Start small or go straight to 12

[ShannonBe]

I am getting everything prepped for chicks for 2026. My end goal is 10-12 hens to supply eggs for my , my mother, and my father's house. I have a 8x10ft henhouse ordered and a 10x30ft run.
My question is if I should start small with 6 chicks the first year and add 6 in 2027 or go straight to 12? The idea of jumping straight into 10-12 is intimidating, however, it will still be the same care steps just on a larger scale. Also, would all 12 at one be less stressful on the hens than getting 6 then introducing 6 new girls in 2027?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hi, welcome to the forum! Glad you joined!

Chickens go through a certain laying cycle. They lay really well their first laying season. Then they molt and skip laying for a few months, then start up laying again. They typically lay really well their second laying season, but then they molt again. After this second molt egg laying drops off. It drops off more after each following laying season so once they get a few years old they do not lay that many eggs. After the first few years of the laying really well are you OK with keeping and feeding a bunch of hens for very few eggs?

The way I get around this is to add new pullets every year. It takes a few years to get the system set up but I add pullets every year, I keep a certain number of hens after their first year, and I eat my oldest group after they stop laying after they start their second molt so I get a constant turnover of chickens.

Do you plan on keeping your older hens once they really slow down on laying? Or will you sell or eat the older ones and bring in new ones?

Sometimes hens can be behavioral problems. You can find a lot of stories on this forum about bullies. Or some can have medical or physical issues. Or not lay well. If it were me I'd start out with 12 the first year and determine how many of them I want to keep for their second year. Others do it differently.

We all have different goals and different standards. We have to find out what works best for us as an individual, often by trial and error. My goals and standards are different from yours. So good luck on determining what works best for you. And again,

 

[Penpal]

If you start with six, then add six more two years later, you will extend the better laying time that Ridgerunner mentioned.

Also, with six you can see how well six do in the amount of space you give them before adding six more. You may also decide that you want a different breed for some reason. Birds like Rhode Island Red do not do well in confinement, but White Leghorns do. You should consider confinement when choosing your breeds.

 

[ShannonBe]

Hi, welcome to the forum! Glad you joined!

Chickens go through a certain laying cycle. They lay really well their first laying season. Then they molt and skip laying for a few months, then start up laying again. They typically lay really well their second laying season, but then they molt again. After this milt egg laying drops off. It drops off more after each following laying season so once they get a few years old they do not lay that many eggs. After the first few years of the laying really well are you OK with keeping and feedign a bunch of hens for very few eggs?

I spent nearly every weekend of my childhood on farm with quail and cattle. While I'm not opposed to processing an unpleasant hen it's my intention to let them live happily though their retirement as pets.

 

[DemeterAD9]

There is no real difference in work between raising a handful vs a dozen chicks at once. I’ve found it far easier to raise all the chicks I want for the year at one time rather than doing it in batches. Same deal for taking care of a flock, no real difference in taking care of a few or a dozen other than feed cost and coop cleanup.

The only real advantage of splitting the grand total of the flock to be raised in 2 years is you’ll have fresh layers the second year. I like to have fresh layers, cycling through the older girls and replacing them with either new breeds or their own chicks after they are a few years old.

As for integrating two separate batches of birds, it’s easy enough if done properly. I have a sectioned off area I can keep the new chicks in where they can all see each other. It takes a couple weeks before I am comfortable letting them mingle on their own and by then I allow them to free range which makes it all the more easier. But if you raise a group in one go that means you won’t have to worry about it later.