Layer Chicken Prices?

[WoodieSC]

I'm trying to figure out what a fair price would be for some American Game Hens that we think are about 2-3 years old. All seven of them are layers, with two brooding(?) right now. Since Jim and I are both pretty new at this hobby, there's a ton we know we don't know, and pricing, other than chicks at the feed store, is one of them.

I'm trying to trade some of them for a few Australorps, but the lady's grandson says he'd like to buy 5-7 of them instead, but we need to figure out a fair price.

Also, the chicken flock Jim basically adopted from his 83 year old neighbor, and I'm just assisting with, consists of about 4-5 Plymouth Rock hens, 7(?) Game hens, and maybe 8(?) Rhode Island Reds... with another Rhode Island Red currently raising 8 chicks that are a little over 4 weeks old. There's another one or two hens I didn't recognize when I was over there the other evening, so not sure what they are.

We're trying to figure out what a good mix would be for the flock? I'm thinking we should keep the 4 Plymouth Rock hens, trade the Game hens for some Australorps, or just sell them outright to cover feed costs, and keep the Rhode Island hens and chicks, for now. And then once the chicks get to 5-6 months and start laying we can take another look at the mix. But this is just a wild ass guesstimate.

What do you guys who have some experience say? We're not into an exotic flock, it's just for eggs for a bunch of us, with some paying $x/dozen and others just chipping in for feed costs.

Thanks.

[wob]

They're just chickens.

But if you want eggs, game birds aren't what you're looking for.

[wob]

I've got 4 comets that are a year old, 4 rhode islands that are a year old, one leghorn that's probably 3 years old, one rhode island that got off of the ship with Noah, and a game rooster that I thought was a hen when he was young. I get seven to eleven aggs per day. Average 8.5 I'm guessing.

[WoodieSC]

They're just chickens.

But if you want eggs, game birds aren't what you're looking for.

That's what I originally figured, until Jim said that his game hens beat the crap out of a few of the Rhode Island Reds if/when they get off their nests. Ironically, the game hens do lay a number of eggs, but their personality belongs in someone else's flock.

We just weren't sure whether there were other mix issues of different birds to be aware of.

And, do we need to add any roosters if we're going to have upwards of 20+ or so hens. I thought I read somewhere that you want 1 rooster per dozen hens, but do they keep themselves in separate groups, or do they need to be kept separated if there's two roosters?

[Johnny Reb]

With multiple roosters together in a contained flock, everything can be fine for days, weeks, months, etc. and then one day you will come home to a blood bath.


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[WoodieSC]

With multiple roosters together in a contained flock, everything can be fine for days, weeks, months, etc. and then one day you will come home to a blood bath.


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I assumed that to be the case, just like one guy deciding he wants to try out one of the other guy's harem.

These chickens have two large sections of an old tractor shed, plus two extra roosting rooms, and are let out into a large, fenced, horse pasture during the day, so there is plenty of room to roam. But I guess the testosterone kicks in eventually.

As for the blood bath, as long as it's just between the roosters, that could be time to heat up the grill since the tougher one usually wins, right? Or does the winner go one to beat up the other's hens like a maniac?