Ok to many chickens....

[Jesusfreak101]

Chicken math has a mind of its own.... Any ways here my flock size that i need to lessen
White leghorns 2 (1year old)
Delewares 2 (1year old)
Rhode island reds 3( 1year old)
Golden sexlinks(comets) 2 (1year old)
Barred rock plymouths 4(1year old)
Easter eggers 2 (1 year old)
Silver laced wyandottes 2(1year old)
Buff op. 2(1year old)
Brown leghorns 3(3 months old)
Golden laced wyandottes 2(3months)
New jersey giant 1 (3months)
New hampshire reds2 (3months old)
Bantams 6 (1month old)
DUCKS
Rouen 2(3 month olds)
Perkins 3 (1 month olds)
Cambell 1 (1 month old$


Now the ducks the perkins are going to be culled once they are big enough for meat. The cambell and the rouens will be left. On the chicken note all my layers are doing great so i dont really want to cull them but i might i suppose in october for the hens i dont care for like the buff they tend to be agressive when they are in a nesting box (3year old some times opens nest when they but the snot out of me i am not wanting to see what happens to her), that and the biggist hen a rhode island red who has bitten my husband and myself when she either rooster or got locked out of the coop and we try to help her in

. But thats only six birds, now the bantams from what i read arent great layers so even through i really like them maybe i should get rid of them....i have two white/lavander chicks, one frizzled, one silky, and two unknown. At the same time i love the fact they are different but if the dont lay well and arent good meat birds the ideal of this wasnt for pets but for providing food so there goes six so i could keep the rhode she not as bad as the buffs she will squat to lucy unlike the buffs. So thats 11 birds that brings me down to 30 which is the most i want at a time so i can have a few turkeys (for dinner). But the problems is that i would be culling the yougest of the yearlings mmmm. My husband says as long as i dont go over fourty he doesnt care but the egg sales arent enough for that many birds so some have to go. I need the amount profit to equal the feed bill and my fridge cant handle that many eggs until they get sold so yeah. If this was your flock what would you do?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Sorry, I'm no help, I have more than you and I keep most of mine until the end. My advice is keep what you like, or keep what's productive depending on what's important to you.

 

[Jesusfreak101]

Lol thanks lol yeah i texted a friend of mine who just is starting to get chickens and she went wild she took ten four laying hens the barred rocks 3 new hampshire reds and 3 of the bantams so i am at a good number now lol lucy pitched the biggest fit poor thing didnt understand why we got rid of 10 of the chickens.

 

[Jesusfreak101]

I feel better through now they have alot more room in the coop

 

[Mrs. K]

Getting your numbers down is the easiest way to reduce the feed bill.

 

[DanEP]

I do the same thing you do try to sell enough eggs to pay for feed. I had 45 layers and was breaking even on the feed, and then I messed up my back and had to have surgery so I couldn't care for that many birds. I dropped down to 13 birds and found that I still can sell enough to pay for feed. If paying for feed is your goal almost any number of girls should work out as long as they are decent layers. I'm raising a few more now but probably won't ever go over 20-25 birds again. I just keep a variety of birds for the different color eggs.20 birds are not bad to take care of but still give me plenty of eggs more than that is hard on the back carrying food and water. I always had a few slw around for eye candy in the yard but they are terrible layers and aren't practical so they went. You will just have to decide what your goals are.

 

[Jesusfreak101]

My only problem is finding customers we live 45 minutes out of town and no one wants to drive that far. I have few customers but not enough for the 18/19 i had laying to keep up with the eggs i was getting at one point i had 22 dozen in my fridge and hardly any room for our food.

 

[Mini Meat]

My only problem is finding customers we live 45 minutes out of town and no one wants to drive that far. I have few customers but not enough for the 18/19 i had laying to keep up with the eggs i was getting at one point i had 22 dozen in my fridge and hardly any room for our food.

You can fed some of those eggs back to the flock. That will help with costs a bit.
Also what about setting up a regularly scheduled meet up in town with your customers?

 

[Jesusfreak101]

I dont go in to san antonio but i tried to meet closer and i havent had any bites. I have a three from ny husbands work and two from church that but eggs and i also give some to the rest of my family

. I been getting about 15-16 a day so even when they take four dozen each i still cant get rid of them i took 12 dozen to my family, had a custormer who came buy and got four dozen and i still have 12 dozen in the fridge.