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How many Chickens??
11/19/07 09:40 PM
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Hi Folks
Hey, I was thinking of getting some chickens, How many would I need to just have a half dozen fresh eggs every day?
Any advise is always welcome...
Thanks
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roho627
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Hello, I've raised chickens "OFF & ON" all my life but do not claim to be an expert on them....I love to watch them cause they are SOOOO funny & COOOL! I can't beleive I said that. Well if I wanted to get a half dozen eggs a day I've start with about 8 to 10 chicken....But think about six eggs a day that's 42 a week & 168 a 4 week month.....You'll be giving eggs away after a little while....I suggest Aricana(ms), they are called the EASTER EGG CHICKENS because they lay a lite green or lite blue egg which is a conversation piece in its self...Hope this helps and maybe we'll get some advise from some real experts... roho
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JoeR
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If you buy peeps, it will take them at least 26 weeks to mature enough to start laying eggs. If my memory is correct, chickens usually lay one egg every 26-28 hours, and only during daylight. So if the 26th hour is at night, the egg won't be laid until morning. As the chickens get older, their production will drop off. Some breeds are better at egg production than others. Some of the best egg layers are Leghorns which have white eggs, Rhode Island reds, and New Hampshire chickens which produce brown eggs. You do not need a rooster for the hens to lay eggs. I also strongly recommend a good nest box and some fake wooden eggs to give the chickens an idea of where to lay their eggs, otherwise, you will be on an easter egg hunt trying to find where they left them... Tractor supply has some good books on barns and building which have some nice chicken coop plans.
Good luck.
Joe
Edited by JoeR (11/24/07 08:20 PM)
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kellenw
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Get yourself half a dozen buff orpingtons. They are good layers of large brown eggs, and they even produce pretty well in the winter when many other breeds tend to go on "strike". Collect your eggs daily as they do have a tendency to go broody, even without a rooster.
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miss_thenorth
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Hi, I hAve 6 red rocks, and in the summer, I was getting 5-6 eggs a day. now with the colder weather, I am getting anywhere between 2 to 6 eggs a day.
For me , this is plenty for a family of 4, with eggs to spare.
Hope this helps.
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kellenw
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Red Rocks would be a good choice too.
Really, most any "heavy" breed is a good choice for decent year-round production.
I do prefer buff orps, but there are plenty of other heavy/dual purpose breeds that should fit the bill.
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Re: How many Chickens??
[re: kellenw]
12/07/07 01:09 PM
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Great info everyone...
Thanks so much....
Ya'll Rock....... 
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Reosdad
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What a great site you all have here. I found it this morning by accident (looking for information on chicken houses/coops)and have been reading for hours. I would love to build a small chicken house and raise a few chickens , a small garden and grow older with my dogs.
I will soon be leaving the city life for the country and am so anxious now that it is driving me crazy.
If anyone can direct me to chicken house plans I'd be forever grateful. BTW...you guys might get tired of seeing me around here!  I'm gonna pick your brains to pieces!
Thanks in advance and nice to meet you all.
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egon
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Re: How many Chickens??
[re: Reosdad]
02/08/08 04:21 PM
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Google it. Lots of plans available.
Others use whats at hand. 
Egon
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Re: How many Chickens??
[re: Reosdad]
02/08/08 06:32 PM
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Hello Reosdad, I worry they will get tired of me too but oh well, this is such a cool place its hard not to ask questions.
I am so excited for you there is so many things to do in the outdoors. Whatever you do if something don't turn out the way you planned, see it as a lesson not a failure. 
I have had lots of lessons and enjoyed most of them
Don't fear your life one day will end, fear you did nothing with it.
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Reosdad
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Thanks Egon. Google did produce a huge result. Now I just have to sift through it all. Bird houses, duck houses and dog houses...no sweat. Chicken houses...never even seen one in person that I know of or remember.
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Reosdad
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Re: How many Chickens??
[re: Reosdad]
02/09/08 01:23 PM
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Gardeningangle,
Something tells me they'll let us stay around; they seem pretty laid back. We'll just have to limit our questions to one every 30 minutes! So here's mine.
Are chickens distructive to a small garden or beneficial? I could see it going either way. I like the idea of letting them roam freely but not at the expense of a garden.
