly, but are all those considered heritage?)

 

[sotelomary]

If you are even considering getting chickens, I say go for it! You have nothing to lose (well maybe start up costs) and you can always get rid of them if things don't work out or if it's not fun for you. I live in the city and have a daycare/preschool in my home. We got 5 chickens as class pets and so far we do not regret it.

Yes, our coop was expensive. We could not find anything on craigslist and my husband and friend built it for around $500. It is the playhouse coop and because of my business I was willing to pay the cost to make it look beautiful.

You can feed chickens fairly inexpensively depending on what you want. A bag of regular feed is not to expensive and will last you a long time (6 wks.) for 5 chickens. I paid more for organic feed though but only because this is want I want. My organic feed is $38 a bag locally but I drive 1 1/2 hrs. to buy organic for $20. I stock up and feel that I save money. I have also started getting free greens every week from an upscale store in my area. Since giving greens to my chickens, I have noticed that they don't eat as much layer feed. So I'm saving more money. I think I am breaking even with my costs. I get about an extra 1 doz. eggs per week and sell it to my parents.

I clean the coop once a week and it takes about 20 min. It's easy to do. I buy a bale of straw at the feed store for the 2 nest boxes and this has lasted me way over a year. It cost about $5 and I have so much that I started using it as mulch for my garden.

We compost the chicken poop and this enables us to have an organic vegtable garden.

Don't compare the cost of the $4 eggs you buy. You will come out ahead but not in the way that you think. You will be eating fresher and more delicious eggs. You will also be having chickens that are humanely raised and not raised in packed cages. You know where your food source is coming from and will be rewarded for your efforts.

Hope you go for it and have fun and have that great feeling of knowing you are doing a great job in sustainability.

Mary