Chicken Math Got Me!!!

By: crystals coop

Posted 9/23/12 • Last updated 10/8/12 • 1837 views • 21 comments

My husband came home with 2 cute bantam partridge cochins last year from a Craft and Critter Sale that our friend was having.

Fred

Wilma

He also picked up this little A-frame chicken tractor for them.

Our friend kindly kept them over the winter for us in her coop.

Oh wait! Now there are 3!! I have been gifted a bantam frizzle cochin!

Matilda

She is the boss chicken of my coop no matter how many more I have added!

It is quite funny to watch her pick on and chase the others as she is so little, white and fluffy!

Even the roosters make sure she has her space!

My happy little trio in our garage

Now it's Spring of 2012. Would I like to attend a poultry auction with our friends? Why yes! Yes I would!

I was outbid on a set of bantam cochin hens, so somehow I end up with a STANDARD splash cochin!

I guess my original idea of only raising Bantams just flew out the window!

Bunny

As a fabulous surprise, my husband, his uncle and parents, purchased me a kids' playhouse they found on Kijiji so I could have a nice coop for my growing collection! We got to work modifying it, insulating, wiring, and adding a run.

YIKES! A predator already??!!!

The finished product!

Uh-oh! Seems I have 2 broody hens! I wonder what would happen if I put a few eggs underneath???

Eeeek! No time to paint the inside of the new coop - one of the eggs is peeping! I need the garage as a nursery!! Everybody out!

But first, add a Dark Cornish Hen to the mix!

Sausage

One successful egg! Wilma is a great mother!

Chicklet

Might as well get to work stocking up the coop!

Ostrich (a Maran I think!)

Penny (bantam Cochin)

Freckles (hen) and Pickles (rooster) - Silkies

Foghorn and Leghorn - Cochin hens

Everyone out enjoying the sun!

Naptime on the roost!

Watermelon is definitely a favorite!

Time for Chicklet to leave the nest - Wilma is broody again!

Sold him to a lovely lady for $10 who actually wanted a bantam cochin rooster for her hens!

Back to the nursery for Wilma - she hatched triplets this time!

Mac Chicken, Mac Nugget, and Button! Sept 21/12

So my current Chicken Math is : Start out with 2 and add 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 hatch + 1 + 1 + 2 + 2 - 1 sold + 3 hatch = FOURTEEN!!

Already getting the urge to build another coop so I can start raising Frizzle Cochins!

Of course, Matilda and I would have to be co-managers of the Frizzle Factory....

Hope you enjoyed reading about my favorite hobby!

Crystal's Coop

Leduc County, Alberta

Canada

UPDATE: OCT 3RD/12

So this time my logic for adding 3 more bantam hens this weekend was that "Winter is coming. I might need a few extra chickens so everyone stays warm in the coop!"

JAMIE HYNEMANN AND LANNY MACDONALD

(not sure what kind these are but they look like they have moustaches!)

CHUCKLES - Bantam Barred Cochin

Oh, and my husband found this advertised for FREE and brought it home. Springtime project has arrived!!!!!

Oct 8/12

Sad news today. Poor old Matilda went up to the big nesting box in chicken heaven this morning.

Was quite a shock for me - I cried and cried *sob*

She will be dearly missed - RIP Matilda Chicken

Comments (21)

cluckitall 9/23/12 at 9:34am

LOL! Believe me, I understand :-) I bought a mini-flock of nine this past June from a lady who was thinning out her herd a bit (she had over a hundred!), assorted Plymouth Rocks and a cuckoo marans rooster -- and yes, I'm no expert, but Ostrich looks exactly like my adolescents right now so I'm guessing you're right :-) Then I decided to build an incubator and hatch out five eggs, plus I went and bought six more chicks from Meyer Hatchery, which is about 15 miles from here. (It's really, really hard to avoid temptation when you've got a hatchery nearby!) Gave away three of the original nine that were less productive and being picked on by the others to make room for the newbies, so right now I have six, plus eleven month-old youngsters and, well... I had to set some more eggs. Plus Meyer FINALLY had some Delawares available and, well, currently there are eight eggs in the incubator and 14 more chicks on order. AUGH!!!!
I love your coop -- the paintings are a WONDERFUL touch!!! And your chickies are beautiful! Fat and happy -- your blue cochin is gorgeous :-) Haven't gotten any cochins yet, but when the new ones arrive, I'll have my original rocks, a dozen or so rock/maran mutts, two australorps, two columbian wyandotte, two silver-laced wyandotte, two NH reds (one a rooster, for sex-links!), two RIR, two Delaware, one speckled Sussex, one buff brahma, one golden lakenvelder just 'cause, and a buff brahma. I have to try as many breeds as I can before I decide which ones I like the best, right? ;-) And I haven't even started experimenting with bantams yet... Hee!
Matilda is delightful! I can tell she's got a ton of personality.

Mac14 9/23/12 at 11:05am

Love your story on how it kept growing! :)

Chicken Tamer 9/23/12 at 11:57am

HA HA same here I started with 2 hens and a rooster now I have around 30 chickens, 14 ducks, 2 geese, and 2 turkeys!!! LOL

crystals coop 9/23/12 at 3:45pm

Thanks so much everyone! I have never had a hobby I have enjoyed as much as this one! And I'm sure if I didn't already work full-time
away from home, my chicken math would amount to waaaaaaaaay more. Haven't tried an incubator yet - I'm really new at this, so I thought doing it the old-fashioned way with Wilma would be easier for me not to screw it up! Hahahah! And I have been very lucky introducing new birds to the group - one or two at a time and haven't had any issues =)

BYC Project Manager 10/5/12 at 9:19am

Congratulations, we've chosen one of your chicken pics for the Picture Of the Week. Thanks for posting your chickens to our "My Chickens" pages! You can find more info about our POW here: BYC POW process.

Amerraucana101 10/5/12 at 11:08am

Great coop and birds

rekkas peeps 10/5/12 at 11:30am

I love all ur babies!!! great job on coop #1 and good luck with coop #2!!!!

harriedhomemaker 10/5/12 at 1:54pm

What a fun story to read!

Peepsicle 10/5/12 at 4:59pm

So CUTE!!!!! We have a Rhode Island Red pullet, Peep, A Buff Orpington pullet, Sunny, a Barred Rock pullet, Lady Lacey, and a Barred Rock cockerel, Speckles, whom we will have to find a home for as soon as he starts crowing.

SupaChickn 10/5/12 at 10:37pm

LOL Love your "Chicken Math". Its kinda like mine. I started out with Six tho.... 5 hens 1 rooster. 4yrs later we now have 40 lol 21 of which are bantams and i have a broody mama (susie) sitting on 16 eggs that will hatch in 3 days. Wish us luck :)

Onna 10/6/12 at 12:31am

The look on your face when your husband had begin to redo a playhouse for you and your chickens is priceless. You just look so happy. I love the Cochin breed. I have just one lil red hen and I'm looking forward to her hatching out peeps for me next spring. Thank you for sharing your story, I enjoyed your hummer.