Had some chicken math happen myself. We lost 6 of our 8 new littles from the summer to a predator right before integrating them…tough lesson learned. I was going to wait until spring to add more chicks, but somehow every breed we lost was available at the same time for the week of Sept 22. I have never done fall chicks as I work at a school and it is a busy time, not to mention it gets cold in October, however I couldn’t pass that up. Somehow 8 new babies ended up in my cart, and McMurray added an extra Americana so I have 9 new littles! I moved them out in week 4, with their heat plate, and they did great. Integrated quickly, and the head hen decided she was their adopted momma. 
She has never been broody or interested in new chicks, although she now clucks to call them to the food and has warning pecked any of the other hens that dare to mess with them! This set of chicks may be the friendliest I have ever raised since the first chicks I sat with daily. We ended up with a Whiting Blue, Whiting Green. 2 Americanas, a Cream Legbar, a Silver Wyandotte, a Naked Neck and 2 White Leghorns. The Wyandotte was an impulse add-on and not one of the breeds we lost, and I added a second leghorn because I have never had white eggs, and what if the only one in the order was a boy? So of course I ordered 2 just to ensure I had one girl. And the Americana extra chick was a lovely surprise, she is a beautiful grey with some reddish tints sprinkled in. I NEVER thought the leghorns would be so friendly but they come out to see me every day and will hitch a ride on my forearm when I walk around the run. So somehow 6 losses ended up w 9 new chicks. We won’t get their eggs until Feb at the earliest but I’m super excited about this group. Thank goodness they were an easy group to integrate and I am very thankful to my Welsummer head hen momma who is being a lovely bodyguard. We are done adding babies until we have some losses…part of me wants a few bantams so we will have to see how that goes!
She has never been broody or interested in new chicks, although she now clucks to call them to the food and has warning pecked any of the other hens that dare to mess with them! This set of chicks may be the friendliest I have ever raised since the first chicks I sat with daily. We ended up with a Whiting Blue, Whiting Green. 2 Americanas, a Cream Legbar, a Silver Wyandotte, a Naked Neck and 2 White Leghorns. The Wyandotte was an impulse add-on and not one of the breeds we lost, and I added a second leghorn because I have never had white eggs, and what if the only one in the order was a boy? So of course I ordered 2 just to ensure I had one girl. And the Americana extra chick was a lovely surprise, she is a beautiful grey with some reddish tints sprinkled in. I NEVER thought the leghorns would be so friendly but they come out to see me every day and will hitch a ride on my forearm when I walk around the run. So somehow 6 losses ended up w 9 new chicks. We won’t get their eggs until Feb at the earliest but I’m super excited about this group. Thank goodness they were an easy group to integrate and I am very thankful to my Welsummer head hen momma who is being a lovely bodyguard. We are done adding babies until we have some losses…part of me wants a few bantams so we will have to see how that goes!
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