Which should I do?(chickens)

**Kerjack** · 10-23-2009, 02:14 PM

Ok so I am planning on buying some chickens. Now I have 2 options. I can either;
-Buy 2 1pr Buff Cochins for $30, about 30 ins away.
or
-Buy 5 brown Laying hens for $10($2 each), about 1.5 hours away.

Which would seem the most logical.

**Kerjack** · 10-23-2009, 03:18 PM

Oh and there are also Silkie Chicks for $5 each, and they are about 1 hour the opposite way of the other one.

**KatieInLa2** · 10-23-2009, 04:06 PM

If you are wanting eggs, I would get the 5 hens if they are young and have just started to lay. Older hens won't lay as many eggs.

In the spring our feed stores usually have baby chicks. You can get pullets (grow into hens not roosters) and they will order a specific breed if you ask them. I usually get the baby chicks in the spring.

**_kit** · 10-23-2009, 04:12 PM

I'm not sure you've really given enough information to offer a good suggestion but here are a few things that popped into my head to consider...

1. If you're trying to purchase chickens for their eggs, what are the ages of the chickens you'd be purchasing? The best deal would be to buy pullets that have just started laying. If the chickens are more than a couple of years old you may not get many eggs because they really slow down when they're older.

2. Do you have a chicken coop or some place to keep the chickens? If so, how much room do you have? If you only have enough room for 2 chickens, get the two chickens.

3. How much gas will it take for you to get the birds and how much is gas in your area? I track mileage and maintenance statistics on my car and I know that my cost of ownership is $10.17 per 100 miles. If one set of chickens is 30 minutes away and the other set is an hour and a half away, what's your gas cost for the hour difference? My guess is that it's probably not all that much.

4. Do you have a personal preference over the breed of chicken you own? Some people care, some don't.

5. How many eggs are you hoping to get? If you don't use many eggs per week, getting a smaller number of chickens might make more sense.

6. How many chickens can you afford to take care of? The difference between 2 chickens and 5 chickens in terms of feed isn't that much but I don't know how tight your budget is.

I hope this helps you figure out which is the best deal for you!

**ladytoysdream** · 10-23-2009, 05:48 PM

Okay, first a few questions.

Do you have a coop or a barn to keep them in ?
Buying chickens first and then building them a place to live in, might be real interesting till you get it done.

How close are the neighbors ?
Remember roosters like to crow and they do eat their share of food also.

Are you wanting to raise a few birds ?
If so, you will of course need a rooster. But you could put that off till late winter or early spring.

How many eggs a day are you looking to get ?
If you want a minimum of 4, I would suggest 5 or 6 hens. They skip a day once in awhile. So figure on about 6 eggs per bird per week.

How old are the 5 brown laying hens ?
Hens are a good place to start but if they are too old, then they might be heading into a molt.

What are you planning on feeding them ?
We use a laying mash with cracked corn mixed in. We had stuff from the garden and I also have some food in the freezer for them. Quite a bit of bread for treats. Ours like fruit. They will eat veggies too but seem to have their preferences.

Lights in their coop.
You may have to give them more light per day to keep them laying. Short daylight hours are not a good thing for chickens.

Without knowing what your gas mileage is for your vehicle, my gut reaction is the 5 laying hens. BUT it will depend on their age.
If you have the room and they have extra birds, maybe 10 hens.

**Kerjack** · 10-23-2009, 06:46 PM

Thanks everyone! To answer the majority of the questions.

-They will be housed in a barn and have a fair bit of room to play with.
-I'm still not sure of the age of the 5 laying hens. But I have the number so I will be asking him tomorrow.
-Based on an online calculator it will cost me about $35 in gas to get there.
-I'm not picking with the breeds, I'm just starting out

.
-I'm basically happy with whatever I get in terms of eggs.
-I've priced out bags of feed at my local co-op and for a 55 lb. bag of crumb/mash feed it's $14.95, something I will be able to afford.
-I'm not to worried about raising any just yet, maybe in the future.
-I'm going to be able to put a light in the barn for them and have semi priced out the cost of that and can easily afford that as well.

I just have a question now, how old is too old for the 5 laying hens?

**sue s** · 10-23-2009, 07:18 PM

I would pass if they are 3 year or older. If you woud like to raise a few chicks a rooster will be needed and find out the breed. Some breeds are better sitters than others.