Chicken math prevailed!

[MissMarple]

My Long Time Live In Girlfriend, I'll just call her Boss to save time.
Boss: "So you got how many?"
Me: "a hundred", while kicking rocks
Boss: "A hundred?"
Me: "ba bah but they are all hens, and were only a quarter"
::Me sneaking in and hiding any cast iron with a handle::
Yes we do this too, lol

Sleeping with the chickens now, aren't ya?

I told Chicken Man that I wanted to run up to TSC tomorrow just to see what they got in this go around. His response? "I hear they'll be burnt to the ground in about an hour. Tragedy. I'll see you later," as he headed out the front door.

 

[Quackter]

Sleeping with the chickens now, aren't ya?

I told Chicken Man that I wanted to run up to TSC tomorrow just to see what they got in this go around. His response? "I hear they'll be burnt to the ground in about an hour. Tragedy. I'll see you later," as he headed out the front door.

LOL, nah the dogs are better cuddlers.

As much as the whole "tragedy" sounds exactly like something she would say. lol Two days ago,Boss "Did you see that? It says pet sale. I wonder home much they are? I thought they'd have the chicks on sale too" I think if she ever decided to take up arson, Harbor freight would go first, unless she went on a spree.

 

[Secondof9]

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.

They're just SO cute! Can't blame you at all.

But I've had a similar experience with an uninformed TSC employee. I wanted 2 chicks but their minimum is 4, so, OK I'll get 2 more and let my Buff Orp raise them for a friend. I wanted 2 Polish and she wanted 2 Silkies. The TSC girl insisted that her "chicken expert" told her Silkies have black beaks so she popped 2 of those in the box (I'm not allowed to go near the chicks or look them over). The Polish are more distinctive and have a fuzzball on their head, so I get the last 2 of those. When I got home I discovered one of my "Polish" is actually a Silkie (black feet, 5 toes) and the 2 "Silkies" are something else entirely. So, back I go to TSC - girl argues with me that they can't accept them back and continues to insist they ARE Silkies and don't need 5 toes or black feet but have black beaks instead. I gave up and took my little miscellaneous chicks home (my neighbor wants them). They came from a bin with misc Bantams, Silkies and Polish but I don't think they're Bantams because they're already bigger than the others and it's only been a couple of weeks. Should be interesting to see them grow up. Probably won't buy chicks there again. I really do wish they'd have someone on staff that knows chickens.

 

[Madie'sOddFlock]

See, we've got a few TSCs in the area and I occasionally attend swaps at other TSCs around the state. Most of them do pretty OK... we have 2 that are both about 20-30 minutes away just in opposite directions. One is really good about knowing their breeds, they take returns, they put chicks on sale for me just because I'm buying the last 6 in a bin(notorious for being the "broken" chicks) or I've already been in 6 times that week, they'll refund roos, and they'll refund chicks that die in less than a week. They know I know my crap, so if I say it's a roo they know it is, they know I take care of them, etc. Most of the people there raise their own birds and know the breeds.
Now the other one, that's a completely different story. I don't know how they are with refunds, sales, and whatnot, but I do know that they suck at identifying breeds... First time I ever went in looking for chicks:
A box full of white chicks labeled Black Australorps. Polishes labeled as Gold Laced Wyandottes. Barred Rocks sold as Buff Orpingtons. Mind you, the town this TSC is in doesn't allow anyone to own chickens(not to say that it isn't done, the rules can occasionally be bent a little, but still...). And yes, the people buying should have known a little more about the breeds they were looking into, but it still annoys me.
So I go up to the guy working in the chick area and tell him that their chicks are all labeled wrong. His response is "that's how they came from the hatchery". I just walked away at that point, knowing that he was going to be ignorant no matter I said. I also decided that I will never bother going to that TSC again to buy chicks, that location has lost my business. I'm just glad to have another one that's so close by.

 

[MissMarple]

LOL, nah the dogs are better cuddlers.

