CHICKEN MATH STRIKES AGAIN

[Puddin Fluff]

it's my 11 year old daughters fault. She joined 4H, signed up for Pullet Chain. We were supposed to start with 25 sexlinks, but so many kids signed up last year, the hatchery could only provide 20. All those little balls of fluff survived till fair time. Proud to say my daughter won Reserve Grand for her pen, Grand for her favorite pullet (Fatty) she entered seperatly, and Grand for her eggs. We sold 4 girls at the fair to repay the pullet chain. All did well until November when Slash was taken down by a hawk. The other 15 are still fat and sassy. Tomorrow we will be selling 6 to neighbors who lost all their flock to Coyotes last week. We only do this to make way for the unknow number of chicks that will join us in two weeks. You see, we have 60 eggs divided between two incubators and a broody hen!

 

[samouw]

I do not have a problem with chicken math....I don't think.

What I have a problem with is chicken coop math. Here's how it happened.

Last year, hubby and I decided we wanted chickens for fresh eggs and occasional chicken dinners (that was his description, btw). We decide, after a little research, we want RIRs* primarily, but barred rock would also work. We call around and find a local feed store that has some RIR chicks. 20 was our target number, but when we get to the feed store, they only have 8 RIR pullets. So, 8 RIR pullets, 3 RIR roosters, and 10 Barred Rock pullets come home with us. Note: we do not have any chicken coop at this time! All 21 birds go in our bathroom while hubby scrambles to get a coop built. One month later, coop is built and chicks are put outside. With the exception of two that got out of the bathroom and disappeared...somewhere. We suspect one of the Labs thought they were just toys and got carried away...

So now we're down to 19 chicks - 3 RIR roosters, 8 RIR pullets, 8 BR pullets. Time passes and it becomes apparent that three roosters are too much and one is obviously becoming aggressive. Solution: a very nice chicken dinner and chicken salad for sandwiches. Result - 18 chicks: 2 RIR roosters, 8 RIR pullets, 8 BR pullets.

More time passes and one of the barred rocks injures her leg. She comes inside for a "few days" to heal. Four months later, she is a house chicken called Curly Sue (or chicken soup by hubby). Result, no actual count change, just a change in residency - which may include my change in residency if I bring another chicken in the house.

To make this short, I'll summarize. Up to about a month ago, we had 1 RIR roo, 7 BR (+1 house chicken), and 7 RIR (lost one to neighbor's dog). We have more eggs than we can eat and are supplying the neighborhood with fresh eggs, but I'm not happy. And you know what that means - Mama isn't happy, noone is happy. The problem is not with the coop - it is working wonderfully (see pic below), it's not the hens - they are performing as expected and still love to sit in my lap. Yes, the roo is becoming a major issue (scar on thigh, sorry no pic available), but he's not really the problem. The issue is that I have joined this group called Backyard chickens and have, over the last year, seen all these pictures of cute, interesting, beautiful, and comical looking chickens! Not all adjectives apply to any one chicken, you understand. But my coop is boring! I see red, and black and white. That's it!

The original coop:



Not only is my coop boring, my egg collection is, too. I see brown. Various shades of brown, of course, but still...it's brown. So I decide to do what any good southern bred woman would do - I redecorate!

The RIR roo has to go, of course. After a little research, I decide I want a wheaton Ameraucana roo. A little more research and I find one available about an hour's drive from me. Welcome Mr. Hawkeye, my beautiful new sweet wheaton Ameraucana roo:



So now I have some more color in my pen, but I haven't solved my egg problem. Of course when I drive up to bring Hawkeye home, I put an extra crate in the car...just in case, ya know.

I come back home with Hawkeye, Buttercup - a frizzle (pic below), two wheaton Ameraucana chicks and two wheaton marans chicks. Of course, Buttercup can't go in the big coop with the other chickens - she's too little. And she can't go in the, yep you guessed it, the bathroom "brooder", she's too big. So hubby has to build a new little coop for Buttercup.

Buttercup:



So now I have solved the problem of color in the coop, and, potentially at least, added some color in my egg basket. But there's a problem. Buttercup hates being all alone in her little coop! Off I go to find a companion for Buttercup and I bring back her half-sister, Butterbean.

Butterbean:



Now Buttercup and Butterbean are happy in their new little coop (which I plan on using as a brooder coop in the future). But wait, there's another problem. I still have four chicks in my bathroom! They're still to small to go in with Buttercup and Butterbean and going in the "big girl" coop is out of the question. It's still too soon to move Buttercup and Butterbean into the big coop, but where am I going to put these four chickens?

