Me Again, should I get 6 chooks?

[electricbarbarella]

Dh says that if I want to I can order an extension and get more chooks, was getting 4 in a cube, should I?
LadytHH how many have you got in yours?
Anyone else, will I want more if I get 4 I am already addicted and they aren't even here yet.

I have 4 coming with my cube, but would like 2 more. I went to look at some yesterday and they were £50 each!!

They had chicks at £5 each, but I don't know enough yet whether or when I can put them in with the ones I get from Omlet

£50 the ones I am getting are £10 each. and all differetn breads.
You are getting a big pen thing though aren't you, I need to decide whether to order the extension or not.
Why is this week passing so slowly?
I am also a bit worried after reading about deliveries as mine is coming on courier.

if youre intending to keep them in, then yeah, idget the extension. i have 6 omlet hens in mine, with the extension and it looks really crowded in there when theyre all bustling to get out in the mornings (we're lucky to live on an old farm with loads of room for them to free range).
bloody pricey though, the extension... £100 ! and it doesnt actually provide much more room imo.
if i had them living in a pen most of the time, id prob want to make or adapt something much bigger and attach the cube to that.

are the 50 quid hens made of gold perchance?

£50 for a chicken & £5 for a chick is very expensive - what breeds were they? The last time I bought POL Pure Bred Sussex hens they were £10 each. Marans, Wellsummers, Wyandottes, Black Rocks, Amber Stars etc should all be around the same price.

Leghorns, Orpies, Cochins are usually a bit more expensive. A lot of the new hybrids that are bred for large numbers of eggs often stop laying in their 2nd year so avoid those.

I think the consensus is that the Omlet Cube can take 6 hens nicely but the run is too small.

I've just bought 2 new hybrids, they cost £15 and £17 at POL, which was a little more than I could have paid at the other place I went to, but the hens were FAR nicer, and it was a lovely lovely chicken lady, so I was much happier getting them from her.

You can't put chicks in with POL hens until they're about 21-22 weeks - otherwise they will murder them . I've just put 2 POL hens in with my 1 year old formerly-docile Goldline, and they have their work cut out coping with her!

Personally, I would go for the 4, and then later on you can always add to them, but it is quite surprising how 'full' a run can look - the hens are bigger than you might imagine. Also, 6 make a LOT more poo to clear up!

What breeds did you decide on?

You'll be over run with eggs as well!

Agree. I have 7 bantams in my cube run normally and I wouldn tonly put one or two more in. they're a lot smaller too so it may be better to get the 4 then increase when you can see how many would be good.