Too many chickens?

[jarcoo0153]

I have raised poultry for most of my life. Granted I'm only 26 yrs old. But I had to give it up two years ago to take care of my grandma while she was dying of cancer. Her and grandpa are the ones that started this hobby with me and now that grandma is gone grandpa has nothing to do I say that jokingly. He is 89 yrs young. He still lives alone on a quarter of an acre with 13 pecan trees flower and vegetable gardens, wood shop and smoke house and grandmas little dog fritz. Well this spring I decided to order chicks to keep us busy. And now I'm thinking we may have gotten carried away. We now have around 260 chickens ducks and Guineas all ages and he keeps hatching more out. But I have a hard time deciding which to sell or what breeds to focus on. What do I do?!

 

[nchls school]

I have raised poultry for most of my life. Granted I'm only 26 yrs old. But I had to give it up two years ago to take care of my grandma while she was dying of cancer. Her and grandpa are the ones that started this hobby with me and now that grandma is gone grandpa has nothing to do I say that jokingly. He is 89 yrs young. He still lives alone on a quarter of an acre with 13 pecan trees flower and vegetable gardens, wood shop and smoke house and grandmas little dog fritz. Well this spring I decided to order chicks to keep us busy. And now I'm thinking we may have gotten carried away. We now have around 260 chickens ducks and Guineas all ages and he keeps hatching more out. But I have a hard time deciding which to sell or what breeds to focus on. What do I do?!

At 89 let Grandpa have his fun as much as you can. Watch Grandpa to see which species are his favorites (yours too) and go from there. I know from experience that 260 sounds like a lot, but that is not necessarily true depending on the amount of room, set up, finances, and the ability to care for a large flock. Think carefully first; once the birds are gone they are gone. Good luck to you and Grandpa.

 

[drumstick diva]

Every decision doesn't have to be a life changer, have some fun with it. If you get breeds that don't work out , re-home and try something else. So glad this is all possible for him & you to share

 

[appps]

Maybe it's time to get him interested in showing. Thinking that way it will be breeding with purpose so it may slow things down a bit and it might be a fun way for him to get out amongst other people too. It's easy to get a bit isolated as they age. Hardest bit will be picking a breed

 

[LRH97]

I'm sorry about your grandma. Among the many evils of this world, cancer has to be in the top ten. It took my grandma from me too. It is just great that you and your grandpa both have this common interest and can enjoy it together. Cherish every moment of it. I could never pick just one breed to have. However, if you want to focus on several particular breeds, consider what characteristics you like. Feather colors and patterns, light or heavy builds, standard or bantam etc. Also remember there are always ways to get more birds and replace ones you sold. The important thing is that you and grandpa can manage the flock effectively and the birds are happy and healthy. If so, you're good to go in my opinion. Heck, if I wasn't the only one deep into poultry as a hobby at my house, I'd probably be in the same boat you're in. I do good to manage my flock of 50 along with my ducks, geese, and goats. I mean, who wouldn't want to say that they have 260 chickens, ducks, and guineas at home??