Chicken math prevailed!

[MissMarple]

Just get a couple of silky hens and they are great broody hens for hatching. They are poor mothers so a small brooder might be a good investment
My crossbeak rooster recovered and is lap sitting right now.

Silkies are on my list for Spring, for sure!

 

[Bcolpetzer]

Time to build another coop! Or make your's bigger! Plenty of time before Spring!! haha! After what I saw at TSC yesterday (I could not sleep) with the ducklings, I'm ready to build a duck house as well. Just bring home all the babies. Do you have good luck with ordering them? I've been looking at Cackle Hatchery the last couple of days. Not for now, I'm bad enough, but Chicken Man did tell me to make a wish list. Okay, so, he assumed I was making a wish list already and he was right... but he wasn't mad about it.

I recently bought guinea fowl through tractor supply website. Hoover’s hatchery. My chicks was shipped the following Tuesday, arrived on Thursday and was all perfect. I was so worried about them being shipped. But it all worked out. I will order turkeys in the spring.

 

[MissMarple]

I recently bought guinea fowl through tractor supply website. Hoover’s hatchery. My chicks was shipped the following Tuesday, arrived on Thursday and was all perfect. I was so worried about them being shipped. But it all worked out. I will order turkeys in the spring.

Awesome!! I think I may just have to try out some shipping next year! Now that I've had my fun with grab bag bins and have researched way more and know what chicks I'm looking at (for the most part) when I see them (the manager at TSC at least was honest today and when I called the chicks by their names he said, "Whatever you say, I'll take your word for it!" but he hates them. Lol) I'm ready to get specific ones I want rather than a mish-mash of something I may not actually want or may already have more than enough of.

 

[VictoriaTemple]

Me: Jesus, I need help. I'm broke, disabled, abused, depressed, unemployable, and at the end of my rope. I'm on my way to see You a lot sooner than I thought, and I don't think either of us are ready for it. What do I do?

Jesus: Get chickens.

Me: Chickens?

Jesus: Uh huh.

Me: Um... Ok. I always wanted to...hey, I can do this! I can figure this out! I can do the minimal work, I can handle the joy and the losses, I LOVE my roosters' crowing and my hen's delicious miraculous eggs, I'm getting up in the morning, I'm meeting people, I'm planning generations of chicks ahead, this really iS good for me! Wow Jesus, You really were right! Thank you so much!

Jesus: You're welcome.

Me: For the first time in my life, life seems almost...livable.

Jesus: That's great.

Me: But just one quick question please...Jesus, when did 3+6 start to =17?

Jesus: ...

Me: Jesus?

Jesus: Life isn't supposed to make sense. Besides, how do you think I breed them?!



(I love Jesus. And my chickens.)

 

[dirkandlorie]

Wow, I love this thread! After reading all these posts, I've discovered I have self control! Lol And if I show these posts to my husband, he'll be so impressed that I don't have 100 plus chickens, he'll let me go buy some more! Your chicken math can work to my favor! Seriously though, all my girls I've bought at Stockdales, a feed supply store. Never gotten a roo or an unhealthy chick or a mislabeled peep. Different varieties every year, and take requests in advance for desired breeds. I've been lucky I'm sure after hearing some of your stories that I've never bought any at tsc

 

[farmmanjim]

Time to build another coop! Or make your's bigger! Plenty of time before Spring!! haha! After what I saw at TSC yesterday (I could not sleep) with the ducklings, I'm ready to build a duck house as well. Just bring home all the babies. Do you have good luck with ordering them? I've been looking at Cackle Hatchery the last couple of days. Not for now, I'm bad enough, but Chicken Man did tell me to make a wish list. Okay, so, he assumed I was making a wish list already and he was right... but he wasn't mad about it.

I get all my girls at Cackle Hatchery. Guaranteed quality and breed, have vaccinations, good price. They always send a couple extra and I've never had one for in shipping.

 

[farmmanjim]

I get all my girls at Cackle Hatchery. Guaranteed quality and breed, have vaccinations, good price. They always send a couple extra and I've never had one for in shipping.

Die in shipping

 

[jspeese]

Chicken math is indeed a problem that I try my very best to avoid LOL! I have found that a few birds with plenty of space in predator-proof facilities are more productive than a lot. Especially when you raise your own naturally (which I tend to do more with waterfowl than chickens). When you think about it, a good mother duck or goose will probably produce anywhere from 8 to 12 hatchlings. Tiny and cute, but they grow up to be adults that require the right amount of space. And if you have a lot of mothers, they tend to compete for preferred nesting space or try to share a nest. The result of 2 ducks or geese sharing a nest is a lot lower hatch than if each had made her own nest (broken or pushed out or chilled eggs, etc.), if not a complete loss. I don't do a lot of chicken hatching because I always wind up with too many roosters, and I'll admit that I've been spoiled by the modern broiler industry. Even a heavy breed rooster is mostly bone IMHO.

 

[Marinefam2053]

We started with 6 then I *had* to take the kids to the feed store with me and that brought home another 6, 2 of which are accidental meat birds (TSC and their mislabeled bins and employees that have never had anything to do with chickens) so technically just 4 since our 2 Cornishes will be culled in a couple of weeks now. Then I go back with the whole family because we need feed and I wanted my husband to show me what he was talking about us using for the run and, of course, we can't leave without a peeping box. Our count was at 18 total with 2 to be culled early (I'm so sad because they're so sweet!) and that was satisfying. Our coop is plenty big to handle this many and more. More. A friend calls to tell me new chicks are in and they're marking down chicks and I can't help myself, I want at least 3. So we agree to split the order. She gets them and then radio silence. For a full 24 hours. Husband sees my disappointment and can't stand it so off to TSC we go and you can't buy less than 6 so.... chicken math. 24 chicks, 3 separate brooders, plenty of love to go around. After researching so much, I'm fairly certain that out of our first 6 Australorps, only 2 are actually Australorps. Unless 4-5 week old Black Australorp juvenile feathers are barred....? So I think we're actually looking at either Cuckoo Marans or Barred Rocks as both were for sale at the same time and many were in the same bins together. I really wish that TSC would hire people during chick days who have some kind of experience with chickens. Husband is officially, lovingly, referred to as the Chicken Man around these parts. We have one specific "Australorp" that adores him. Picture for cuteness. View attachment 1882468
For now, our flock stays at 24....... until I have to go back to get feed and they end up getting something in that I just can't say no to. Does everyone have this problem? I can't help myself.

I was trying to see if I had pictures of my Barred Rocks at that same ages, but sadly I do not. There are a lot of similarities. Although, they are the friendliest little chicks. Good luck and I could totally fall victim to the chicken math, if I had a bigger coop.

 

[mamablair]

Awesome!! I think I may just have to try out some shipping next year! Now that I've had my fun with grab bag bins and have researched way more and know what chicks I'm looking at (for the most part) when I see them (the manager at TSC at least was honest today and when I called the chicks by their names he said, "Whatever you say, I'll take your word for it!" but he hates them. Lol) I'm ready to get specific ones I want rather than a mish-mash of something I may not actually want or may already have more than enough of.

I am right there too. I just ended up with random chicks from my brother in law and then we let the kids pick a few at Tractor Supply. But this year I know I want Jersey Giants and some silkies that are actually hens.