Thinking of keeping chickens.

[MR TEA POT 1,287]

I've got a bit of room in my back,I have a area of 19ft long 6.5ft wide with room to put a 6ft x 3ft wide coop at one end....just wondering how many chickens I could keep on that area,thanks ?

[Guest Navek]

I’d keep 8 or so in there . You could keep more you could keep less but if the eggs are just for your self 8 chickens would be ok in there ..

when there laying and your getting 8 eggs a day 7 days a week and got 50 odd eggs a week you soon get sick egg on toast lol 

[forest of dean redneck 11,788]

7 minutes ago, Navek said:

I’d keep 8 or so in there . You could keep more you could keep less but if the eggs are just for your self 8 chickens would be ok in there ..

when there laying and your getting 8 eggs a day 7 days a week and got 50 odd eggs a week you soon get sick egg on toast lol 

Yeah last lot of ex batts I had here laid nearly  egg a day, so 7/8 eggs a day soon got over run ,ended up with giving the woman next door some when she was alive,and then we had omelettes made with 4 eggs?

[Guest Navek]

7 minutes ago, forest of dean redneck said:

Yeah last lot of ex batts I had here laid nearly  egg a day, so 7/8 eggs a day soon got over run ,ended up with giving the woman next door some when she was alive,and then we had omelettes made with 4 eggs?

I used to use mine when setting in pellet gun lol .gave loads away 

[Rabid 1,936]

Depends, what's the area, is it purely for chickens or garden/lawn as well, if it's mixed use, it won't be for long with 8 chickens, they will decimate that in days.

 

Also, are you just wanting a few eggs for yourself, if so, a trio will do you,  the idea is great, but you really don't eat that many eggs (usually) so if you get two or three a day, the first few weeks you will eat them every day, then the novelty really does wear off so two or three eggs a day is plenty for a couple, do you buy a couple of boxes a week now ?

 

with 8 chooks, you will be over run with eggs and end up giving them away, using them for target practise.......

[leegreen 2,221]

If its just for the family 3 will do. More room for them, cheaper to feed, more scraps to go round and easier to name 

[forest of dean redneck 11,788]

I'm sure I read somewhere a chicken a person,but you don't eat a egg everyday do you ?

We are family of 10 an we got overrun ,with 7/8 an that's with wife baking cakes as well.

[MR TEA POT 1,287]

Think I'll start with 3 then,thanks folks.

also would it be worth having a table bird,I know it would work out expensive then to buying one from a supermarket.

[MR TEA POT 1,287]

20 hours ago, Rabid said:

Depends, what's the area, is it purely for chickens or garden/lawn as well, if it's mixed use, it won't be for long with 8 chickens, they will decimate that in days.

 

Also, are you just wanting a few eggs for yourself, if so, a trio will do you,  the idea is great, but you really don't eat that many eggs (usually) so if you get two or three a day, the first few weeks you will eat them every day, then the novelty really does wear off so two or three eggs a day is plenty for a couple, do you buy a couple of boxes a week now ?

 

with 8 chooks, you will be over run with eggs and end up giving them away, using them for target practise.......

The area is for chickens only.

[Rabid 1,936]

19 minutes ago, MR TEA POT said:

Think I'll start with 3 then,thanks folks.

also would it be worth having a table bird,I know it would work out expensive then to buying one from a supermarket.

I keep meat birds as well as layers, they certainly don't end up as cheap meat like you can buy in supermarkets, but it's 100% better.

[MR TEA POT 1,287]

2 minutes ago, Rabid said:

I keep meat birds as well as layers, they certainly don't end up as cheap meat like you can buy in supermarkets, but it's 100% better.

Do you buy them as chicks and rise then? Or can you buy them when they are older,and rear along side your others? 

[Rabid 1,936]

I get day olds but also hatch my own, oddly enough I've just done 10 today