Poll: How many chickens do you have?

[LabsandChickens]

I currently have 23. 3 boys, and 20 girls. I'm getting 40 more in the spring.
Not sure how many meat birds go through in a year. We raised ten last year, but this year we will likely just butcher cockerels for meat. Maybe a few more CX.

I am wanting to learn to do meat birds including learning to kill without losing my soul. Ug. I hate killing an animal. Hoping for encouragement and learning about this! Food independence is going to become very important very soon.

 

[LabsandChickens]

No, I'm getting sexed girls, and 3 or 4 boys. 20 buff Orpington's, and 20 barred rocks. The boys will be buff Orpington's.

Do you find the Buff roosters to be more gentle? Ive had to cull a few extremely dangerous roosters including a Wyndotte who killed my favorite girl while mounting her repeatedly. My Pete is getting old - probably 8 and going blind. He's a good rooster. I need to start thinking of another boy to help around here.

 

[HappyDuckie]

Do you find the Buff roosters to be more gentle? Ive had to cull a few extremely dangerous roosters including a Wyndotte who killed my favorite girl while mounting her repeatedly. My Pete is getting old - probably 8 and going blind. He's a good rooster. I need to start thinking of another boy to help around here.

I’m not sure, never had a buff Orpington rooster. I’ve found my old English game bantam rooster to be my nicest, both to people and his girls.

 

[HappyDuckie]

I am wanting to learn to do meat birds including learning to kill without losing my soul. Ug. I hate killing an animal. Hoping for encouragement and learning about this! Food independence is going to become very important very soon.

I’ve only ever butchered my excess cockerels. It’s easy, if not pleasing, to me since they had been abusing my girls and picking on my favorite rooster.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

What kinds are your "incubators? (Please don't say silkie or cochin. LOL)

Standard Pheonixes

 

[LizzzyJo]

Standard Pheonixes

Beautiful chickens!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Beautiful chickens!

Also great free rangers. I've lost 2 in 5 or so yeara, and one was a cockerel that had something mentally wrong so I'm surprised he lived as long as he had

 

[Littledott09]

I have 5 but only 3 lay and we have 3 ducks too

 

[LizzzyJo]

I am wanting to learn to do meat birds including learning to kill without losing my soul. Ug. I hate killing an animal. Hoping for encouragement and learning about this! Food independence is going to become very important very soon.

I am in the same boat. I haven't done meat birds (we only cull & eat unwanted roos). It's one thing to cull what actively spends its day trying to cull you - it's an entirely different emotion to kill a meat bird. This is in my homestead plans, but I have not pulled the trigger (pun intended).

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Currently have 15; 11 laying pullets/hens, 1 cockerel and 3 pullet chicks. Rethinking my flock, though I love them all. Looking to get more english orpingtons this year.