Hi all,
I'm a newbie here and currently in the preparation phase for starting my first chicken flock. I live in suburban Brisbane, Australia, where the council allows up to 6 backyard fowl but I want to leave room to add to the flock in a couple of years when our original girls start to slow down their laying (and am setting up the coop accordingly). I suspect that building up to 4 LF chickens (maybe with a bantam as well to make 5 total) over the next 12 months will be ideal for us, but don't want to start with four - I would like to start with 2 or 3 and see how they go with the dog / garden / etc. I will be purchasing them as pullets (heritage breeds - choosing breeds is a whole other dilemma!). So I am trying to figure out how many chickens to purchase initially.
Some sources / books recommend starting with a minimum 2 chickens and some recommend 3. Does anyone have any experience / opinions on this?
Also is it true that you cannot add just one chicken to a flock - that you must always add at least two at a time? (So if I wanted to end up with 4, starting with 3 wouldn't work)
Thanks in advance for your help!
Shanti
I'm a newbie here and currently in the preparation phase for starting my first chicken flock. I live in suburban Brisbane, Australia, where the council allows up to 6 backyard fowl but I want to leave room to add to the flock in a couple of years when our original girls start to slow down their laying (and am setting up the coop accordingly). I suspect that building up to 4 LF chickens (maybe with a bantam as well to make 5 total) over the next 12 months will be ideal for us, but don't want to start with four - I would like to start with 2 or 3 and see how they go with the dog / garden / etc. I will be purchasing them as pullets (heritage breeds - choosing breeds is a whole other dilemma!). So I am trying to figure out how many chickens to purchase initially.
Some sources / books recommend starting with a minimum 2 chickens and some recommend 3. Does anyone have any experience / opinions on this?
Also is it true that you cannot add just one chicken to a flock - that you must always add at least two at a time? (So if I wanted to end up with 4, starting with 3 wouldn't work)
Thanks in advance for your help!
Shanti