danceswithronin
Crowing
I started last summer. Family decided to get three laying hens. We decided on silkies. Silkies were only available straight run, so we ordered four, just in case we got a rooster. Meyer Hatchery, the hatchery we bought from, also does this deal where they throw in a free chick. Nice, went ahead and got in on that. Five chickens isn't much more than three, right?
So last summer, we have a flock of five. Come fall it is apparent that our add-on chick is definitely a Plymouth White Rock rooster, and two of the four silkies may or may not be roos as well. Nobody is laying at this point. Androgynous lazy floofs. Gave the rooster away and kept silkies. Planned to give away two of the silkies, but it never panned out and I'm attached to them so I didn't care. We decide to order four more *sexed* pullet chicks to make the flock a bit bigger, got four different breeds. So now we have eight chickens.
Then the dogs got one of the silkies. So of course we had to replace that bird while we have chicks in the brooder, and while we were picking up a replacement chick, may as well get one extra since they're straight run. Just in case. I'm pretty sure I paid five dollars for another rooster I'm gonna have to give away.
And that's how we went from a planned flock of three chickens to a flock of nine. I just spent $550 in fencing to expand the run and I'm about to dump another few grand into building a larger coop and an aviary-style enclosure over the entire thing.
As my dad likes to remind me, a dozen eggs at the store costs about two bucks.
But it's still worth it.
Have you ever had to expand your coop due to chicken math?
So last summer, we have a flock of five. Come fall it is apparent that our add-on chick is definitely a Plymouth White Rock rooster, and two of the four silkies may or may not be roos as well. Nobody is laying at this point. Androgynous lazy floofs. Gave the rooster away and kept silkies. Planned to give away two of the silkies, but it never panned out and I'm attached to them so I didn't care. We decide to order four more *sexed* pullet chicks to make the flock a bit bigger, got four different breeds. So now we have eight chickens.
Then the dogs got one of the silkies. So of course we had to replace that bird while we have chicks in the brooder, and while we were picking up a replacement chick, may as well get one extra since they're straight run. Just in case. I'm pretty sure I paid five dollars for another rooster I'm gonna have to give away.
And that's how we went from a planned flock of three chickens to a flock of nine. I just spent $550 in fencing to expand the run and I'm about to dump another few grand into building a larger coop and an aviary-style enclosure over the entire thing.
As my dad likes to remind me, a dozen eggs at the store costs about two bucks.
But it's still worth it.
Have you ever had to expand your coop due to chicken math?
