Author Topic: Expanding flock (Read 2091 times)

Declan · « **on:** December 01, 2009, 12:07:54 pm »

I've started out with only 3 hybrid hens and all went well this year- still getting my 3 eggs every day. At the time I purchased a hen house to house 6-7 birds
Now I am incubating 15 RIR and Light Sussex eggs with a view to keeping the hens and selling the cockerals, possibly keeping one. If I successfully hatch 10-12 and assuming half are hens I will need additional housing.

Thinking long term about housing and pens can I get another house to supplement the one I've got. Will the birds sort themselves out if I do this or do i need to replace the coop i've got with one larger one.

With regard to the run- we've got foxes in the area and to be honest I don't mind- my dogs seem to keep them away. It is my intention that whenever I am around (I work largely from home) I would let them out into the field- possibly within an electric fenced area. Otherwise I would put them into a large covered run currently under construction- not unlike the ones you see in PP.
Is there anything wrong with my thinking- or can anyone suggest any better ideas?

gavo · « **Reply #1 on:** December 01, 2009, 12:17:34 pm »

Just add another house they sort out where they want to sleep the rest sounds fine to me. ENJOY

shetlandpaul · « **Reply #2 on:** December 01, 2009, 01:10:48 pm »

as the saying goes don't count your chickens before they hatch. you may have 12 eggs and you may get say a 75% hatch rate and if your lucky you will get half females that comes out at either 4-5 hens expect to lose one during brooding and you may not need any extra housing. are you sure your going to find a home for the males not much demand i am afraid. so the options are wait until you can tell the gender and the cull them or raise them and eat them.
but your looking at 2 months of brooding at this time of year.

Daisys Mum · « **Reply #3 on:** December 01, 2009, 09:35:44 pm »

I have 32 hens and two hen houses, 1 takes 12-15 birds and the other takes 20-30. Guess which one they all sleep in? Yep the little one, no matter how often I sort them out and put some in the big house they still all go where they want.

doganjo · « **Reply #4 on:** December 01, 2009, 11:20:00 pm »

Mine are the same. I have a lovely 6 x 4 shed with perches, a shelf, loads of straw, two nest boxes and a dirty smelly duckshed with no floor just deep litter/straw/shavings - yuk! Will clean it out when I can get some strong men to move it. But only teh cockerel and his white LS friend go in the shed. The 7 ex batts and the four ducks go in the mucky duckshed.