Understanding Chicken Math

[Bweis13]

Here's my chicken math:

I can have 10 poultry. I currently have 4 hens, getting an egg a day from each.

I wanted 2 more, so I can get about a half dozen eggs per day. So I went to the feed store the other day to get more chicks.

I have no proper brooder, but it's very, very warm so I figure they'll be okay.  But 2 birds isn't enough to keep each other warm if it gets chilly and 3 is a bad number (I want them to have friends) so I get 2 more for a total of 4. Now, since I'm pretty sure these are straight run and I am not well versed in sexing chickens, then I have 2 roosters, 2 pullets. Maybe it gets too cold one night then half of them could die, so I have 1 rooster, 1 pullet. There are neighborhood cats that haven't shown any interest in my hens, but one of them could get the littles. That leaves me with 4 hens, 1 rooster and no pullets. Clearly, I need to go back to the feed store!   

Clearly, you must!

 

[farnorth]

Here's my chicken math:

I can have 10 poultry. I currently have 4 hens, getting an egg a day from each.

I wanted 2 more, so I can get about a half dozen eggs per day. So I went to the feed store the other day to get more chicks.

I have no proper brooder, but it's very, very warm so I figure they'll be okay. But 2 birds isn't enough to keep each other warm if it gets chilly and 3 is a bad number (I want them to have friends) so I get 2 more for a total of 4. Now, since I'm pretty sure these are straight run and I am not well versed in sexing chickens, then I have 2 roosters, 2 pullets. Maybe it gets too cold one night then half of them could die, so I have 1 rooster, 1 pullet. There are neighborhood cats that haven't shown any interest in my hens, but one of them could get the littles. That leaves me with 4 hens, 1 rooster and no pullets. Clearly, I need to go back to the feed store!

You need to get about 10 chicks....only half will be pullets and the new pullets must outnumber the old pullets in order to integrate them properly. 4 hens cannot as easily pick on the new pullets if they are outnumbered. The new ones can scatter and the old ones will have too many to chase. But one could die or you could end up with only 4 pullets and 6 cockerels (it's been known to happen) so maybe you should get an even dozen.....that's what I would do....

 

[rnchick74]

You need to get about 10 chicks....only half will be pullets and the new pullets must outnumber the old pullets in order to integrate them properly. 4 hens cannot as easily pick on the new pullets if they are outnumbered. The new ones can scatter and the old ones will have too many to chase. But one could die or you could end up with only 4 pullets and 6 cockerels (it's been known to happen) so maybe you should get an even dozen.....that's what I would do....

make it a baker's dozen!

 

[DBerryhill]

Hmm. I never realized there was a name for it! We had planned on getting chickens in a year or two...so we just jumped in early and ordered 10 pullets. I figured in the next two months they could live in the laundry room while we built a coop. 10 pullets served us well until we lost 4 to a predator. So I needed a rooster. I found a barred rock to match 5 of my pullets. When I went to fetch him I saw a gorgeous SLW rooster. They were buddies. I could have two Roos that got along! But then I would need more hens. So I bought the pullets. I lost 2 more hens while free ranging. Well...I needed more anyway since I have two Roos. I go to buy 6 chicks at the feed store. I got 8. Then my daughter wanted to pick some out. So she picked 4. Then I was thinking..those don't count because they are straight run. I need pullets. So I bought 7 more pullets. My hubby was out of town. He had agreed to 6-8. I tried to explain...but idk if he followed lol.

 

[LakeMomNY]

I read all about chicken math, so I was well prepared and made sure it didn't impact us.

My daughter has wanted chickens since she was 3. She is now 6 and in her first year of 4H. We decided to let her get a chicken and do a poultry project.

Upon doing a little research I realized that 1 chicken wasn't such a good idea. They are too social, and we'd better get 2. But that was fine -- that way my 7 year old could also do a poultry project.

I decided that we would NOT raise chcks, but would get 2 started pullets instead.

While in a Tractor Supply, however, upon seeing the chicks, my husband decided it really would be great for the kids to raise up the chicks, so we decided we would get chicks after all.

Of course THEN we found out that NY has a 6 chick minimum. So 6 it would be.

