Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[chickenlindz]

Oh goodness MC what a hard choice! I think I'd keep the younger ones and if you do you'll have 12ish. I'm partial to BCM so I'd keep that Roo!!

Welcome back Sally!!! If you're at post 7000ish you might not have net me yet!!!

Gilcamp- I take great joy in telling my niece and nephew where their food comes from!!! Mostly to annoy my sister. The only one that freaked my niece out was the lamb!!! You seem to be a very caring Gma!!! I need to take lessons!!!lol

 

[gilcamp4]

Oh goodness MC what a hard choice! I think I'd keep the younger ones and if you do you'll have 12ish. I'm partial to BCM so I'd keep that Roo!!

Welcome back Sally!!! If you're at post 7000ish you might not have net me yet!!!

Gilcamp- I take great joy in telling my niece and nephew where their food comes from!!! Mostly to annoy my sister. The only one that freaked my niece out was the lamb!!! You seem to be a very caring Gma!!! I need to take lessons!!!lol

i have had years to get this way, lol 4 children 10 grand children and 13 greatgrand children, if i don't know what to do by now i might aswell give up on raiseing kids, lmdo

 

[BullChick]

Too hard to pick, just keep them all!

You are not helping!

DH says I can keep them all, but I am the one that has to get the bills paid. A turkey eats a pound of feed/day when full grown. That means for every turkey I keep, I want to sell 4 chickes. Of course, I am down four chickens already. Hmm....

Oh goodness MC what a hard choice! I think I'd keep the younger ones and if you do you'll have 12ish. I'm partial to BCM so I'd keep that Roo!!
I am leaning toward the BCM rooster, but I must say that I don't like the GLW. 2 of them are egg eaters. Not constant, but they are the ones in the box when I find eaten eggs. And I like my BR and a Golden Buff, and ...

Gilcamp- I take great joy in telling my niece and nephew where their food comes from!!! Mostly to annoy my sister. The only one that freaked my niece out was the lamb!!! You seem to be a very caring Gma!!! I need to take lessons!!!lol

 

[Scrambles55]

I need you guys to pick 12 to 14 chickens you would keep in your flock. First group is the "2" this year group. The second group is last year's hatches (April to June 18th). Ready?

Roosters
BCM
Black Ameraucana (real to my knowledge)
Hens
Barred Rock (2)
Partridge Rock (2)
Rhode Island Red (2)
Golden Buff (2)
Black Copper Marans (2)
Splash EE (PSYCHO!!) (1)
Black Jersey Giant (2)

Leghorn (4)
Gold Laced Wyandotte (4)
White Marans (1 daughter of the BCMs)
BCM (1 daughter)
Barn yard mix (1) She is a RIR/PR that looks like a BCM without feathered legs.

I want to keep almost all of them!

So, I do need help. I am keeping 12ish hens and a rooster. 12ish is 12 with the possibility of one or two more.

I would keep the Black Am roo
2 Barred Rock
2 RIR
2 Golden Buff
2 Black copper marans
2 Blk Jersy Giant
2 Golden Wyandotte
White Marans
Barnyard mix.
That's 15... I think... I wish I had room for 15, but I only have 1/2 acre. Let us know what you decide, but I really want a Black Copper Maran. Love the dark eggs!!

 

[Scrambles55]

TWO.......................................................................

 

[BullChick]

If I do this right, I may not need to spend time at the bird swap! I need to find the person that wanted my 4 GLW, but never sent me a PM, and I lost them.
Someone nearby just asked for my Am rooster, and maybe the EE hen.
The guy that is running the swap wants my Leghorns. I said I was bringing 2, but he would probably take all 4 if I wanted to sell them all. The swap is $10 to sell anything. $15 to get a yearly membership, and that means all swaps are free to sell at, and I get a book of every member with contact info and (gulp!) a list of all of their birds. Enabler porn!
If I am just selling to him, I don't think he will make me pay the $$.
Well, let me see how the other customers go. I can handle cutting back only 8-10. As I said, I have sold a few others.

 

[MrsLorisChicks]

Omg I absolutely love reading everyone's posts!! I got 2 today from Ninja and Lacy so that was awesome although they lay between 2-4 hrs apart and of course I don't wait until the eve to gather so that means 2 trips to the boxes for me !! How do I wait for the 8-10 weekers to start laying??? Ugh!!!

 

[BullChick]

Sit on your hands, or buy some hens that are already laying.

Not that I did that.
When OK began this thread, I was not even expecting any eggs from my pullets for another month or so. I was laughing at OK, and thought, "I hope I am not like that in two months!" I went out to see the flock, and discovered that my first pullet had laid an egg. 16 weeks to the day. Then I laughed at OK really hard!

 

[MrsLorisChicks]

maybe that's an idea! Tell DH that we are eating more than Lacy and Ninja can give and it will take probably 2 months for the other girls to start laying... Only makes sense right?? Lol ...

 

[Wishing4Wings]

I need you guys to pick 12 to 14 chickens you would keep in your flock. First group is the "2" this year group. The second group is last year's hatches (April to June 18th). Ready?

Roosters
BCM
Black Ameraucana (real to my knowledge)
Hens
Barred Rock (2)
Partridge Rock (2)
Rhode Island Red (2)
Golden Buff (2)
Black Copper Marans (2)
Splash EE (PSYCHO!!) (1)
Black Jersey Giant (2)

Leghorn (4)
Gold Laced Wyandotte (4)
White Marans (1 daughter of the BCMs)
BCM (1 daughter)
Barn yard mix (1) She is a RIR/PR that looks like a BCM without feathered legs.

I want to keep almost all of them!

So, I do need help. I am keeping 12ish hens and a rooster. 12ish is 12 with the possibility of one or two more.

Wow! So many decisions. Do you have an end goal for your flock? If you want egg layers, I'd keep the youngsters because they might lay longer. (Although if you're selling, you might get a bit more for them.) First, I'd eliminate any that cause trouble in the flock (eating eggs, unnecessarily aggressive). Then I'd pick for egg quantity, quality and color. If you have hatchery birds in the older set, this may be their last good laying season. My Leghorn and BO are burned out, no more eggs but they still eat. How about broodies? Finally, you have to consider which ones you are more attached to. Which ones do you enjoy the most? As for the rooster, which one can you turn your back on without a second thought? Which one doesn't tear up the hens? Which one has a more melodious crow?

I'd be tempted to keep any heritage/breeder quality and the crosses (EE too?) and the Marans, Rocks, JGs...
Well, good luck MC!