Can I raise chickens for eggs without a rooster?

[teestayovahea]

Aloha Everyone! I live in Honolulu, Hawaii and I heard hens won't lay eggs without a rooster around. I live in an area where in my opinion would be hard to have chickens with roosters making there noises. I have nice neighbor but if they heard roosters crowing, I think they'd burn me at the stake like those salem witch hunt days! This is a upper-middle class to middle class neighborhood not far from Waikiki. Is it possible to have only hens to lay eggs without a rooster around? I'd love to have fresh eggs. My boyfriend loves eggs and can go threw 2 dozen eggs or more in one week! If I can have fresh eggs this would help supplement the cost at the grocery store. I'm going to be growing a lot of food soon too, to help out with cost. Were gettin a few rabbits tomorrow. My boyfriend will be helping me to make a chicken tractor that Patti shows us for the rabbits. Just wondering if there is a way I can have chickens without driving my neighbors insane. I'm a newbie to this organic gardening so please bare with me. Thanks! :p

[Aspen]

The story that you need a rooster to get eggs is not true. Remember, females of many species, including humans, go through their reproductive cycle and produce eggs with or without a male around. Your hens will lay just fine without a rooster.

If I lived in an urban area, I would probably have only three hens. I live out in the boonies so I have 12 and am looking to get more soon.

[Fred's Fine Fowl]

It's true that you don't need a rooster for eggs...

One thing which caught my eye about your situation there on Hawaii... that you were hoping to save money by raising your own birds.

This is actually not frequently pulled off when rearing your own birds, and in this case in a chicken tractor exclusively? You'll be feeding prepared rations, I'm guessing, and you'll probably toss in suitable table scraps.

In the end, you will probably actually be paying more for your own eggs than those you get from the grocery. Hard to beat a dollar, or 60 cents per dozen.

What you do get, is control over the life of the birds and what they are eating. The draw is, that you are taking care of animals which also do a good turn for you and your family.

Today, anyone who thinks they are going to make or save money raising their own birds and gathering the eggs, will be disappointed in the end. If you are lucky, you'll break even.

Not every hen will remain in lay.... but she will still eat.

They will eventually molt, which will take them from the laying pool... for many weeks... yet she will still eat.

Since you don't have a rooster, you'll buy in replacement birds and will have to rear them up to laying age, normally 4-5 months of age. Add in all the feed and bedding you've expended to get them to that age.

Your chickens will lay really well for around 18 months, then begin to decline.

Many of the hybrids actually burn out and lay drops by as much as 50% after the first 18 months of age. So, you then start your cycle all over again. Pure bred birds generally hold up for a much longer period of time and lay for many years with great regularity, save for during molting.

I only bring this up, so no one is thinking they will save huge on their grocery bill in the egg category. Even the meat chickens will cost more after being fed, reared and butchered, than what you may buy ready to go at your local meat market. Again, what you get for your money, is a great experience, a recycling team, fertilizer factory (small scale) bug disposal and wonderful healthy foods... Not to mention, that chickens are great fun to have around.

Happy Chicken Rearing....

Fred

www.FredsFineFowl.com

[teestayovahea]

So informative. That is what I wanted. Thank you so much. Since money has been tight for now I will hold off on buying the chickens until things start easing up. I'm trying to also give my son a wonderful experience. I do see the benefit of having chickens around for more then just eggs. I found a hatchery near by when we are ready. Got to get ready now to pick up my bunnies! I'm so excited! Thanks again Fred and Aspen!

[Aspen]

Bunnies?! Tell me about your bunnies! I love my bunnies! They stay in their cages in the living room until I let them out to play. Having these sweet animals has been the most amazing experience!

[teestayovahea]

Just got home from picking them up. The lady who I got them from rescued them from someone who no longer wanted them. One is a Velvateen rabbit, male, and he's a little old. The female is a Dwarf, she's an older Mama. They are really beautiful and mellow. We drove to the est side of my island. It was a nice drive. The whole trip took about 2 1/2 - 3 hours. She set me up with food, hay and some veggies for them. She was sad to see them go but she said she was very picky with who she was giving them away for free too. I don't blame her. They are in a temporary bunny house, until I can build them a permanent home. The lady didn't really have names for them so I named the female Little Mama and my son named the male Buster after the rabbit cartoon in that PBS cartoon named Arther. They seem happy yet lost. I hope it doesn't take them that long to get adjusted. We are happy. I just hope we can make their permanent house in April. (((I don't have them in a small confine area, so I'm not too worried))) But I'd like to give them way more room so they have running room and also cause I plan to get at least 2 or 3 more bunnies. Buster and Little Mama are sleeping right now so I think everything is ok. :0)