Starting a flock

[LottieLou]

We started with 4 chicks, lost one, replaced her, and then hatched chicks the next year. I really really enjoyed starting with chicks and eggs. Ya chicks are way more maintenance but they are so much fun!

 

[rosiekitty94]

I started my flock with chicks purchased locally. I wouldn't do it again. It seemed easier at the time than ordering from a hatchery but a lot went wrong. The man was a small flock owner and didn't keep his breeds separated very well. I asked for all rhode island reds and ended up with three white rocks, two EEs and five rirs. None of the rirs were girls. An EE and a rock died as chicks. The remaining eight consisted of only two girls and six roosters. Also, the EE was a bantie so she doesn't lay well anyway. I ended up sending four rirs and two rock roosters to freezer camp. This was not what I expected from my first flock at all. I really enjoyed raising the chicks but if I could do it again, I would go hatchery and I would have socialized those roosters more because they were MEAN. Because I built my coop and my supplies on my Parents' dime, I was under a lot of pressure to start getting eggs. The remaining standard hen is a white rock and started laying at six months. That was six months I had to explain to my mom why we were still buying supermarket eggs. In six months I experienced more in the life of a chicken than I ever thought I would. I raised chicks, built TWO coops (one to house hormonal teenage roosters), free ranged, had a hawk attack, slaughtered roosters, gathered Bunny's first egg and purchased pullets at a poultry show after which we had an outbreak of chronic respiratory disease. It's a wild ride but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

 

[rired522]

if you don't mind me asking come how much were the chickens with the shipping?

 

[steny03]

Admittedly shipping was atrocious....for 4 started pullets the shipping was around 100 dollars...and each pullet was 17 dollars each...but they arrived next day and in really good health. Unfortunately I live in an area where there are not many breeders, so I think its worth paying for shipping to get the breeds I want.

 

[Phoenixxx]

If I had to do it all over again, I would start with chicks straight from a breeder or a healthy farm.

Alas, I went and bought 6 second-hand red stars not knowing that that breed quits at around the age I bought them so even when they started laying again I was lucky to get 2 or 3 eggs/day. So, what do I do? I see an ad for more of these red hens for $1/each, poor old man had wound up in hospital and his flock had to go... Right price, right? So I bought ten and took the rooster. 2 of the hens I busted eating eggs so they had to go, several died of mysterious causes, then in the winter the coons took care of a few more (probably weaker ones so no big deal). Anyway, for all the money I spent (mostly in gas to drive out to these places and feeding hens that weren't producing), I never got the nearly the amount of eggs from these birds that I should have gotten and I think I wound up contaminating my coop and my land with whatever these birds were carrying.

So, this past spring I bought some purebreed australorp chicks from some private farm (non-registered breeder). 7 of the 8 turned out to be boys. The girl is proving herself as an excellent layer but she has a funny cough and a lot of her eggs have blood spots... Inbreeding? Probably. The woman I bought them from buys hatching eggs, incubates them and then sells them... so where are her eggs coming from?

My best and strongest birds that I have now: the 3 remaining red stars (out of 16 that I started with a year and a half ago), only one of which is still laying; the ameracauna crosses that I bought from an organic free-range farm as pullets and the houdan/dorking crosses, also bought from an organic free-range hobbyist. 2 of my roosters are also in excellent health, the third has an occasional cough similar to his sister's.

My advice: don't be in a rush like I was, take your time and be very selective of the birds you buy. Once you bring disease or other pathogens onto your property you may find yourself with more work than you planned on! Also, my experience has also shown that purebred doesn't necessarily equate to quality and vigor, as my best/healthiest birds are all hybrids. And beware the production "red" or "brown" layers, aka comets, stars, RIR - they're designed to lay loads of eggs but only for a year or two so they are not bred with health in mind! (At least not where I am.)

 

[CountryGeorge]

I'd have to say start with chicks. I had two rescue flocks in the past but when we decided to do chickens again after decades long pause we went with a dozen mixed chicks. When small they will steal your heart and as they grow and pass through their awkward dinosaur period to finally beome handsome hens and roosters it is all worth it. And when you get your first egg...

 

[piopio123]

What does 1-2 s.f. per bird mean ?
thanks

 

[dwgov]

Square feet, but I would go 4.

 

[Our Roost]

piopio123, 1-2 sq per bird means just that! sq. stands for square footage. one square foot is equalivalent to an area of 12 inches by 12 inches. Its a math term.

 

[emalin]

Wow! Thank you for all of these responses! I'm only half way through the thread after being away from the computer for a while. So very helpful. The main purpose of the flock for the time being is to eat Lyme-carrying ticks out of our yard but we also want eggs as well as pets. I would not mind providing room and board for a few older hens who know the ropes of free-raging/bug-eating as long as it won't be too hard to introduce younger chickens later. I always dreamed of taking in at least some rescue chickens, but I'm seeing that that is probably not the best choice for a newbie. Thanks again for all of this support! Can't wait to read all the rest of the responses.