Chicken Math Stories!

[Wezdin]

So at the beginning of this year I told myself I was going to be content with what I had and not get chickens this year. For a while I stuck with it and actually convinced myself i was going to be fine without chicks.
Then chicken math hit.
It started with 5 silkies, "i'll be okay" ,I thought, "It's just 5".
I was wrong.
2 weeks later 22 Cornish x are now in my brooder. I was hopelessly hooked by now.
1 week after that 10 more layers brought the grand total to 37. (37 more than planned).
So I'm now officially crazy and my garage smells like a barn.
Starting this thread for anyone to share their chicken math stories. Post away!

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I had four. But then I had eleven. Now I have thirteen. I have five more coming next week! And I still want bantams, silkies, and, and a polish breed! I WANT THEM ALL!

 

[Llillyfnp]

I started with 4 Rhode Island Reds that afternoon....by that evening I had a variety of 4 more bringing the total to 8! I want more (more varieties) but my coop only houses 8 and so husband said no LOL

 

[Erin80]

I love this thread!

3 years ago we got 5 barred rock pullets because they are “dual purpose”. The plan was to raise them for meat and eggs. Two weeks later, I learned about silkies......so I needed silkies. We got 3. Followed by 2 Ameraucana chicks a few days later, and then 2 Icelandic chicks a few days after that.
The dual purpose went out the window as they all now had names and we knew we were not eating these birds! There was no way.
We ended up with 3 roosters who we gave away. I put in an order the following spring for 6 more chicks. A racoon got in and killed two, and two were roosters (gave them away again)....the ones that made it through were our BA and Faverolle. We now had 6 girls.
Last spring our friend hatched a pile of chicks. She gave us 3 (all pullets)....cuckoo maran, SLW and SS. So now we have 9.
This spring I did not place an order, but instead bought an incubator. We are also now building a second coop because incubating has become our new hobby, haha. Our first 9 eggs are due to hatch on Mother’s Day. Many will be OE. We plan to keep a couple pullets to add to our flock, and sell the rest. Then, I’d like to hatch some silkie and bantam Cochin eggs.
We also have 35 Cornish cross coming in August. It’s our first time for that also, and we have a moveable tractor on pasture for them.

So currently we have:
1 BR, 1 Ameraucana and 2 silkies (from 3 yrs ago)
1 BA and 1 Faverolle (from 2 years ago)
1 SS, 1 cuckoo maran and 1 SLW (from last spring).
Chicken math is lots of fun as long as you can handle chicken subtraction to keep things under control!!

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I love this thread!

3 years ago we got 5 barred rock pullets because they are “dual purpose”. The plan was to raise them for meat and eggs. Two weeks later, I learned about silkies......so I needed silkies. We got 3. Followed by 2 Ameraucana chicks a few days later, and then 2 Icelandic chicks a few days after that.
The dual purpose went out the window as they all now had names and we knew we were not eating these birds! There was no way.
We ended up with 3 roosters who we gave away. I put in an order the following spring for 6 more chicks. A racoon got in and killed two, and two were roosters (gave them away again)....the ones that made it through were our BA and Faverolle. We now had 6 girls.
Last spring our friend hatched a pile of chicks. She gave us 3 (all pullets)....cuckoo maran, SLW and SS. So now we have 9.
This spring I did not place an order, but instead bought an incubator. We are also now building a second coop because incubating has become our new hobby, haha. Our first 9 eggs are due to hatch on Mother’s Day. Many will be OE. We plan to keep a couple pullets to add to our flock, and sell the rest. Then, I’d like to hatch some silkie and bantam Cochin eggs.
We also have 35 Cornish cross coming in August. It’s our first time for that also, and we have a moveable tractor on pasture for them.

So currently we have:
1 BR, 1 Ameraucana and 2 silkies (from 3 yrs ago)
1 BA and 1 Faverolle (from 2 years ago)
1 SS, 1 cuckoo maran and 1 SLW (from last spring).
Chicken math is lots of fun as long as you can handle chicken subtraction to keep things under control!!

My experience with my one barred rock is that she's the sweetest most cuddly bird and I'd never be able to order them as dual purpose because I would always think of her. Of course she's named too!

