# Want Fresh Eggs



## mrbackyard (Apr 23, 2019)

Hi everyone

I am new to the world of organic farming and wanted to buy a couple of chickens to buy for my family.

We are four people and I'm not sure how many chickens I should buy? Do chickens give eggs daily? How many would I need if I want to feed my family some eggs on a daily basis.?

Thanks a lot


----------



## AlleysChicks (Apr 23, 2019)

A single chicken gives 1 egg roughly every 24-26 hours. Some breeds lay better than others, and some are poor layers. So if your family eats say 8 eggs total in the morning then you’d need at least 8 birds. And that’s if they’d lay every day.


----------



## B&B Happy goats (Apr 23, 2019)

Hello Mr.Backyard, welcome to BYH from Florida, chickens are addicting....can't have just a few, lol
There are alot of really great people on this site and there is a world of information available. ...we love pictures, and if you have any questions, just post away....


----------



## Rammy (Apr 23, 2019)

The chickens Ive had, RIR, BR, or Leghorns are consistent layers. Chickens can live 8-10 years,  but lay good for only 2-4 years depending on the breed. So getting hens to lay fresh organic eggs is a good idea, but are you prepared to cull or keep non laying older hens when they "retire"?


----------



## Sheepshape (Apr 24, 2019)

mrbackyard....greetings!

Now there are chickens and there are chickens......I'm not being obscure here. If you want a good supply of eggs, then buy yourself some hybrid (brown) egg layers at point-of-lay and they will produce 6 days out of 7 for 2-3 years, then they will tail off a lot. In the first year (as pullets....hens under a year of age), they will lay throughout the year, but in their second year they will almost certainly cease laying during the darkest months of the year. Artificial light can persuade them to lay all year round. Generally they only live to a maximum of 5 years and have a tendency to get ovarian and other reproductive cancers as they get older.

If you want 'glamour' around the place, then go for the big pedigrees.....my personal favourites are Brahmas, but Buff oRpington, Jersey Giant etc....they look wonderful (especially the showy roosters). They're long livers (up to 10 years), but often don't start laying until they are 6-8 months, lay less often and then go broody. Did I mention they go broody?.....I've had Brahma hens who have spent the greater part of their lives broody....but I still love 'em. now if you want to have a growing flock, buy a trio (2 hens and a rooster) of Brahmas......from 3 to 33 in a year. On the plus side, they don't get reproductive cancers and everybody says....'Oh what beautiful birds'.




 

Brahmas (and a sack of silage)


----------



## Alaskan (Apr 24, 2019)

mrbackyard said:


> Hi everyone
> 
> I am new to the world of organic farming and wanted to buy a couple of chickens to buy for my family.
> 
> ...


Unless you replace your hens every year or two.....egg production is feast or famine.

But then, I live where it gets DARK.

So....  if I wanted to know I would have 4 eggs every morning year round.. I would have 10 hens.  And add a couple of young females every year or two.


----------



## AmberLops (Apr 24, 2019)

Welcome to BYH from Tennessee!! 
About the eggs...it really depends on what breed you get. As everyone else has said so far, some breeds are better layers than others.
Rhode Island Reds, Leghorns and Sussex are the most productive layers.


----------



## Baymule (Apr 25, 2019)

The cross bred chickens lay the best, black or red sex links. They are called sex links because the hens and roosters are different colors at hatching. They lay like crazy for 2 years, 3 at the most. I used to be limited to how many I could comfortably keep, so I got 6 chicks every spring and butchered the 6 oldest layers every fall. They were on a 3 year rotation. Old layers make some good chicken and dumplings. 
You don't need a rooster to get eggs. I never kept a rooster until a few years ago.


----------



## Sheepshape (Apr 25, 2019)

Baymule said:


> You don't need a rooster to get eggs.


Very true, nor do you need a rooster (or even eggs for that matter) for them to be broody. However if you like a bit of eye candy ( a lot of crowing and the possibility of aggression) then a rooster is you bag. I love having roosters around. With the proviso  that they aren't aggressive, then they keep the ladies in order, guard them when they are laying, and will even try to repulse smaller predators. However, more than one and they usually fight and crow incessantly about who is 'alpha'.


----------



## Rammy (Apr 25, 2019)

My sister came to see my chickens once and asked how can they get pregnant if you dont have a rooster?


----------



## AmberLops (Apr 25, 2019)

Rammy said:


> My sister came to see my chickens once and asked how can they get pregnant if you dont have a rooster?


HA HA HA!


----------

