Much depends how much chicken and eggs you will eat, and how much space you have. Neither of which you mention. SO here's some random musings, based on generalities - good stuff to know.
- There is no set number you can allot them, no fixed value that applies across the board. Chickens don't stop at your convenience - they grow and lay eggs without you.
Meanwhile you have to tend them, feed them, protect them and so on, full time. Whether you feel like eggs or not, whether chicken is on the menu or not. Their demand for your efforts is insatiable, part of the responsibility you face as a livestock or pet owner.
- Feed efficiencies drop off quickly when you are feeding them and not availing yourself of their benefits. Striking a balance is your goal.
- 25 has been a standard number for decades because that has been the minimum that hatcheries will ship with any assurance of live delivery. That has changed and some will ship fewer than that, but you pay a premium for the smaller order. If you have a local source then this doesnt apply as much, but it isnt a bad idea, though, since:
A. You are new at this
B. There will be losses
- Provided you have the space, it is as easy to care for 25 as it is to care for 10, if you set up right in the first place.
- You will hear 4 sq ft/bird of floor space as coop size and everything from 5-500 sq ft/bird as outdoor space allotment. The first value is acceptable and can be reduced, even, if they will be outside during the day as they should be. The coop is for roosting and laying.
- Outside is a different story. They will scratch and poop their living space into a mucky, funky moonscape in a short time if they dont have proper outdoor management. This will be heightened in LA, due to the humidity and heat. Most people simply cram far too many birds into far too little space, mostly because that is how it has always been done.
The day you go the opposite way is the day your whole outlook will change concerning chickens. I suggest you quadruple the space that you imagine for them, add 10% and use a paddock rotation plan for their outside spaces.
- I would suggest a dual purpose breed, like the Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island Red, Wyandotte, Orpington or Australorp.
They lay well... eggs are seasonal. You can expect an egg every two days per bird at peak. More if you do a good job of it. With 25 birds that's 12 eggs/day, roughly. Times 7 (no "workweek" in the chicken coop) = 7 dozen eggs per week.
The season dwindles in summer and fall and will usually come close to halting in winter. This can be extended with flock rotation and coop lighting, if you wish. The hens molt for a month somewhere along the line, too, at which time they don't lay. But you get the point, I'm sure. What you can't eat, you can sell or even give away (but, there goes your efficiencies again - darn!)
They eat well... These have been standards for the dining table, too, for a long time. The Plymouth Rock was once a preferred table bird in this country, and drew a premium at market. Ditto the Wyandotte. White and Buff varieites of these give a pale cream to butter yellow skin with light pin feathers, making the prepared carcass more appealing to some. Australorps are black feathered/shanked and so this doesnt apply to them.
These have all been popular for decades with good reason. They have no 'frilly' qualities, but rather are solid and reliable.
My advice? 15-25 seems a good balance.
