How many hens for a 4 person household?/Potential oversupply??

[MegsAndFeatheredFriends]

I'm very new to chickens, and I don't have much experience with how many eggs per week specific breeds lay, etc. My family goes through about 4 dozen eggs per week. I cook breakfast 7 days a week, plus whatever is used randomly for other recipes. There are 5 of us. None of my chickens lay yet as they're all too young. But realistically, I think I could have 2 dozen hens and never have an overload of eggs.

So I think a good starting point for you is to narrow down which breeds you want first. See how many eggs per week they typically lay, and do the math from there with how many birds you'll actually get times eggs per week for your total. See how it compares to your typical consumption in your home. Adjust as needed if you want just enough eggs or some to save/sell.

As for costs, have you heard of the Flockstar app? It's great for tracking expenses and any money in, like if you sell your eggs or chicks, etc. I love the app, and so far I'm only using it to keep track of my flock members and track my expenses like feed. But it'll be able to track egg collection, breeding info, etc as I get to that point. It isn't free, it's $50 a year or $5.99 a month. But for me, it's worth it as I thrive on the organization.

ETA- your birds are beautiful!

Thank you for the advice

I'll look into the Flockstar app - looks good.

 

[MegsAndFeatheredFriends]

They are no more consistent than the ones you have. And when you get them you will have no idea what they will grow up to look like as they are all hybrids.

You would have a lot of eggs. Far more than you currently consume. In your first year. But next year, it would drop off and you would have nearly nothing during the short days of winter. Then production would kick back up in late January or so depending on your location.

Hens lay larger but fewer eggs each year as they age. And they stop laying when they molt and during the winter or lay at a much reduced rate. The only way you're going to have eggs year-round is if you replace your 18 to 24 month old hens with new pullets every year. You can do that by getting a rooster and hatching your own eggs or by purchasing new sexed chicks.


These include bedding, dewormer, medication when they are injured or sick, lice/mite treatment or preventative care, oyster shell, quality feed purchased in small volume at retail prices not wholesale by the ton, electricity if you have to keep water and nest boxes from freezing during winter.

You will never produce eggs at a price lower than what you can purchase them for in the supermarket. That's not the main reason why most of backyard chicken keepers have them. They want a food source that they control, where they know that the animals are being treated kindly and humanely. I will never recoup the cost of my setup in my birds. I currently eat the most expensive eggs I've ever eaten in my life.

However I have the lowest cost therapy and stress relief too. And I enjoy the hobby immensely.

oh? i thought i read something about EE being more likely to continue laying through winter. i live in central QLD, Australia, so it does get cold out here, but we've just come out of winter and the lowest temp overnight was 1 degree Celsius. I'm not fussed about the EE not having a predictable 'look', I'm getting them cause they seem to produce more eggs per yr than a lot of other breeds.

I have backyard chickens for multiple reasons;
- cute pets,
- teaching responsibility to my young children,
- hobby,
- source of eggs for when our town is flooded in (the nearest main shop is an hr away) -- this is my main reason for starting all this.

I am hoping to minimize costs for eggs this way too despite everyone saying that's not possible. I want to find ways to reduce a lot of other ongoing costs (not including the set-up in this calculation) to do this. I do understand it still may not work out but, comparing it to the servo in town which is selling them for $15, I am hopeful. I guess that's why I'm asking about ongoing costs and how many chickens i need, cause if i get too many for the amount of eggs we actually need then i'll be spending $$$ on their feed and not being able to benefit properly. The only thing i can think of to recuperate costs is to sell some at a local market, but i'm sure a lot of people around here already have their own chickens!

 

[MegsAndFeatheredFriends]

See above.

Last year I was running a flock of approximately 24 hens and my rooster. The hens ranged in age from 1 to 6 years old. With most of them being five to six years old. They were producing over 4 dozen eggs a week during peak season. When the molt started, there were many days I had no eggs at all. And when I did find an egg, it was from my 1-year-old. In order to get through the winter with eggs for baking, I dehydrated my excess eggs during the summer months. They do not taste as good as fresh eggs but got me through the winter without having to buy the eggs of tortured chickens. That's what I like to call store-bought eggs.

Those numbers that are quoted for how many eggs a bird of a specific breed will lay only apply to the first year they are in production. Everything slows down as they age. Just like with us! And what if something gets in and kills half of your chickens? Predator-proofing is an expense I neglected to mention in the above reply. That can be very expensive indeed.

2 years ago I decided to track my expenses and my chicken produced income. That income also included selling off buckets of my chickens manure and bedding compost. By the end of the year I had managed to recoup almost 75% of my expenses. Which I considered to be extremely successful.

sounds like a good way to recoup expenses, very nice!

thanks for the reply re costings

 

[Mother of Chaos]

oh? i thought i read something about EE being more likely to continue laying through winter. i live in central QLD, Australia, so it does get cold out here, but we've just come out of winter and the lowest temp overnight was 1 degree Celsius. I'm not fussed about the EE not having a predictable 'look', I'm getting them cause they seem to produce more eggs per yr than a lot of other breeds…

Just as an info point, laying in winter is controlled by hours of daylight, not by temperature.

So chickens closer to the poles, even with mild winter temps, will probably take breaks from laying, while those closer to the equator will tend to keep laying, even with cold winters (up in the mountains, I suppose.)

Some people add lighting to their coops to encourage more laying in winter, but my guess is that hens need the break.

