Newbie Question

[CP1]

Hi all,
I see that there seems to be alot of info out there and also alot of people willing to answer questions.. I am thinking about getting into chickens. I live in Butler County, PA.
My questions are as follows.
1.)How often to hens lay the eggs?
2.)Is this a daily thing?
3.)If I wanted 12 eggs a week, how many hens would I need?
4.)How much area do chickens require to be healthy?
5.)Does the coop need to be heated?
6.)How old does a chicken need to be to eat?
7.)Is it better to buy chicks, or adult hens (For my purposes I am thinking adult hens)
8.)I do realize that if I am planning on hatching any eggs that I will need a rooster....What is the gestation period of an egg?
9.)Can ANY chicken egg be a fertile egg?
10.)Can chickens make it through the winter or do they need to be taken into a heated facility?

I will say SORRY in advance to some of you who may be offended by the thought of me eating my chickens, but I plan on using them for both eggs and food.

Thanks in advance and pleasereply to [email protected] as I found this forum by accident and dont know if I will be able to find it again.

Thanks,
Chuck

 

[schmism]

almost all your questions can be ansered in the "chickens 101" info on the base website

https://www.backyardchickens.com/raising-chickens-basics.php

and the FAQ
https://www.backyardchickens.com/cgi-bin/faq/mojofaq.cgi

 

[equine chick]

Hi neighbor, I live in lawrence county. I'm only getting started with chickens as well, but had them as a kid in 4h and have been reading, preparing for the last 2 years. We just ordered 25 chicks for april arrival. A good book is storey's all about chickens. They have it at tsc in butler.

 

[V Chic Chick]

1.)How often to hens lay the eggs?
It depends a lot on the breed, but not more than one a day per hen. Chickens will stop laying during the moult, and some over the winter when the hours of daylight drop.

2.)Is this a daily thing?
See above.

3.)If I wanted 12 eggs a week, how many hens would I need?
It depends on the breed, but a minimum of three

4.)How much area do chickens require to be healthy?
Do you want big (standard) or little (bantam) hens? Bigger chickens need more space.

5.)Does the coop need to be heated?
Depends on where you live, but usually no.

6.)How old does a chicken need to be to eat?
Young chickens can be killed and eaten as 'poussin'. Cornish crosses, which grow like nothing else, can be eaten at 12 weeks, but for most you are talking 4 or 5 months.

7.)Is it better to buy chicks, or adult hens (For my purposes I am thinking adult hens)
Adult hens, because then you will know the gender and there is less equipment associated with hens.

8.)I do realize that if I am planning on hatching any eggs that I will need a rooster....What is the gestation period of an egg?
21 days

9.)Can ANY chicken egg be a fertile egg?
If the hen which laid it has been running with a rooster then yes. Eggs from a shop will not be fertile though.

10.)Can chickens make it through the winter or do they need to be taken into a heated facility?
Depends on where you live, but mostly no heating is required.

The web address of the forum is https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/index.php

I've forwarded the above to your email address