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tpeila

In the Brooder
9 Years
Jul 19, 2010
68
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University Place, WA
I am new and looking for advice on SEVERAL topcis. I live in Western Washington where we have mild summers and mild winers with "occasional" snow. I am looking to set up a backyard pen with only a couple hens. I really only want about a dozen eggs or less a week. SO here iare my questions!
#1 what breed should I be looking for? I really would like a high yeilding QUITE breed since I only have a 1/3 of an acre.
#2 Will two hens be enough to produce a dozen eggs a week?
#3 I have a 16x6 space I was looking at locating the hens in. Right now it is overgrown with weeds and blackberry bushes that need to be cleaned out. Does that would like enought room? It looked like enough to me from the plans I was previewing.

Anything else I need to know? We have two kids, a dog and cat. The hen house iwll be enclosed so only the cat, squirrls and maybe some bunnies will even be able to get close.
 
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If eggs are the only desired quality, go for a Leghorn variety. If *I* wanted lots of eggs and didn't want all the different breeds I have - because I like a colorful flock of all different breeds - I'd get a couple of Plymouth Rock - Barred, commonly called Barred Rocks. They're a very good heritage breed, they're very personable and lay very regularly and reliably.

Once Leghorns start laying, you'd get probably 6 eggs a week per chicken, so that's 12 eggs a week. Barred Rocks would be 5, maybe 6 a week apiece. Just understand things can set them off laying so there are times when you'd not get that many.

But I would get three chickens, not just two, if you're starting with chicks.

16x16 is enough space. The coop in that space needs to be no smaller than 3x4 (I'd go 4x4 because it's just an easier cut in plywood sheets). The "rule" is 4 square feet per chicken for coops, and 10 square feet per chicken for runs.

Welcome to chicken keeping!!!!
 
if you go to the breed index it will tell you about all the different breeds decide whether you want small or large eggs brown or white, and look specifically for breeds that bare confinement well. it even tells you the climate type. flighty birds like to free range. I dont know all the specifics about different breeds but I'm sure you will get plenty of feedback about peoples preference oh and also decide if you want to raise them or not while it has its benefits like they know you and such but waiting for them to earn their keep is hell.
 

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