New to raising chickens

[anthonyjames]

I just purchased chickens for egss. They will arrive next week and only be 3 days old.

My question is if chickens don't start laying until 6 months and then lay for about a summer/fall after that are they good to eat? Do you use them as Fryers or are they any good at all for food?

I would like to rotate birds yearly after I get this batch going but I don't have a very large yard. Only about an acre for them to roam and a coop that is large enough for about 15 chickens. I am starting with 10.

Any advice would be great.

 

[brandywine]

Retired layers are stewing hens. Too tough to fry. Delicious with dumplings.

But you should get two good years of laying out of a well-kept flock. They won't lay as well as they did for the first six months or so, but well enough.

 

[anthonyjames]

Good to know. Seeing as mine will start in December and it is the slow laying time I figured I would get eggs daily from Spring / Fall next year.

I got 4 Easter Eggers
2 Austrolaps
2 Star
2 Plymouth Barreds