What size flock do you have?

[Insnesnakos]

8 hens! We love all of them

 

[MysteryChicken]

You have quite the enclave there!

It's been our average throughout the years.

 

[wrathsfarm]

This sounds alot like my surroundings. I didn't think about coons running through the corn during daylight, good point. I'm something like half way through building a 6ft fence around about 2 acres so the birds don't wander astray, then I'll be getting a LGD.

That's sounds great, your way further along than I am. Post pics when you can, I'd love see it.

 

[wrathsfarm]

I'm at 30 birds with 2 broodys sitting on 18 eggs between them. Not sure what the guidelines are for small and big flocks so didn't vote yet.

 

[AGeese]

I'm at 30 birds with 2 broodys sitting on 18 eggs between them. Not sure what the guidelines are for small and big flocks so didn't vote yet.

I think small might be considered 50 or less for homesteaders. If we're going by hen to roo ratio, no chicks then small might be 10 or less.

 

[nuthatched]

You don't have one for Moony, he has infinite chickens.

 

[AGeese]

That's sounds great, your way further along than I am. Post pics when you can, I'd love see it.

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Here's a few pics of the area to be fenced and my yard that is already fenced. I'm using these posts: https://www.menards.com/main/buildi...ed-timber/1112214/p-1444422036847-c-13131.htm

I'm using this for fabric: https://www.menards.com/main/buildi...10024/p-4364363666240283-c-5768.htm?exp=false
(this has continued to climb in price by about 20 bucks a year) the down side to this I found is that rabbits will try to go through it, I've had one get stuck, which I found after it had been half eaten by something the next morning. I have a roll of this left, but I'm going to see if I can find 1"x4" spacing instead of the 2"x4" because when anything goes through the wire bends so hopefully I can find it with smaller gaps.

The gate I made with a kit I found on Amazon, but honestly the zinc coated corner braces you can get anywhere should work just as good.

 

[AGeese]

You don't have one for Moony, he has infinite chickens.

That's what I included "off the charts for"

 

[Ridgerunner]

During the winter, 1 rooster and 6-8 hens. In summer just before I start butchering 1 rooster, 6-8 hens, and around 45 to 50 immature chickens of various ages.

 

[Sono]

I started out raising 6 chicks that we had for 3 years on a 2 acre city property. Then we moved and coons got to them somehow. I ended up building a large coop and run, raised 16 new chicks and have done well for 3 years so far but was getting too many eggs as people just werent buying them as much so I downsized to 9 so far and really only want 6 as it was the perfect balance. The issue I currently have is, Im not getting the super large eggs that my original 6 hens were laying as I cant seem to find the same breed I had ( apparently under the same name but the hens arent as large as what I had ? ) and confusion info everywhere. I had extra large brown eggs that would fill your palm easily, now everything is half that size. Cinnamon Queen, Speckled Sussex, Buff Orpington, Barred Rock, Golen and Silver Laced Wyandotte, Americaunas and a couple others I forgot the names. But which breeds lay the massive brown eggs?