Starting a flock

[emalin]

Total newbie question: is it best to start a flock with babies or to get a few docile adult hens to show the chicks the ropes? I've been hesitant about getting adults because a friend had her flock wiped out after getting several rescue chickens. Thanks!

 

[Mrs. K]

It is a long 5-7 months waiting for eggs if you start with chicks. And chicks are fragile, it is not uncommon for some to die. There will be people on this website that will say they have never lost a new chick, but plenty have, me included. However, With a box, a heat lamp, a chick feeder and waterer, you are pretty much set up, and they will grow. If you are raising the chicks you will need a heat source of a couple of weeks.

Another question you need to look at, is what kind of set up do you have for when the birds are full grown. One does want to make sure that it is predator proof, and usually people, (me included) find out the hard way, that it is not quite as predator proof as one thought.

If I could find someone with even a bit older hens, that is where I would start. Then each year, add chicks..... that is called chicken math, and you will think you are immune, until..... spring comes, and there are chicks.

Older hens, unless in a rescue situation, or obviously sick with runny noses, or lice or mites,...... DON't take anything that does not look healthy..... if you think it looks unhealthy, it probably is.... but anyway, older hens are a bit more sturdy to start out with, and you get eggs right away which is always fun. However, if you start with chicks, it is fun too.

Either way will work, it is a fun hobby, but we all have had a wreck or two, it is not fool proof. And as Ridgerunner often mentions, they are living animals, and there is no 100% answer. I have learned a lot here on this website, and some trial and error.

Mrs K

 

[Shalom Farm]

Here is how I size things up. I started with hens, already in lay and getting right into the fun of it and grew from there.

Benefits of Hens:
- Old enough to lay
- Knowledge of health and history
- Less likely to have medical emergencies than chicks
- Have distinct personalities already and you can select for which you prefer
- Idea of laying ability
- Select for a colorful flock
- Insurance against having a cock sneak in
- In established flocks the pecking order is set
- Less complicated care and allows the beginner keeper all the joys of chickens right away without wait or potential heartbreak

Cons of Hens:
- Older than pullets and so if you care only for production, their productive lives are already partially spent
- Aging is tricky and you have to trust the person you are buying from is telling the truth
- Because of the move, they will stop laying for a bit while they settle
- Breaking up or taking only part of an established flock can cause some upset in the social dynamics
- No ability to hand rear and develop people friendliness, so be very choosy of which birds you purchase
- More expensive. $10-50 each depending on the breed. More if it is a Show Quality (SQ) Bird.
- Can bring illness into existing flocks or spread illness by change of location


Benefits of Pullets:
- Close to laying, so the move doesn't upset their cycle as much as a hen
- Cheaper than hens, generally...
- Chance of having an accidental cock/cockerel is low
- You can choose based on looks, color, and size as they are pretty much "done" with "drastic" changes in looks
- Health is pretty stable at this point, young, should have good vigor
- Allows a little bonding time
- Longest productive life with you
- Easier to age because they haven't laid yet

Cons of Pullets:
-Some personalities are set by then
- It is possible for a cockerel to slip in
- Pullets can have health concerns when they start to lay
- Pullets are very in-demand and can be hard to find during certain times of the year
- Unknown productivity, sometimes you just get saddled with some "lemons".
- Some breeds take longer than others to mature, so if you're choosing a "slower" breed then they will be eating for free for a while
- Can bring illness into existing flocks or spread illness by change of location

Benefits of Chicks:
- Cheap, depending on what you want. from as little as $.50 to $10 for SQ rare chicks
- They are adorable (come on, that's always a plus)
- They allow you to "train" your chicks to be use to routine handling
- Some hatcheries can sex them, which is great if you want all pullets
- Very hard to bring in illness from a hatchery or well managed breeder chick
- Give you loads of experience, along with some hard lessons

Cons of Chicks:
- Fragile and die easily
- While risk is lower, can still carry illness and will easily die in comparison to a healthy pullet/hen
- Most offer a 90% sexing guarantee, which means you might here a Cock-a-doodle-do one day
- Require a lot of care
- Require additional housing needs and electric needs.
- Can come with an array of health concerns like curled toes, pasty butt, cross beak, etc.
- Some breeds from hatcheries are sold under "false" names. For example, some hatcheries are selling "RIR Pullets", when they are really PR pullets with no RIR traits. "Americanas" fall under this as well, even some people being sold Buckeyes when they are really a darker ISA or PR.
- If you want to show, its a mixed bag. You might have a winner, they might all be fluffy fails. By the time you get a winner, it may have been worth investing in an adult bird
- Unknown point of lay or quality of laying, most do fine but for mutts this is a little more debatable
- Noisy in large numbers
- Can still bring in illness, regardless of origin


Benefits of Hatching Eggs:
- "Virtually" illness free (with communicable illness*)
- Can get some great strains of chicks not available locally
- You can manage and raise them how you like
- All the pro's of chicks with a touch extra work
- Cheap

Cons of Hatching Eggs:
- "Virtually" illness free with communicable illness is starred off because contamination of the egg can still occur.
- Can still be born with defects
- The parent flock could be poorly fed or not getting enough vitamins/minerals which results in you having some very sick chicks or no chicks at all
- Fragile!
- Require broody hen or incubator
- Require attention and turning if not using a hen
- You will get a ton of cockerels, just assume that and have a plan for it. If you don't, thank the heavens, but expect at least half to be male.
- Can require more know-how if emergencies pop up such as shrink-wrapping,
- 2 dozen failed egg hatches can equal or exceed the price of started pullets. 50% hatch rate is a "good" rate on eggs shipped.
- Fertility is never 100% at all times, so you must plan for the unfertile egg here and there.

