Chickens, how many have them?

[Thundarstick]

I had chickens when I was younger. I've wanted chickens since we moved out of town, but my wife was against(city girl). Well she finally gave in. I built a coop and run and have chicks that are a week old as of today. I didn't get back into them because of Eggs, I just enjoyed having chickens in the past. So I was just wondering how many here have them?

[Wal']

Same story here, I had chickens when young & then life got involved, now retired and have had my chickens for five years or more, and I absolutely love my ladies.
Have nine ladies at the moment, one recently died & will be replaced soon.....

[farmerjim]

I killed all of them last fall because they were too old to lay well. They will be replaced soon.

[Gewehr-Guy]

I ordered 30 chicks after returning from the store with $5 eggs, that was during the Spring of 2020 while there was talk of coming lock downs.After attacks by a dog, possums, coon, and hawks, there are less than half left. This summer when they get broody, I need to get some fertilized eggs to put under them, and raise a new batch.

[Dio]

We currently have 15 Wellsummer chickens. 14 Hens, and one Rooster.
Best breed I've ever had.

[MrWolf]

We got eight girls on 3/5/22 from Tractor Supply. My GF picked them out and when I asked what breed they were, she just smiled and said four yellow, four black They are fun to watch and they are very curious when I am in their area doing anything. We are still getting decent egg production. Only two yesterday, but the two days prior were six each day. Normal seems to be four or more so far this winter. Our girls are a bit spoiled (solar panels, indoor light via remote, camera, automatic door opener with remote). They love wild bird feed too along with kitchen scraps. We also mix oats with bacon grease after making bacon. They go nuts over it. One of these days I will give them meal worms. I started a lil growing thing with the three drawer dresser. Had it for about six months now and keep forgetting about it. I toss in potatoes when I remember (for them to drink) and last I checked there were quite a few.
Get some, just make sure they have a secure area. My coop was originally supposed to be mobile, but the cheap HF wheel hubs broke so it sits where it died and I built an area around it. I also use the 2" netting above and we have had zero security issues.

[Randy Bohannon]

Neighbor bought 50 chickens last spring He’s getting 50 eggs a day now, beautiful brown eggs with orange yolks. He sells them for $4.00 a dozen.

[Outer Rondacker]

Kids grew up and moved out and had made me grandkids. Wife was getting crazy with trips to see the grandkids so I brought home 50 chickens about six years ago. We now have 17 birds and 7 ducks. Kids bring the grandkids up here to see the flock. Less trips for ma and keeps her from that empty nest syndrome feeling. We have so many eggs its crazy. Now she wants to build a larger barn style coop. Wants to up the flock to 50 birds and ditch the ducks. Guess I have some work to do this spring.

[myg30]

Before we moved 2 yrs ago we were up to 32 hens. 28 were layers and the others were to young.
Our Australian Shepard puppy enjoyed playing with them. Grab em by the neck and shake them till they stoped playing, then catch another ! So we couldn’t break her of her killing and kept her separated from them.
Several days later the wife found a large snake in nesting box and with in 2 days we got rid of the rest of the 27 chickens. She said 1 heart attack was enough !!!!
In the hot Sumer, I really could not stand the acrid smell. I would have gotten a snake sooner if I knew she would want them gone.
I did enjoy the eggs and playing with them.

Mike

[gwpercle]

My Uncle in East Texas had about 100 chickens , small semi-commercial operation for extra income and something for us kids to learn and help keep us out of trouble ... he had a few head of beef cattle and raised hogs ... Mom sent me over to get an education in what Farm Living was like every sommer ... I was supposed to be working for him .

Chickens aren't real bright ... they peck the ground and that's about it ...
I classify them as Vegetables with eyes .
They are birds , with wings but don't know they can fly when a fox or dog comes for them .

I don't eat enough eggs to warrant keeping chickens around .
Since they outlawed Cock Fighting in Louisiana a few years ago ... the Cock-Pit is now closed ...
there isn't no use raising Fighting Cocks anymore .
Gary

[Electrod47]

I'm Super fortunate. I have 2 neighbors each having 50+ Hens each. They keep me and the missus in eggs. Golf cart delivery. They won't take a dime. We are very rural. 16 miles round trip to a Dollar General, 43 miles round trip to nearest Walmart. Heck, I would buy them in the store if I had to, But same day laid, free range, they taste to good. There's a big difference. Plus we deliver back to them my wife's Oatmeal, raisin, pecan cookies regular. If I don't eat them all.......

[Froogal]

I do not have any chickens. Yes, I could build a chicken coop, but I'd have to buy every drop of feed that the chickens would eat. I'm pretty sure it is still less costly to just buy eggs from the store.

[jdfoxinc]

Thinking about it.

[Freightman]

We have 30 hens and five ducks to tell you the truth the duck eggs are much better. They are all free range the yoke are dark orange not yellow like the store bought..

[Outer Rondacker]

I do not have any chickens. Yes, I could build a chicken coop, but I'd have to buy every drop of feed that the chickens would eat. I'm pretty sure it is still less costly to just buy eggs from the store.

I do not use much feed at all in the summer months. I spend around 100 bucks for the entire winter months. I grow fodder from cheap seed. They get scraps from left overs. Very little chicken feed. Last we have a very large composting pile right next to the coop. They dig and peck getting bugs all winter long out of the pile. Keeps me from having to flip it to much also. I live in upstate NY and no the large compost pile does not freeze.

[NSB]

All my chickens are steel. No eggs here

[stubshaft]

You want chickens? Come to Hawaii! There is an infestation if feral chickens on Oahu and Kauai. Being of bleeding heart politicians you can't hunt them, you can trap them (with a permit), and they are considered free range feral birds. You can go to ANY large shopping complex, park and see them. I just have to look out the window of my apartment and watch them in the parking lot.

[BamaNapper]

We bought 4 in the spring and put a coop in the back yard. More than enough eggs for the wife and I, but they're more for the wife's entertainment than anything else. She enjoys them, and they're pretty low maintenance. Even with just 4 birds we give away plenty of eggs.

The best/worst part is my habit of over-engineering everything I do. I almost had to take out a second mortgage when I built the coop. With what I spent on materials for the coop I doubt the chickens will live long enough to break even. If store-bought eggs go to $10 a dozen I might come close.

[rbuck351]

The wife decided that she wanted chickens so we went to the local feed store and bought 8 chicks. The guy asked what kind we wanted and I told him hardy chickens that will lay some eggs but I'm not concerned how many. He grabbed 8 and put them in a box. I think there are at least 4 different kinds. They started laying around Sept making 1 or 2 a day. Now we are up to 7 or 8 a day.

I got plans off the net for a mobile hen house with a built on run but it's been parked since the snow hit. I have a sawmill so the wood for it was free. I think I have about $100/$150 invested in hinges, bolts, screws, shingles, chicken wire and such. This project wasn't done to save money although with the cost of eggs lately, it might workout that way.

Chickens are the dumbest critters I have ever been around.

[Outer Rondacker]

Chickens are the dumbest critters I have ever been around.

Ya but fun as heck to watch.