Ever since I got my 17-week old pullets, I've wanted to get some chicks. I've even thought of trying to hatch some eggs. However, I want to be realistic - and don't want to get in over my head. In reading through many threads here, people joke around saying things like "If you already have 10, what's 10 more?" "A few more won't hurt." So my question: In ordering chicks, do you take into consideration that some might die - or there might be some roosters (when you can only have pullets) . . . How do you figure out realisitically how many chicks are plenty without being too much? Is ten more (or 20 more or 50 more) really not that big a deal? And if you DO get too many, how simple is it to sell the extras? How long do you have after getting the day old chicks before they're big enough to go to the coop & run?
Quote:Hey Carol, Chicken math is easy really. Just ignore the numbers and do what you can handle as far as up keep-their health-costs of feed-cleanliness of their space 10 birds is great-20 is harder to keep up with and so forth but for folks like us we don't care and do what we need to do for our addictions. I started with 4 -5 years ago- and have about 100 right now! I will be down to 50 by Oct/Nov . I hatch alot-keep very few for breeding-sell the rest through CL or give them away-or cull all extra roos I can't sell-I never cull a pullet she will remain here for a layer if I can't sell her. When ordering chicks and having them shipped to you-yes, the majority of the time you have DOA's count on that Also if you get straight run-count on at least 50% being roo's! ( not all the time but most) If you start with lets say 30 straight run chicks---15 will be roos so your left with 15 pullets? Then say you lose a few as they are growing from various health reasons or issues...You now have 12-13 pullets Going out to the coop will depend on weather-safety-space etc...I house all my chicks for 3-4 weeks even in Summer. At that age I make sure I have some serious hardwire and fencing small enough for them not to get out...be preparred to chase them down and hand carry them into coop everynight! haha the real lucky folks only have to do it for a few days until the babies get a clue as to do what they are supposed to do-others like me are still handing plucking birds off of my coop at 1 yrs old! No lie-I have a trio that will NOT coop up at night-they wait for me to pick them up and place them in coop! this has been going on for 4 months now?
