24-Bird Flock
24-Bird Egg Business
The threshold at which selling eggs at farmers markets becomes worth the licensing and accounting overhead — 24 laying hens produce roughly 12-18 dozen per week.
A 24-bird egg business is ideal for: Side-hustle egg sales, market vendors, rural homesteads. Annual feed cost: $600-900.
Below you will find breed-purpose guides filtered to this flock size, organized by climate zone for each breed category.
Breed Categories for 24-Bird Egg Business
Eggs + Meat
Heritage Dual-Purpose
Plymouth Rock, Wyandotte
Eggs
Prolific Layer
Leghorn, Australorp
Eggs in Cold Climates
Cold-Hardy Layer
Chantecler, Buckeye
Eggs in Hot Climates
Heat-Tolerant Layer
Leghorn, Minorca
Meat
Meat Broiler
Cornish Cross, Freedom Ranger
Show / Small-Lot Egg
Bantam & Ornamental
Serama, Belgian d'Uccle
Brooding / Small-Scale Hatching
Silkie & Broody
Silkie, Cochin
Eggs (no surprise roosters)
Sex-Link Hybrid
Golden Comet, Black Star
Conservation / Eggs + Meat
Rare & Conservation
Buckeye, Java