Self sustaining

[centrarchid]

If you have six hens and a rooster, and you want to harvest 120 chickens a year, that means you need to hatch 120 chicks a year. A few will go into the flock each year and a few older hens will be harvested each year to keep the flock productive.

You are going to need a couple of broody hens to hatch out 120 chicks a year.

So I would say six egg layers, two broody hens, one rooster, and you will hatch out 30 chicks every three months.

Here is what I would do: six Rhode Island Red hens as layers, two Buff Orpingtons as brooders, and a RIR rooster.

I have to consider losses during incubation and rearing processes in addition to culling of adults as productivity declines. Depending upon rearing system and its effeciency, you will always have to start out with more birds than actually needed to increase odds enough will reach usable age / size. If 120 chickens sought, then 180 would be start. Some "over-capacity" on the hens for hatching eggs also warranted when such eggs desired outside peak egg production season to ensure a more continous supply of birds for harvest.

 

[galanie]

 
I understand. [COLOR=B22222]The grocery stores and most restaurants sell chicken that is full of hormones[/COLOR] and who knows what else.

I understand that most chickens don't require medications. Maybe some of the chicken experts can tell me if this is true or not.

So you are raising chickens that do not lay eggs well, do not get very big, and do not go broody? I can see why these chickens are sold so cheaply. But at that price you can get some pretty cheap meat.

Have you thought about buying a few broody hens that will hatch out some chicks for you?

Are you sure about that?  No hormones have been allowed in chickens for decades.  I'm no big fan of the industry, but let's be factual.

That old belief will never die. Along with the one that the Post Office runs off tax money (it hasn't since 1973).

It is true that they give them antibiotics, but certainly no hormones.

 

[galanie]

I have to consider losses during incubation and rearing processes in addition to culling of adults as productivity declines.  Depending upon rearing system and its effeciency, you will always have to start out with more birds than actually needed to increase odds enough will reach usable age / size.  If 120 chickens sought, then 180 would be start.  Some "over-capacity" on the hens for hatching eggs also warranted when such eggs desired outside peak egg production season to ensure a more continous supply of birds for harvest.

In other words, if you want 120 chickens you better hatch 180 eggs just to be sure. Good point!

 

[Bullitt]

I was not aware that hormones were stopped in chickens. But the commercial poultry producers still pump chickens with things like antibiotics, and when they process them the chickens are pumped with chemical preservatives and salt.

I suppose 180 chicks would need to be hatched in order to ensure that 120 chickens reached maturity. In that case, I think more than two broody hens would be needed.

 

[centrarchid]

My 180 startup is based on my hatching, disease, predator and culling system. I cull some very early because they will not make even when they survive to harvest age. Often runts show cards pretty early and they are simply the same as rats in feed barrel.

Still always have some over capacity built in as it can also be insurance against predator or weather related losses.

 

[FarmTillURdead]

180 chickens is impressive - no matter how you do it!

I'd never be able to get back up to the house!
Thanks for your thoughts and discussions. It has opened my eyes to a few new things. It does seem like a waste of time hand processing small or skinny birds and I really LOVE stuffing chicken breasts with goat cheese and spinach from my garden - and I have never been able to do it!
I had a few Orps once and the egg size was phenominal! Maybe I will quit making myself suffer and get some good hatchery birds and go for the future generations being good and clean. I'm going to need a heck of an incubator!
I'm looking forward to this year - the cicadas are suppose to be back! FREE FOOD!!!

 

[Bullitt]

It sure would be easier to have the pullets shipped to you.

If you raise some Buff Orpingtons, you will have some living incubators. Some say that Buff Orpingtons make some of the best mothers also.

I see in your future bigger chickens that lay lots of eggs and hatch out chicks on their own. I look forward to seeing updates on this.

 

[galanie]

180 chickens is impressive - no matter how you do it! 
I'd never be able to get back up to the house!
Thanks for your thoughts and discussions. It has opened my eyes to a few new things. It does seem like a waste of time hand processing small or skinny birds and I really LOVE stuffing chicken breasts with goat cheese and spinach from my garden - and I have never been able to do it!
I had a few Orps once and the egg size was phenominal! Maybe I will quit making myself suffer and get some good hatchery birds and go for the future generations being good and clean. I'm going to need a heck of an incubator!
I'm looking forward to this year - the cicadas are suppose to be back! FREE FOOD!!!

You are so making me drool with the goat cheese stuffing. I can't say all my Orps have phenomenal egg size but none lay under a Large. Are the cicadas really supposed to be good this year?? YES!!!

PS - some say their hatchery orps never go broody but mine do, too much! My breeder orp is a horrible broody but my hatchery ones are great. Like you keep hearing though, it's individual and yours might not be.

 

[centrarchid]

The difficulty of such an operation can be reduced by breaking up production season total production into cohorts / age groups. With incubator reared which repressents the majority, I set batches of eggs at 28-day intervals with four batches repressenting roughly 50 birds each at time of hatch. This reduces incubator and brooder size requirements (cost of their prolonged operation). Biggest advantage is that it enables staggered harvest and reduces grazing pressure at any given time on pasture. By time last cohort is ready to leave incubator, the first cohort is ready to harvest at about 20 weeks of age. Everything is times so last cohort is harvest in late October before pasture forages crash. This system also requires fewer broodstock which helps control feed bill during winter months when forage is least capable of supplementing feed used for maintenance rather than production during winter. For me the pasture is more than a place for birds to excersize, it provides a lot of food. That food is dominated by vegetative plant materials. The insect component is considered insignificant.

This system will with time cause parasite management issues can be addressed albeit slowly through selective breeding and pasture management.

 

[Bullitt]

centrarchid, it seems you have it down to a science. It makes a lot of sense to rotate so you do not have all the chicks hatching at once and then destroying your pasture. It also makes sense to take a break in the winter when there is less food available.

Is it easier to hatch chicks with an incubator? It seems that some broody hens would hatch chicks and do most of the work of raising them.

How many chicks do you hatch a year?