We have about 20 hens, plus several roosters. Average about a dozen eggs a day in the winter, 16 or so in the warmer months. Some of our girls are older, so they don't lay as often.
The homegrown eggs certainly are better than store bought. We sell most of ours but it's nice to have fresh ones handy.

If you find a local feed mill, their grains are typically higher protein than the big name brands, and ours produce much better with the 22 percent protein than the 16 percent we buy at Rural King.

If you end up with roosters, it's ok as long as your neighborhood allows them. We have two roosters in each pen plus 3-4 yard roosters and they all seem to get along just fine.

Just a FYI in case you order your chicks online.

We usually buy our chicks from McMurray hatchery. We have had good luck having the chicks shipped to our local post office. Our chicks would arrive within 24 hours from being shipped.
This time around, we ordered 10 ISA brown chicks from Tractor Supply. They got held up at the dysfunctional shit-hole known as "Memphis USPS Network Distribution Center". They sat there for 2 days before arriving at our local post office. We picked them up this morning and all were dead.

quote:

Originally posted by Jupiter:

we ordered 10 ISA brown chicks from Tractor Supply. They got held up at the dysfunctional shit-hole known as "Memphis USPS Network Distribution Center". They sat there for 2 days before arriving at our local post office. We picked them up this morning and all were dead.

Can you order them shipped to your local Tractor Supply, for you to pick up there?

quote:

Originally posted by Jupiter:
Just a FYI in case you order your chicks online.

We usually buy our chicks from McMurray hatchery. We have had good luck having the chicks shipped to our local post office. Our chicks would arrive within 24 hours from being shipped.
This time around, we ordered 10 ISA brown chicks from Tractor Supply. They got held up at the dysfunctional shit-hole known as "Memphis USPS Network Distribution Center". They sat there for 2 days before arriving at our local post office. We picked them up this morning and all were dead.

Tractor Supply usually uses Hoover Hatchery in Rudd, IA. Murray McMurray is also in IA so likely the same USPS shipping route.

Valley Farms Hatchery is in Alabama so perhaps the USPS wouldn't ship through Memphis for you. They sell brown sexlinks which are pretty similar to IsaBrowns. One YouTuber I follow gets his checks from Valley Farms. They're about 150 miles from Memphis so perhaps in driving distance for you.

Heritage Pullets in Big Timber, MT sells them (and ships anywhere as I understand it) already aged. I've gotten layers from them for several years and they arrive nearly ready to begin laying (not baby chicks), maybe a couple of weeks if that. I only do Red Island Rhodes( ) and have been very pleased with them. They ship through USPS and toss a hunk of apple in the box for them to nibble on during the trip.. From there to me is a pretty short trip, not sure what they do for longer shipping.

They are a bit spendy, though, with the additional shipping charge.

Also, something I learned as a youngin', do not keep your feed (unbagged) in a new galvanized trash can. They are great storage places for chicken feed to keep the critters out of it, but the girls can (and will) get zinc toxicity from it leaching into the feed. They'll act very drunk and then they die. Just put the bag in the can.

Also also, McMurry is decent. If you're looking for meat birds Dunlap Hatchery in Caldwell, ID is top notch. Like anything anything anywhere, though, their prices are going up. Still about equal to a store-bought bird in the end price wise (maybe a little less), but so much better. And butchering day is always fun.

If you want to get into meat birds, splurge on a plucker or build one. Trust me. It makes the job so much easier. I can get through 25 birds in a couple hours. Livers, hearts, gizzards (ick...the dog loves them though), parted up and tossed in the ice bath in a couple hours. Vacuum sealed and in the freezer the next day.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
Can you order them shipped to your local Tractor Supply, for you to pick up there?

In hindsight, that would have been a better option, V-Tail.

We dropped by Tractor Supply to let them know what happened. They had some baby chicks in stock. Not the ISA Browns but some other kinds. They let us pick 10 from the ones they had in stock. We ended up with 5 Black Sex-Link and 5 Sapphire Gem chicks.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
Valley Farms Hatchery is in Alabama so perhaps the USPS wouldn't ship through Memphis for you, They sell brown sexlinks which are pretty similar to IsaBrowns.

We hope the Black Sexlinks are the same as the Black Stars we have. They have been excellent. We routinely get eggs over 2.7 ounces.

OP - looking forward to future egg reports

quote:

Originally posted by lastmanstanding:
...I have read that once they are refrigerated they need to be kept that way. ...

That's what I was told as well. Also, if the protective coating was washed off, in the fridge they go.

The local apple orchard used to sell fresh (not refrigerated) eggs from their hens. I'm not sure what he fed them (said it was from a local shop), but I've never had a tastier egg. He stopped due to medical reasons, so alas no more eggs from there.

We've been buying from another local place that are nearly as good, but they're already refrigerated. Once in awhile I get one that tastes a bit fishy which is a little off putting.