Benefits of the Older Hen:
- Lets not forget about these heroes! They know the ropes and are savy in free range situations
- A friendly older hen can give you hours of enjoyment
- Good if you don't need dozens of eggs
- Many older hens can be used as broodies and make great mothers
- They are good "teachers" to younger pullets
- They can display longevity genes. For example, I have an 8 year old healthy hen giving 3-4 eggs a week. That is a good hen to breed for production!
- Have had a lifetime of handling and tend to know the drill when it comes to being picked up.

Cons of the Older Hen:
- Most likely not going to be giving you many eggs
- They will not be with you as long
- Because of aging color, many can not be shown
- Older hens can pretty much only be used for stewing if you are dressing them
- Can be more easily killed by infectious diseases
- They eat, but don't produce much if anything, aside enjoyment
- Can be more easily stressed by moves



Personally, I prefer to skip to the pleasure of pullets or hens. Chicks are great (has some in the room right now) but they require a lot of care that I rather leave to a broody mother. If you prefer the "fruits of your labour" route, chicks might be enjoyable. If you like to get your toes wet and have some fun instantly, Pullets or hens are for you.

Might I also suggest looking into at least the following 5 layers, meat and dual purpose:

Layers:
1- ISA Brown
2- Any of the PR's
3- Leghorns
4- PB [ production blacks]
5- RIR

Meat:
- Jumbo Cornish X
- Cornish X
- Cornish Game
- RIR or RIW
- Dorking

Dual Purpose:
-RIR or RIW
-Buckeyes
- NHR
- Orpington
- Jersey Giant (slow to grow)


Remember, not matter what you settle on, MAKE ROOM FOR MORE! Cause these chickens are potato chips...

 

[gamebirdsonly]

I would go with chicks

 

[chicksurreal]

It is a long 5-7 months waiting for eggs if you start with chicks. And chicks are fragile, it is not uncommon for some to die. There will be people on this website that will say they have never lost a new chick, but plenty have, me included. However, With a box, a heat lamp, a chick feeder and waterer, you are pretty much set up, and they will grow. If you are raising the chicks you will need a heat source of a couple of weeks.

Another question you need to look at, is what kind of set up do you have for when the birds are full grown. One does want to make sure that it is predator proof, and usually people, (me included) find out the hard way, that it is not quite as predator proof as one thought.

If I could find someone with even a bit older hens, that is where I would start. Then each year, add chicks..... that is called chicken math, and you will think you are immune, until..... spring comes, and there are chicks.

Older hens, unless in a rescue situation, or obviously sick with runny noses, or lice or mites,...... DON't take anything that does not look healthy..... if you think it looks unhealthy, it probably is.... but anyway, older hens are a bit more sturdy to start out with, and you get eggs right away which is always fun. However, if you start with chicks, it is fun too.

Either way will work, it is a fun hobby, but we all have had a wreck or two, it is not fool proof. And as Ridgerunner often mentions, they are living animals, and there is no 100% answer. I have learned a lot here on this website, and some trial and error.

Mrs K

This is a great answer.

You have pretty much described our journey as new chicken owners. we started with chicks, but have had to learn numerous things the hard way. I love my chickens and am so glad we got them, but it's not been all fun and games. I am so glad to have found this website, it's been more help than any other source of information and the people here are so helpful and friendly.

 

[alyxl02]

I would go with starting your flock with young chickens (just past chick age really) who are either just laying or almost ready to lay.

alyxl02

 

[new chick 203]

We started with some chicks and some a couple of weeks old and a couple of 8 week olds. I have to say, the older ones are pleasant enough, but not nearly cuddly and sweet and tame as the younger ones. They are nearly 4 now and I still can't handle them much. It's hard to make up the kind of bonding that happens in the first 2 months. Even the ones that have been raised by broodies but around us have been easier to handle. This is something to take into consideration even if you aren't looking for a pet chicken type relationship. Our "wild" girls would be very difficult to handle if we ever needed to give them first aid or medicine.

 

[CHICKEN CRAZY1]

Our chickens are barely a year old. Maybe for Easter,we will get several more chicks.

 

[Our Roost]

So ya see guys and gals, to the person who started this thread, it doesnt really matter how you start it because once you do, your hooked! One person has even mentioned a retirement coop for the elderly. Gotta love it! I personaly am starting 2 new breed lines and hatching out some eggs to get it all started. I have some 3 year olds that have served me well and other stock I will try to sell plus some keepers. Keep it happy, keep it simple!

 

[steny03]

I started with 'started pullets', that I got from a hatchery. They were between 10-16 weeks old when I got them. A bit pricey, but I wasn't sure if I had the time to give to chicks. They were scared of me at first, but it didn't take them long to figure out I equaled food and treats...and now the cute little vultures follow me all around the yard....

If I had to do it all over again, I would start with chicks, just to have that experience. But if you aren't sure about chicks, look into the started pullets option.

Good luck!