My children, of course, wanted specific breeds. One of which I couldn't manage to find locally. So...I had to order from a hatchery. With a minimum of 25.

Now I KNEW I couldn't keep 25. So I found someone to take the extras before I even placed the order. I really couldn't keep more than 6. Or 7. Maybe 7.

Finally, the 25 chicks came. I dutifully gave 16 away. Leaving me with ... Um ... One. One chick. Right?

Because that is what we decided. To let my six year old have ONE chicken.

 

[trafficgal]

So my husband told me we could have 8. So I said ok and orderd 5australope and 6 barred rocks (but one we are raising to give to the neighbor since she said she has always wanted a br. So really it's only 10 oh but the kids wanted a lighter colored chick so I let them each get their own easteregger. But there was only one eg left at the feed stoor I couldn't leave her their alone right? So now we are at 14 one who is leaving.

 

[seachainanmadra]

I've got my very first flock in the brooder now, but knew a bit about chicken math from the backyard chickens my parents raised when I was a kid. So I was resigned to the fact that this would happen before we ever went to look.

I needed some pest control for my garden. I love chickens and planned to get those, but Husband said we should get ducks instead since they don't scratch and won't destroy the garden like chickens will. He's right, of course, so we agree on two chicks and two ducks. We go to TSC on a Saturday to pick out our babies, but all they have left are bantams. They tell us they get their babies on Wednesday, and those sell out very quickly. But Husband falls in love with one of the bantams so he gets that one, I pick out my favorite, and we throw in a third for good measure, since she had pasty butt that needed attention. Of course, bantams don't count and there's a chance they'll all be roos anyway, so we don't have any chicks yet.

While waiting for their next shipment to arrive, I research breeds and decide I want at least one EE. They'd had a bin of "Americauna" last week, so I expected them to have them again. But Wednesday rolls around, and all they get are sex link pullets and ducks. So I get our two ducks and two of the sex links and I'm on my way, happy that we definitely escaped chicken math this year.

When I get home, I lament to Husband that they didn't have any EEs and that I should have driven out to the hardware store the next town over instead of getting the sex links. He encourages me to go get one anyway and the next day I proudly leave the hardware store with ONE EE pullet.

Still doing well, right? We manage a full nine days without buying any new birds (even survived one trip to TSC for cat food!), until I run out of chick feed. Tried to go to TSC in the afternoon, but the car breaks down on the way and I have to wait until Husband is off work to take the good car. This means that we arrive an hour before closing on the last day of chick days. Fate, I tell you! All that's left in the entire store are two Pekin ducklings, and the employees that are sitting by the tank pounce as soon as we walk up to look. They beg us to take them for 25¢ each, and offer to throw in the feeders & waterers that they'd used in the tanks for free, along with some feed coupons. We needed that stuff anyway, so of course we couldn't pass up that deal!

So four has become ten, but it looks like two of our bantams are roos and two of our ducks are drakes, so we'll have to get rid of all but one drake. That will leave us with 7, where we can legally have 6. The bantam pullet is really only a third of a chicken, so it rounds to six.

Not too bad yet, but we're already talking about moving out of the city so we can have space for a larger flock! Chicken math really doesn't start until you have to sell your house.

 

[Gingersnap722]

Ummmm, I think I told everyone that we have 12 adult hens, 27 13 week old pullets and cockerels and an order of 32 more on the way. Now hubby tells me to increase the order of 32 to 50. I got a Brinsea Incubator for Mother's Day and a broody hen in the back yard. Hubby says buy some eggs for our broody and let's get started with the incubator. At this point I don't know where I'm at on chicken math. I was never good at math to begin with and don't know if I need the square root of something, the Pythagorean Theory, or if algebra becomes involved. I'm so lost!!

 

[ChaoSS]

Gingersnap, you are overcomplicating things. You count your laying hens, which with one broody means you have 11 birds.

 

[Gingersnap722]

Gingersnap, you are overcomplicating things. You count your laying hens, which with one broody means you have 11 birds.

Thanks!! Woo hoo, since I don't have as many as I thought, I'm doing great!