As much as the whole "tragedy" sounds exactly like something she would say. lol Two days ago,Boss "Did you see that? It says pet sale. I wonder home much they are? I thought they'd have the chicks on sale too" I think if she ever decided to take up arson, Harbor freight would go first, unless she went on a spree.

Hah! She wants more than a hundred!! Nooooo... not Harbor Freight!!! Chicken Man won't turn me loose in there anymore. It's worse than TSC. He, on the other hand, has to go semi-often for work... things... spends way more than me but ya knowwwww......

 

[MissMarple]

They're just SO cute! Can't blame you at all.

But I've had a similar experience with an uninformed TSC employee. I wanted 2 chicks but their minimum is 4, so, OK I'll get 2 more and let my Buff Orp raise them for a friend. I wanted 2 Polish and she wanted 2 Silkies. The TSC girl insisted that her "chicken expert" told her Silkies have black beaks so she popped 2 of those in the box (I'm not allowed to go near the chicks or look them over). The Polish are more distinctive and have a fuzzball on their head, so I get the last 2 of those. When I got home I discovered one of my "Polish" is actually a Silkie (black feet, 5 toes) and the 2 "Silkies" are something else entirely. So, back I go to TSC - girl argues with me that they can't accept them back and continues to insist they ARE Silkies and don't need 5 toes or black feet but have black beaks instead. I gave up and took my little miscellaneous chicks home (my neighbor wants them). They came from a bin with misc Bantams, Silkies and Polish but I don't think they're Bantams because they're already bigger than the others and it's only been a couple of weeks. Should be interesting to see them grow up. Probably won't buy chicks there again. I really do wish they'd have someone on staff that knows chickens.

Wowwww!!!!! No way!!!! I feel like if they would put them in the bins differently maybe that would help. Rather than sticking a bunch in that honestly (especially to the untrained eye/people with zero chick experience) look similar together (like Australorps and Barred Rocks or Barred Rocks and Cuckoo Marans) put different looking chicks in together as much as possible. Make it easier to differentiate. Or hire one or two people to work during chick days. It doesn't last that long and it's an expense they should be able to afford. If we had anywhere else to get them from locally and I wanted specific breeds, I would definitely go there. Unfortunately, we're very limited. There just has to be some kind of solution to keep the crazy mix-ups from happening. Right now, I'm fairly certain all three of the Barred Rocks they sold me are actually Cuckoo Marans.. with their white-pink legs and their bird-like trilling/tweeting. All I wanted was some Barred Rocks. Lol. I've tried three times and I'm not sure I've gotten a single one yet. Don't think there's a yellow leg in the bunch.

 

[MissMarple]

See, we've got a few TSCs in the area and I occasionally attend swaps at other TSCs around the state. Most of them do pretty OK... we have 2 that are both about 20-30 minutes away just in opposite directions. One is really good about knowing their breeds, they take returns, they put chicks on sale for me just because I'm buying the last 6 in a bin(notorious for being the "broken" chicks) or I've already been in 6 times that week, they'll refund roos, and they'll refund chicks that die in less than a week. They know I know my crap, so if I say it's a roo they know it is, they know I take care of them, etc. Most of the people there raise their own birds and know the breeds.
Now the other one, that's a completely different story. I don't know how they are with refunds, sales, and whatnot, but I do know that they suck at identifying breeds... First time I ever went in looking for chicks:
A box full of white chicks labeled Black Australorps. Polishes labeled as Gold Laced Wyandottes. Barred Rocks sold as Buff Orpingtons. Mind you, the town this TSC is in doesn't allow anyone to own chickens(not to say that it isn't done, the rules can occasionally be bent a little, but still...). And yes, the people buying should have known a little more about the breeds they were looking into, but it still annoys me.
So I go up to the guy working in the chick area and tell him that their chicks are all labeled wrong. His response is "that's how they came from the hatchery". I just walked away at that point, knowing that he was going to be ignorant no matter I said. I also decided that I will never bother going to that TSC again to buy chicks, that location has lost my business. I'm just glad to have another one that's so close by.

