EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

Fixn to start raisin chickens, whats the best chickens for eatn and egg production? I was gonna get 40 head with 4-5 roosters n the rest hens. Should i get 15-20 at first and let them mature and then get the other half? how fast do they mature to laying and eatn size? How big of a roost do that many birds need and whats the proper size to start off with to raise them from chicks? My plans r to free range them, so at what age/size is appropriate to allow them to start runnin loose? Iv got an extra 10x10 section on my elevated kennel platform and was thinkn bout buildn the raising pen on it till they get big enuf to start fendn partialy on their own.

mailman hooks meet up with about 2 dozen eggs a week. we were going to get chickens as well. found out that 6 chickens depending on breed can produce about a dozen eggs each a week. decided not to do chickens. the 1 for eggs are not good for eating. I would try to ask mailman , he is a egg pimp::)

from me.....who else. tapatalk

I've got 10 hens...3 black austrolorp, 3 Rhode Island Red, 3 Buff Orphington and 1 Barred Rock. Those breeds are all pretty good layers but im not sure about the eating part. I'm in to these chickens more for the eggs and their looks (I like the look of these breeds) than eating. I get 3-5 eggs a day. The Austrolorp lay HUGE eggs lol...the orphingtons and barred rocks just normal size.

Eggs not good for eating? I must be missing something.

Raising chickens to eat is a pain , you will have more money an time in them by the time to kill them

To eat would be Cornish rock they the ones that you eat from store ,

Or any big bird like austrolops , Orpingtons , barred rocks they hens will lay eggs an you can eat he roosters

Egg production you will get best eggs from leghorns but they are wimping birds die easy ,

Free rangeing them you better keep the 22 close they can't fly good or run fast , an it's gonna be hard to find all the eggs with them loose

I have has chickens all my life all kinds of them messsage me any more questions an I can help you out I'm posting from my phone right now so not real east to type

I am going to get chickens when I move. The plan is to take an old 10x10 kennel and turn it into a chicken coop. Get them nesting in it and then open the door in the morning so they go find their own food. Then have one of those one way bird doors. The chickens will go back to the coop at night. I do not want any roosters. They crow all day and all night. If I want to reproduce them I will get a rooster and when he is done with what I need he will get fried.

We have a lot of chickens from time to time ,we had 40 something and down to 10 ,  she just ordered some more , they will start laying around 5 to 6 months old , we let are chickens run loose most of the time , bobcats ,hawks,my dogs ,owls coyote etc. Take the toll , she raise the little ones in a cage in the roost and divides it lets them in there a while and when big enough to run with the others she puts them together , we are getting 8 eggs a day with 10 hens and no rooster , Jorge ate him , we don't eat the chickens but have shot a few to eat for my friends , they said they were tough as a boot

We've had over a 100 for a while then got out but if you have any varmints that come around mainly coons you better fence em in good Cuz they will kill em.

We never ate em, just went for the eggs. Had Rhode island reds, Red star. Red star are really good I would go with them! Lay very good and large eggs as well

Golden sexlinks are supposed to produce eggs year round when other breeds slow down or stop in the winter,thats what the feedstore across the street told me and they have a 5000 bird egg farm,i like to see a big variety in chickens when that many are together(30 to 40) youll get a feel for which ones do bettter before too long.

I appriciate the replys, but i can eat yard bird nearly everyday and want them more for consumption than laying, but i also want a bunch to start off with bc when i turn them out to pasture, i expect the yotes, hawks, owls, possums, coons n so forth to get a good bit of them and want good egg layers too, to replace the stolen birds.

iv got game cocks ill sale there readt to roll

He said he wanted birds for eat'n. Game birds are not the best to eat ;D

I'v had chickens all my life also,live out in the country and now want to raise my own chickens for meat and eggs because i will know what they have been feed . The prodocers use medaicatid feeds and to meany antibiotics that are pased on to us . I just got a new shipment of chicks ,just orered 50 this time , chose the new hampshire red this time . There the best meat / egg producers I'v found.I'v got 25 cornish buff comming soon to raise with them . Planning on crossing them for butcher birds. Have incubator for hatching eggs . Will see how this works out ?

I grew up on farm eggs and chicken....my favorite part of the chicken is the neck, gizzard, heart, brains, feet, wings and the back...anyone else could have the rest... :P  :)

when my mama pointed out a chicken it was on...those were some fun days...  :)

We had red star they were real good layers.

How much and what kind bud, thinking about getting a show ready!  ;)

Now that i got a partial list of chickens that r good eatn n good layin. What size pen would be appropriate to raise chicks up to self sufficient age? Should i start with 20 or so and have the nxt 20 or stagered a couple mths? What size roost/layin house would 20-30 chkns need?

We have a 10x12 roost with a doggy door to a 12 x 30 run that's fenced and covered with netting 

How many chkn u keep in the roost? Whats the 12x30 for?

Makes me miss my chickens but we had too many and a massive fully enclosed pen. I'll post a picture of the house we built for them, the roost and laying boxes were in it. Keep my dogs there now lol we pretty much went all in on them I don't even know how big the pen was but we had 120 or so