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egon
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Re: How many Chickens??
[re: Reosdad]
02/09/08 01:56 PM
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It all depends on how many chickens and how large a garden!!
Do you walk barefoot through the garden??
Egon
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egon
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Re: How many Chickens??
[re: Reosdad]
02/09/08 01:58 PM
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Ahh -- build a chicken coop in cold weather climates and clean it out once a week. It will definitely broaden your sensory base!
Egon
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Reosdad
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Re: How many Chickens??
[re: egon]
02/09/08 02:23 PM
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Well I, like Calli, am also interested in having enough chickens to give me 6-10 eggs every day or two. (I was a Certified Chef in a not so long-a-go life and do tend to use a lot of eggs) It sounds like 1/2 dozen birds would do that. I may even go as many as a dozen. I am going to guess that I will have a veg. garden/herb bed of approx 100' x 100'.
I am a city boy from Kentucky; moving to Oklahoma to live out my days...I think  I don't think I would ever go outside barefooted in Oklahoma from what I've read, so my answer would be "no". Why?
In the same respect...can guinies be trusted to roam around a garden? I hate ticks and snakes and have read that they help keep the population down.
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egon
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Re: How many Chickens??
[re: Reosdad]
02/09/08 03:41 PM
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Go with a dozen.
Pickle the extra eggs if you get any!
Egon
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Re: How many Chickens??
[re: Reosdad]
02/09/08 05:34 PM
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Hi Reo
I have no clue about chickens in gardens, I do know they will take care of earwigs. Do you have earwigs there? Keep things cleaned up around the garden, that should help. Earwigs love it under boards and pots ect.
I would think a chicken like most birds love new sprouts, be careful of beans, peas,corn anything you direct seed in the garden. We have a lot of quail around here that destroy gardens.
Has it been 30 minutes yet?
Ruth
Don't fear your life one day will end, fear you did nothing with it.
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Reosdad
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My 30 minutes is up...but I don't dare ask.
I need to look up earwigs as I have no idea what they are.
I'll check back later when I'm feeling a little brighter.
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kellenw
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Re: How many Chickens??
[re: Reosdad]
02/11/08 09:29 PM
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For a small number of chickens, chicken tractors are a great way to manage them. Simply make your cage/run narrow enough to go between rows in your garden but long enough for plenty of space and variety for the birds. Then just move it every few days. Provides a level of "bug" control for the garden, some "natural" fertilizer, a little weed control and a little savings on chicken feed. They can also be "tractored" on the yard or in pasture.
Look here: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=chicken+tractor
Most healthy hens will lay about 5-6 eggs a week on average (more in the summer, less in the winter). Use that to estimate how many hens you'll need.
Guineas mix fine with chickens but wouldn't work out well in chicken tractors. They are high strung and like to run and even fly a bit. When allowed, they'll roost high up in trees. They are best free ranged. You'll see them running all over the place chasing after bugs during the daylight hours.
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Reosdad
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Re: How many Chickens??
[re: kellenw]
02/12/08 06:22 PM
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Thank you kellenw for the great information. I have been busy researching (Googleing as per egon) as much as I can, but I must say...the wide world of the web is HUGE! I get overwhelmed and a lot of it is unwanted information.
What you have provided is EXACTLY what I was looking for. Thank you.
I have found dozens of coops and houses to decide from. But this may very well be the answer for the garden.
I was hoping that the Guineas could free range as I have heard that they are especially effective in keeping down the tick, scorpion and other pest population in rural OK. I was concerned about damage to the garden, however, the more I read and listen, the more I believe the garden will be fenced.
Hope to talk with you again and thanks for taking the time.
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Pat
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Re: How many Chickens??
[re: Reosdad]
02/14/08 10:53 PM
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Reosdad, What part of Oklahoma are you considering?
If your mind isn't made up such that you may want any input, I recommend that you take a state map, cut off the panhandle, draw a line from the SW corner to the NE corner fold the map on that line and look for a place south of the fold and probably not too far west of I-35 if yo like trees. This isn't a precise method to be rigorously applied but it isn't far from being a good method.