That's just WAY beyond... How..... Buff O chicks are blonde........... how can you? I mean... You can google them and check just to make sure the "labels are right" before you put them out for sale. Every one of those would be easily distinguishable as NOT the breed posted on the sign. Lol. I just... wow. I got really annoyed when the lady told me that the Barred Rocks were Barred Rocks because they have white tips on their wings. I said, "What color are their legs?" She said, "Leg color doesn't matter. It's this white tip on the wing that tells you what it is." I said, "Do you have chickens? Have you ever had chickens? Raised them from chicks? Done any kind of research on chicks?" She said, "The white wing tip signifies a Barred Rock. Do you want them or not?" I said, "Sure, I'll take three Cuckoo Marans chicks even though I'm fairly certain I already have four that were sold to my husband as Black Australorps." I know at least one of our "Buff Orpingtons" is a Calico Princess. I knew it... they didn't. I want to be like, "Where do I fill out an application to just come work the chick and duck area during Spring chick days? Becauseeeee, I'll be back."

 

[Quackter]

Hah! She wants more than a hundred!! Nooooo... not Harbor Freight!!! Chicken Man won't turn me loose in there anymore. It's worse than TSC. He, on the other hand, has to go semi-often for work... things... spends way more than me but ya knowwwww......

We're down to around a dozen now. I'll feather out a few and sell them, pays for a little feed. But yes, she was disappointed that the little peepers were't on sale. HF, pretty sure it's the fact that I "drag" her in to use a free and 20% coupon, every time. lol I worked on semis as a kid, I can remember paying like $200 for a low end jack, that's like $75 at HF 20 years later. I mean I've got my daily tools, but when it comes down to something used twice in a year, I'm not too proud. Anytime I finish a honey-do, I point out that her valiant sacrifice at Harbor Freight allowed me to have the materials here, saving a trip. (whether I used something from there or not) shhh...don't tell her that

 

[MissMarple]

We're down to around a dozen now. I'll feather out a few and sell them, pays for a little feed. But yes, she was disappointed that the little peepers were't on sale. HF, pretty sure it's the fact that I "drag" her in to use a free and 20% coupon, every time. lol I worked on semis as a kid, I can remember paying like $200 for a low quality jack, that's like $75 at HF 20 years later. I mean I've got my daily tools, but when it comes down to something used twice in a year, I'm not too proud. Anytime I finish a honey-do, I point out that her valiant sacrifice at Harbor Freight allowed me to have the materials here, saving a trip. (whether I used something from there or not) shhh...don't tell her that

Awh, y'all definitely need more! Chicken math WILL prevail!!!

Yeah!!! Yay Harbor Freight! Lol. Chicken Man is an HVAC contractor... he goes through tools like crazy whether from leaving something on the job or me stealing a screwdriver here and there for home repair purposes (or to put new batteries in kid toys... oops.) and all sorts of other things. He needs one of every size of stuff and Harbor Freight has the good looooong screwdrivers that make reaching things inside a condenser or a unit easier. Those things also make really good makeshift hammers when you can't find one. The HF sales ad comes in in his name but it really should have "and wife" added. I find all the things for any DIY project in that place.

 

[Quackter]

Awh, y'all definitely need more! Chicken math WILL prevail!!!

Yeah!!! Yay Harbor Freight! Lol. Chicken Man is an HVAC contractor... he goes through tools like crazy whether from leaving something on the job or me stealing a screwdriver here and there for home repair purposes (or to put new batteries in kid toys... oops.) and all sorts of other things. He needs one of every size of stuff and Harbor Freight has the good looooong screwdrivers that make reaching things inside a condenser or a unit easier. Those things also make really good makeshift hammers when you can't find one. The HF sales ad comes in in his name but it really should have "and wife" added. I find all the things for any DIY project in that place.

I'm gonna have to get you and the Boss to set down for a cup of coffee More chickens and more tools. hehe