 

[BFen]

I've always wanted chickens, so I told my husband we'd start off small. We went to Agway on chick day and got 5 chicks. 2 EE and 3 buff orpingtons. I suddenly was obsessed and needed more. I started calling around like a mad woman looking for more chicks. I found a tractor supply 45 mins away, and 5 days later we had 6 more chicks. 2 black australorps, 2 black sexlinks, and 2 light brahmas. This was great, but within the week chick math roared its ugly head again. I placed an order on CackleHatchery for 3 lavender orpingtons. This would have rounded out my flock to a nice 14. Well a few days later, I get the call from my post office at 6:30am, "YOUR CHICKS ARRIVED, HURRY UP AND COME GET THEM." I immediately flew out of bed, and rushed down there. I was relieved to hear them chirping when she passed me the box. I excitedly get home and open the box. My mouth falls down to floor, and luckily I didn't drop the box. They sent me six! So apparently Cacklehatchery also does chicken math instead of regular math, I should have know. Anyways, you think I'd be all set, but somehow two weeks later I buy two female ducklings off craigslist. My husband thinks I'm crazier than ever, and now we have 19 birds. I know for sure one is a rooster, which unfortunately I'll have to rehome. But chicken math is real, so real. 5 chicks = 17 chicken + 2 ducks.

 

[Lobo123]

I have a flock of 18, though I'd get some more hens to keep up egg production. Ended up getting 15 chicks. I was satisfied with my purchase, they are growing every day and can't wait for some nice eggs from them.

Anyways I thought that was the end of it until I saw some chicks in my feed store and saw my favorite breed, Naked-Necks! I couldn't pass this opportunity and got 10, alongside 10 more chicks, with a grand total of 53 chickens. Good thing I built a pretty big coop, huh?

I also purchased 25 cornish x, I'm thinking of putting them in chicken tractors. Anyways, they should come around June 20, so that's exciting.

Of course, I'm going to have to get rid of some chickens before winter. Bring it down to at least 30. The second batch of chicks isn't sexed so I'm expecting half to be roosters, they should make a nice stew. Also, get rid of old hens. Never fun but I know it must be done to avoid unnecessary stress to the flock and myself.

 

[Jenthehen127]

So at the beginning of this year I told myself I was going to be content with what I had and not get chickens this year. For a while I stuck with it and actually convinced myself i was going to be fine without chicks.
Then chicken math hit.
It started with 5 silkies, "i'll be okay" ,I thought, "It's just 5".
I was wrong.
2 weeks later 22 Cornish x are now in my brooder. I was hopelessly hooked by now.
1 week after that 10 more layers brought the grand total to 37. (37 more than planned).
So I'm now officially crazy and my garage smells like a barn.
Starting this thread for anyone to share their chicken math stories. Post away!

Oops! I just posted mine...in 'chicken stories'!

 

[Cinderloowho]

I too was going to be content with my 16 hens and 1 roo (he was an accident!) But then my buff orpington went completely broody. I felt so sorry for her, she didn't even have eggs under her! So I stuck one under her just because she made me sad. Then when chicks came in at the store I got 6 to give her (why 6? Why not 1 or 2?) And when I went to give them to her guess what! Yup, that random egg I stuffed under her hatched! So she had her baby plus the other 6 and she was so freaking happy! Meanwhile, i had ordered a dozen fertile eggs, thinking I would let her sit on them. By the time they got here she already had the chicks, so I got an incubator and put the eggs in it. Then, because I like to live on the edge, I again grabbed a random egg from my coop and put it in the incubator! So the weeks go by and I am pretty sure none of these eggs are going to hatch, but I kept up with the temp and humidity and the turning. When it was time for lockdown I just ignored them because I knew nothing was going to happen. And, I was right. Until day 23 when my random egg hatched! So I thought well, I'll leave the eggs for another day or 2, just in case. Today I decided I'd better clean out the incubator and be darned if one of my purchased eggs hadn't hatched during the night! So at least my 3 day old chick now has company, lol! And apparently broodiness is contagious because I have another hen sitting on eggs now! As prolific as my roo seems to be, they'll probably all hatch!