I am in south central, an hour from OKC, a tad on the rural side. Not back side of the moon remote but it is 30 miles to Wal*Mart in 3 directions and farther in the 4th. The overwhelming majority of the trees in the state are in the section I recommended. Ditto most mountains, majority of the big lakes, and such.
When are you thinking you will move?
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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Reosdad
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Re: How many Chickens??
[re: Pat]
02/15/08 06:09 AM
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Morning Pat. Nice to meet you. By the way, I enjoy reading your post and the information you and others have provided is invaluable to rookies like me.
Oklahoma, I must admit, is all Greek to me. Other than a short visit to Oklahoma City, I'm completely green. I've read and researched for months now, and feel comfortable with the decision to move as well as the geographical location.
I will be located between Tulsa and Bartlesville, 5 miles outside the town of Ramona. It is family land that my 84 year old father grew up on. I've never seen it other than photographs. For years now, it has been used for drilling gas and oil and leased for pasture, and still is. There are 76 acres in all and I am hoping to "reclaim" enough of it to try my hand at hobby farming. The restoration of the home itself should keep me busy for the first year.
Your method of "mapping" the states more habital areas somewhat includes that area. It is my understanding that there are lots of trees and very good pasture there. As well there are two very nice sized ponds as well as creeks running through the property.
This is a huge move for me. The closest I've come to living in the country was 3.5 acres on the outskirts of Louisville, but I absolutely loved it. I've never experienced true farm life as such. I've never had a well or septic system. I've never raised farm animals...or even held a chicken. I am still young enough at 53 to be able to handle some hard work...i just don't know how much or how hard. Gardening is a passion and I have done well with that in the past.
My home here in Louisville is under contract and I am supposed to have a closing on the 29th of Feb with one more week to vacate. I should leave here around the 5th or 6th of March. I am hoping the weather is breaking somewhat and that Spring is very close in OK.
Since the original topic was chickens...may I ask...what does "non-setters" mean? I have Googled until I can't Google no more.
Thanks.
David
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Pat
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Re: How many Chickens??
[re: Reosdad]
02/15/08 09:14 AM
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Reosdad, First, let me say I am not a chicken expert but been around them plenty.
Here is the first result from my first Google on the topic. I use "chicken non setter" and got a bunch of stuff. Here is the first one:
My Pet Chicken: Glossary
Non-setter A chicken or breed of chicken that does not have a tendency or desire to incubate fertilized eggs or care for baby chicks. Ornamental Breed ...
www.mypetchicken.com/chickenGlossary.aspx - 18k - Cached - Similar pages
My ROUGH approximation on habitability is, of course not an absolute, just a generalization. I don't care for the parts of Oklahoma that are indistinguishable from Kansas, or New Mexico.
Sounds like the ole homestead up there has merits and possible challenges. My place has 2 operating oil wells which do not benefit me directly. I try to look on the bright side and consider the cattle guard maint and graveling they do on access roads that I use. Better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.
There are downsides associated with old oil field operations. They didn't care what they tore up, poluted, or poisoned. The entire area around me is an old oil field and water wells are subject to failure without warning due to the practices employed in the "good ole days." I have at least one big salt scar from salt water runoff. Neighbor just concluded a BIG lawsuit over salt water from oil operations. The wells on my place produce much more salt water than oil and since the disposal well was on the guy's place who was in the suit and he no longer leases the use of the well, the operators have to truck a load of salt water off my place about ever other day.
Most of the time it makes just about no difference that there are two oil wells on the place.
Don't be surprised if there is a lot of old pipe, sucker rod, and debris scattered around on your property if they are operating wells. You will have a relatively close neighbor up there (Eric in Oklahoma) who is on this site sometimes. He recently moved on out into the country and has oil ops on his place. Pipe was scattered all over. He piled it up and I drove up and together with each of us supplying a friend to help, the 4 of us cut it to go on my trailer and I bought it all from him. We knew some of it was essentially worthless but I had some erosion ditches I was going to fill so I had a place to get rid of the worst of it and have been using the good part. (Thanks again, Eric!)
Water is a very important issue. I hope you have a good well on your place or good prospects for drilling one or access to rural water from your local rural water district.
If you ever want to "dial direct" just drop me a PM. I'd be happy to try to help you.
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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