# Laying Hens......Starting out.....



## V-Bottom (Jun 16, 2007)

Want to get some hens and one rooster. I built a chicken coop and eager to raise some birds and get some fresh egss. This is new to me and I live in Hitchcock. Do you have too many birds and feel like assisting me in getting started, just PM me and email me at [email protected]
A mixture of birds would be great. I have all the feeders etc, just have to get the saw dust for the nests and a lot of tips concerning this venture.
Thanx.....Ed


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## Texas T (May 21, 2004)

Go to the feed store up hwy 6 from you and *BUY* whatever you want. They have all kinds.


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## V-Bottom (Jun 16, 2007)

rumor has it to stay away from that place.......


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## Paul Marx (Nov 13, 2009)

Tibaldo's is good .


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## JimG (May 2, 2005)

I would skip the rooster...


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## 98aggie77566 (Jul 7, 2009)

Skip the rooster....no need unless you need fertilized eggs?

If you only need for your personal consumption, 2 or 3 hens is more than enough.

If you get too many, the feed bill gets a bit high, and you end up with way too many eggs. Neighbors and friends will be happy...but your cost gets high.

Not too many people eat 3 eggs a day per person.

The best eggs come from chickens you let roam during the day and eat some bugs...in my opinion....but they sure like to take a dump all over the place!

We had 14 hens....way too many eggs....and crud all over the place.

Wish I had kep 2 or 3 of them and a small coop....sure miss yard eggs.


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## V-Bottom (Jun 16, 2007)

Thanx.....was thinking about 6 hens would be ok


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## fishingcacher (Mar 29, 2008)

One of the neighbors ordered small chicks them through the mail .


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## hilton (Jan 28, 2008)

I have an extra rooster that you can have for free - we have way too many roosters.


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## Deer-Slayer (Aug 17, 2015)

We have had chickens for years. You don't need a rooster unless you want more chicks. Buy either chicks or young birds, you don't want someone's old hags that have pretty much quit laying. It will take 14 to 16 weeks before the chicks begin to lay, take's a good while, but once they start each hen will lay an egg per day. Six hens and you will be covered up with eggs, 3 dozen per week, so you better like to eat em. Tending to them is easy, feed the chicks starter until they mature, then put em on hen layer pellets and throw them some scratch make sure they have water. Give em all your left over raw veggies, ie. potatoes peels, watermelon rind, salad, etc., they love that stuff. They will slow down laying eggs in the winter due to the shorter days, but those hens will lay for several years before you need to make chicken soup and start over.


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## Jaysand247 (Aug 19, 2012)

We have 12 hens no rooster . I've had chickens all of my life .. above info is on point .. one thing use a small cage when the Bittys get their feathers .. don't throw them out in the big coopicture until they are 3 months or so old .. everything likeshould to eat chicken and small ones are easier to get .. we have tons of eggs .. I bring eggs for my whole unit at work .. we feed our some laying pellets and all of our scraps except raw meat .. chickens will eat anything ..


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## V-Bottom (Jun 16, 2007)

My chicks are 2 months old now and I moved them to the big coop. I have two RR's that look full grown. Those two grew fast. I have some work to do on the run tomorrow and I will turn them out to do their thing. They will be on chick starter feed until they start to lay....then some scratch and laying mesh. I have 16, mixed dark egg layers. Not sure how long I should keep them in their run before I decide to let them roam in the back yard. When ever that is, their wings will be clipped for sure.


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## bowmansdad (Nov 29, 2011)

We have about 20 hens and get 6-9 chicks every year or so to keep up with attrition. Wife raises them in the back bedroom until they are fully feathered out then to the big cage in the chicken yard. They stay there for 3-4 months while the other hens get used to them. We put out in the big yard at about 5 months and put them up in the cage to roost at night. After the other hens accept them we transition them to the big hen house.


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## V-Bottom (Jun 16, 2007)

Was thinking about getting a bale of hay but I wanted to get ya'lls thoughts on this. I wanted to put some in the chickens RUN. Yes or no? What about putting some in the hen house on the floor?


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## sotexhookset (Jun 4, 2011)

Yes a run is a good idea. That way you could have target practice with armor piercing 22 shorts. Like a carnival game.


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## monkeyman1 (Dec 30, 2007)

I like my eggs with a pinch assault.


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## jebber (Mar 21, 2016)

backyard chickens dot com.

Great resource, they also have a 'free - rehoming' listing ... mostly roosters.

We had ducks for quite a few years, totally without animals now for the first time in ages.


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

V-Bottom said:


> Was thinking about getting a bale of hay but I wanted to get ya'lls thoughts on this. I wanted to put some in the chickens RUN. Yes or no? What about putting some in the hen house on the floor?


Pine Shavings in the coop. Put sand in the run so they can bathe in it.


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