Getting Started: How Many Hens Are Right for You

Reader Contribution by Corinne Gompf and Heritage Harvest Farm
Published on July 11, 2018
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Elizabeth B. writes: I have always wanted backyard chickens after having a favorite hen as a child. How much space do you think I need minimum and what’s a good number to start with if I just want eggs and companionship? How can I be sure to get hens and where do you get them? Do you order them?

Great questions, Elizabeth! It’s great to hear of your interest in starting a backyard flock. I completely understand your attachment to your favorite hen. We feel the same way about our rooster, Big Papa. He’s four years old, and we hope he lives forever! I asked my daughter, Emery, how many she thought you should start out with, and her response was 50! Keep in mind, she’s six years old, and at the most, we had 250 layers for egg sales at farmers’ markets. So, 50 hens wouldn’t be that many for us.

Seriously, whenever someone asks me about getting started, I always recommend one hen per person in your family, or two per person if you want to buy heritage or fancy breeds that may not lay every day, or you want to share or sell a few dozens to friends, family, or neighbors. We are a family of four, and we currently have nine laying hens and a rooster. I have enough eggs for us to use (I bake a lot), and my friend Julie trades meat for our eggs. If you are single, I would still recommend a minimum of three hens for your starter flock because of their social nature and they like to roost at night in a group.

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