Official BYC Poll: How Do You Expand Your Egg Laying Flock?

[PopoMyers]

I just saw your post.
I have two coops and keep two Flocks. I get new chicks every 2 years on average or sooner if needed.
I've had 5 Golden Comets, first flock, then I got a second coop and 7 Barred Rocks.
My third batch of chicks, I got 5 ISA Browns.
My newest pullets are 4 Rhode Island Reds and 4 Barred Rocks.
The Golden Comets and ISA Browns are Red sex-links and lay excellent, but can have egg laying problems. I wouldn't recommend if you get attached to chickens.
The Barred Rocks lay daily their first year and my 2 oldest at 33 months laid 9 eggs weekly between them on average.
That's why I got 4 more.
The Rhode Island Reds haven't laid yet, but are known to be a Non-Broody breed and excellent layers.
They are the least people friendly breed I've had so far. The Barred Rocks are the friendliest I've ever had.View attachment 2783945View attachment 2783946
My newest flock will be 12 weeks old tomorrow. GC

I have 4 ISA browns, 2 Golden Comets, 3 Welsummers, 1 Black sex link and 1 barnyard mix (Maran x Cream leg bar)

 

[Show Sebright]

Although I don’t keep my rescues that I find (when my grandma texts me that there is a chicken in her backyard and no one wants it) I don’t keep, they are a way that I can add chickens. I had a hen raise chicks and then try to kill them so that didn’t work out.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

My new chicks arrived Friday! We got
6 EE pullets
4 Dominique pullets
6 Dominique cockerels

I meant to order 6 BO cockerels but I messed up. But it's okay, "they'll eat'" as my late MIL used to say. I'm sure they will make lovely soups and dumplings!

 

[bgmathteach]

Incubating is an addiction. I am at full capacity for my setup. I have 14 chicks still left to sell. I would love to set a new batch right now. I had to make myself stop until I can take my family on vacation and complete my 2021 chicken expansion. I used to think it was crazy to see people on here with multiple incubators. I now have 2!

How do you get customers to sell your chicks to? Advertise online? at local feed stores? Any suggestions for me to get started in this?

I have gotten heritage breed BR, and plan on breeding (3 groups started so will have genetic diversity) Also am planning on breeding (creating?) my own variety of meat birds...but that will take a few years of mating/selection to get to a decent 12-15 week meat bird similar to a freedom ranger...I'm only on 1st gen. of offspring right now.

 

[bgmathteach]

My new chicks arrived Friday! We got
6 EE pullets
4 Dominique pullets
6 Dominique cockerels

I meant to order 6 BO cockerels but I messed up. But it's okay, "they'll eat'" as my late MIL used to say. I'm sure they will make lovely soups and dumplings!

Dominiques should be decent size/weight...not a bad mess up!

 

[bgmathteach]

I only buy sexed chicks. I have 2 small coops, capacity is 6 and 7. So I can have a total of 13, but never had more than 10. Currently I have 7 hens, four 12 months old and three 32 months old.
I got them for the eggs, but also enjoy having them. View attachment 2657947View attachment 2657948
I replace the older hens as needed. GC

I initially got chickens just for eggs, too, 5 short years ago (8, 7 hens and a Roo), but they kinda stole my heart and it meant chicken math got the best of me. Now have a little over 100 chickens & ducks, counting this year's hatch. (will be down to 65-70 ish when extra roos/drakes and older hens are processed.)

They are so fun to watch...and they are wayyyy smarter than I ever thought they would be!

 

[InterestingChickens]

Anyway that means that I can have more chickens. I think we're at our max though.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Dominiques should be decent size/weight...not a bad mess up!

Thanks, bg! That's good to know. BTW, let me take this opportunity to thank you for what you do. I feel our teachers are vastly overworked, underpaid and underappreciated. So - THANK YOU! Math was my toughest subject (I may be mathlexic, lol, but I could spell anything), so kudos to the brave men and women like you who deal with students like me! I did eventually come to believe that 7+6=13, no matter what day of the week it is!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Incubating, brooding and bought chicks. A lot of times the brooded chicks kinda blend in and then suddenly it's like "oh, I guess you're here."

 

[3KillerBs]

How do you get customers to sell your chicks to? Advertise online? at local feed stores? Any suggestions for me to get started in this?

This article is terrific: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-to-post-on-craigslist.76257/