Newbie- A Couple Questions!

[chickenqueen2010]

Best of luck to you, as if you'll need luck! You'll fall in love just like the rest of us! I started last summer with 8 and 8 is just NOT enough! Planning to add at least 4-6 more this coming spring! The eggs are incredible and the different personalities of the "girls" is amazing to experience. Have fun!

 

[Kiwibird]

It partly depends on how you feel about the impact on the backyard. Six of a breed that dig a lot make a fairly large coop into a bit of a lunar landscape (and that's in summer - more of a mud-wrestling pit in prolonged wet weather I'm afraid). So I am cutting down to four efficient laying hens out the back, and I have pekins (bantam cochins) out the front. They dig up the lawn much less, but have a shorter laying season. So I actually have more than six hens just now, but only four of them were chosen for their talents as egg-laying machines. I may have to buy eggs when moulting and things are going on, but I will still have heaps to give away in spring.

 

[Carpe DiHen]

I'm getting my first six April 12th! Six sounds good to me

 

[just one of the peeps]

We are a family of 3 and have just 2 rhode island red girls but I plan on trying to get a black copper maran as well (just 'cuz I want one) which will bring us to 3. We regularly get 2 eggs a day with each hen taking a day off a week, on which day i will just get 1 egg. I don't do a ton of baking and we are not eating eggs every day, but there is no shortage of friends asking for a few fresh eggs. I would think a family of 4 would do well with 4-5 birds if you are eating and baking with eggs regularly.
My 2 girls do a fair amount of ground damage in their run. So as mentioned earlier, if land size is an issue for you, that should be taken into consideration. Upkeep is daily and the more birds you have the more feed you will go through and the length of time between coop cleanings will decrease. It has been a great experience for us so far... but take on only what you feel you are ready to commit to. you can always add on to your flock later.

 

[wildorchid053]

i love my red star.. i have 4 and they are the sweetest things.. mine started to lay before the others and they lay all winter too.. 4 a day in the summer and 3 in the winter.. you will love them. and even with 6 hens you will probably only get 4-6 eggs a day if your lucky..have fun and build a bigger coop than you think you need because i guarentee you will be getting more next spring!