I have an EE who is a wonderful layer, and just added a second! I try hard not to show favoritism, but…

 

[rosemarythyme]

Just as an info point, laying in winter is controlled by hours of daylight, not by temperature.

So chickens closer to the poles, even with mild winter temps, will probably take breaks from laying, while those closer to the equator will tend to keep laying, even with cold winters (up in the mountains, I suppose.)

Some people add lighting to their coops to encourage more laying in winter, but my guess is that hens need the break.

It's the lengthening of daylight that triggers hens to go back into lay. But even hens close to the equator or under artificial lighting have to take breaks, so the dream of eggs all year long from birds over 18 months or so is probably just that.

For OP, for 18 eggs a week I'd figure start with 3-4 birds, and then plan on adding another 3 at around the 18-24 month mark. Only half my flock lays with any consistency (so 5 birds) but we were swamped with eggs late spring & early summer. Now that we're heading into fall they've slowed down to a pace I can keep up with (total of 3 birds currently laying) but this is when I also have stockpiled eggs to get me through winter, knowing it's unlikely any of them will lay from mid fall until February or so.

 

[Pukkits]

We have 8 six month old birds and 1 five year old that will likely stop laying in the next few weeks (northern hemisphere). The older bird lays three eggs a week. The young birds still have 3/4 size eggs, but are busy laying (except Theo, who is already broody). So 9 birds, 8 laying, 7 of them at the beginning of peak production age. We are getting 5-8 eggs a day. All are orpingtons.

Bird integration isn't as simple as just adding a bird, you'd need at least two or three new birds. Chickens can be very high school clickish and sometimes bully badly. As others have mentioned, staggering your bird ages allows you to have more consistent egg production, as their peak production years are generally under age three.

I agree with tracking costs and finding a good balance, but I've not met a hobbyist chicken keeper with less than 25+ chickens that breaks even. Chickens require pretty sturdy housing which can get expensive (price depends on materials, labor and what kind of predators you need to deter) as well as feed and special care items. A family member suggested I had "cheap eggs" because my fridge has so many eggs right now, which is definitely not the case. I have eggs because my fluffy-butted orps are out there being happy. We spent years with three hens, and only had to buy a big bag of feed every 2-3 months. Jumping to nine and we go through over a bag a month.

Did you manage to score a black orpington? I'm in western USA and haven't seen that color yet. We have a buff, lavender and chocolates.

 

[MegsAndFeatheredFriends]

Lucky you! Between my first coop
View attachment 4215286
and my current shed to coop conversion with attached run surrounded by electrified poultry netting,
View attachment 4215287
I have at least $3,500 into it.


This is the way to go and it's free. But guess what? Each broody hen is one less egg producer!
View attachment 4215284View attachment 4215285

so $$$$
We are on residential land in town here so we can't have a rooster However the place came with an existing raised coop which has significantly reduced our set up costs. Hubby was able to find things to use at the dump too; like materials, hinges, mesh wire. I'm still doing the math on a few things, but so far I'd estimate approx $400-$500 incl bedding, fencing, overhead netting, feed, chickens.

 

[MegsAndFeatheredFriends]

We have 8 six month old birds and 1 five year old that will likely stop laying in the next few weeks (northern hemisphere). The older bird lays three eggs a week. The young birds still have 3/4 size eggs, but are busy laying (except Theo, who is already broody). So 9 birds, 8 laying, 7 of them at the beginning of peak production age. We are getting 5-8 eggs a day. All are orpingtons.

Bird integration isn't as simple as just adding a bird, you'd need at least two or three new birds. Chickens can be very high school clickish and sometimes bully badly. As others have mentioned, staggering your bird ages allows you to have more consistent egg production, as their peak production years are generally under age three.

I agree with tracking costs and finding a good balance, but I've not met a hobbyist chicken keeper with less than 25+ chickens that breaks even. Chickens require pretty sturdy housing which can get expensive (price depends on materials, labor and what kind of predators you need to deter) as well as feed and special care items. A family member suggested I had "cheap eggs" because my fridge has so many eggs right now, which is definitely not the case. I have eggs because my fluffy-butted orps are out there being happy. We spent years with three hens, and only had to buy a big bag of feed every 2-3 months. Jumping to nine and we go through over a bag a month.

Did you manage to score a black orpington? I'm in western USA and haven't seen that color yet. We have a buff, lavender and chocolates.

good to know!

yes, i have a black orp i'm looking forward to seeing her fully grown. her parents have a beautiful green tinge to their feathers in the sunlight.

 

[Pukkits]

so $$$$
We are on residential land in town here so we can't have a rooster However the place came with an existing raised coop which has significantly reduced our set up costs. Hubby was able to find things to use at the dump too; like materials, hinges, mesh wire. I'm still doing the math on a few things, but so far I'd estimate approx $400-$500 incl bedding, fencing, overhead netting, feed, chickens.

You said it's a raised coop. Like a pre-built from a feed store, or something custom? Please do a size check before you get more birds. Feed stores (in the US anyway) sell coops that advertise how many chickens they house that are greatly exaggerated. Hopefully Australia is better. Chickens need at least one square meter in the coop per bird, and 3 square meters outside per bird.

 

[Pukkits]

good to know!

yes, i have a black orp i'm looking forward to seeing her fully grown. her parents have a beautiful green tinge to their feathers in the sunlight.

I'm envious! I hope to be able to find a black orpington next time we get more chicks in a few years. That or a jubilee orpington. I dream of a flock that's just a rainbow of orpington fluff.