How many chickens to start with?

[Kiki]

Got the OE. Jack carries blue, so when he crosses with a fairly dark brown, the results are nice. My egg basket carries: cream, tan, varying shades of brown, blue, aqua, olive. Used to have some white. Now, colors are split about 50/50 between browns and blue/greens. Next few generations will most likely shift more towards brown/green.

White Eggs matter!
LOL
I used to get teased because i don't have any white layers.

 

[lazy gardener]

So, what??? Did you succumb to peer pressure!!!

 

[Kiki]

So, what??? Did you succumb to peer pressure!!!

Nope...
White eggs matter to some...not this girl...for now.

 

[Kiki]

I just couldn't resist using that phrase...I use to crack up when they would tell me that.

 

[lazy gardener]

Oh but, Kiki.... Do you have an incubator? If you do, you simply MUST set some white eggs. Even if you never intend to have a white egg layer in your flock. When you candle a white egg, the view is almost as good as looking inside a light bulb. To look into a white egg, and see that chick dancing in there!!!! Absolutely magic. I swear you can even tell what color feathers that chick has!!!

 

[Kiki]

Oh but, Kiki.... Do you have an incubator? If you do, you simply MUST set some white eggs. Even if you never intend to have a white egg layer in your flock. When you candle a white egg, the view is almost as good as looking inside a light bulb. To look into a white egg, and see that chick dancing in there!!!! Absolutely magic. I swear you can even tell what color feathers that chick has!!!

I'm already slightly off the rocker....I'd go into full on mode coo coo if I had a bator.
I need to see a doctor and get prescribed some serious meds before I invest in a bator.

 

[lazy gardener]

You can easily cobble a bator together... MacGuyver style. All you need is a pack of bubble gum, a couple of paper clips, a styrofoam box, a lamp, and a few other easily acquired thing-a-ma-bobbies.

 

[Kiki]

You forgot the DUCK TAPE.

 

[lazy gardener]

Can't forget the duct tape. My first build, I got real fancy. Bought a roll of purple Cammo. Second one, I was a little more practical. Bought a roll of Gorilla tape.

 

[01ChickenGranny]

If you order from a hatchery, like McMurray, minimum is 25, I believe; if you order from other places, sometimes they have a minimum order, say tractor supply won't let you purchase less than 6. Keep receipts & take pics of any you lose for free replacement., otherwise you will be out of luck to replace. Check them for puddy butt too, if you can pick them out yourself. PS: Even if you have no plans to sell eggs, lots will want to purchase fresh eggs and the $ you get comes in handy to pay for the feed. Just remember the more you get, the more the feed cost. Also, are they going to have a large free ranging area or a small one? They can tear up a yard real fast.