Oh wait, seven chickens. When I went to the feed store to buy chick starter, they had just gotten in the most adorable little silver Sussex. Add three chicks for a total of 7 in my bathroom brooder.

Hubby returns to the lumber yard and builds one more coop. He says that's it! No more...ever! That is absolutely the last chicken coop he is building.

"Final" count (never say never): 1 wheaton Ameraucana roo, two wheaton Ameraucana chicks, two wheaton marans, three silver sussex chicks, 2 Cochin-Silky crosses, 4 BR hens (sold three), 2 RIR hens (sold the rest), 1 house chicken, 1 large coop, and two "brooder" coops.

Picture of original and two new little coops:



So now, everyone is happy! Except...wouldn't it be nice to have a breeder coop for just the wheaton Ameraucanas? Hmmm, wonder if hubby would....nahhh, prolly not. Of course, it never hurts to ask. If no one has heard from me in say...7 to 10 days...someone please contact the local authorities. Tell 'em - just look for the lil ol lady sleeping out in the street with a bunch of chickens and three Labradors.

*Just want to note - we didn't learn until later that there is a HUGE difference in hatchery RIR and true heritage breeds.

 

[Atomic Ranch]

^ Wow! Nice job.

My chicken math:

4 or 5 was what I figured I wanted. A dozen or so eggs a week. So I went to the local chicken man last April and saw all of the different breeds... hundreds of chicks of different colors. We went around the yard with him with a little box of shavings (is this a "Chick Shopping Cart"?), and picked out 5. Then of course we saw Partridge Rocks and wanted one. But two-of-a-kind would be fine, right? And we couldn't put the ones in the box back...

+ 2 = 7 in the little box. On the way out he asked if we wanted the last New Hampshire. She peeped at me so we put her in the box.

+ 1 = 8 in the little box. "How large is your coop?" he asked. It was 6 x 8 feet, with a 35 foot run. He said we could easily fit more, and that the was a slight chick mortality rate. "How about an easter-egger? So naturally we got two.

+ 2 = 10 in the little box. Got them home to their brooder. One of the Partridge Rocks didn't make it.

- 1 = 9 in the bathtub box. "The sooner you add new ones, the better", the chicken man said. So we went back to get another Rock and he was out. How about a Rhodie? Two. On the way out, I wondered what the feather-footed one was...

+ 3 = 12 in the bathtub box. One Rhodie didn't make it.

- 1 = 11 in the bathtub box. They all moved outside at week 6. At week 18, we heard a crow. The Cochin's a roo. About 10 days ago the Rock went broody. Since I don't want to crowd, I let her sit on 3 eggs and 4 golf balls. One quit, but two are coming along: Leghorn + Cochin, and Delaware + Cochin. So potentially...

+ 2 = 13 in the coop. So in chicken math, 4 or 5 = 13 or thereabouts!

 

[jeff spahn]

Our in city chicken limit is 4 so I have exactly as many chickens as your car has tires, 4 and a spare. If someone asks you how many tires does you car have, what do you say? You say 4, then perhaps you say, oh and a spare. Well that's what I tell people.

 

[chickenhatcher]

Hahaha

. I bet if we added all the UNINTENTIONAL chickens that BYCers have gotten it would be more then the amount of chickens we(BYCers) INTENTIONALLY got.

 

[Imissmyroofabio]

I started off with 3 pearl white leghorns, 3 RIR. 1 leghorn drowned, 1 got sick and died. My last one almost died, but I took her away from everyone and gave her chicken medicine. I bought 3 EE's and eventually put them in the coop with the older hens, with a wall in between. My dad took the wall out and 1 of my RIR(Roxy Hart the Mistress of Murderous Row.. shocker) killed a EE. I built a new coop and put my last EE's in. One day I heard an awful screech. I was Hermione. From that day forward, FABIO and Chul lived in the doghouse until Fabio got too loud. We gave them to a friend who loves them very much. So now we are down to 4 chickens. My RIR Chompy's kidney failed to due infection ( i was told she could have been wasting all of her life because she was a runt) now down to 3 chickens.I stayed that way for 7 months. Last night I decided that was 6 months too long at bought 6 Red Sex Link hens. Now I have 9 chickens I haven't named the other 3 because I will have to get rid of them ( not enough room... Bringing them to a family friend... I go there quite often so I will still see them a lot) so I will eventually be down to six...

 

[Big Sky Chick]

I started off in town where I purchased 12 laying chicks with the idea that 40% wouldn't make it, 10% would be sexed incorrectly and I'd have the legal limit of 6. I love eggs but mostly just wanted the fun of the chickens. Then we had the opportunity to move out to a ranch without a legal limit and more than a mile to the next neighbor. The original 12 were soon joined by 7 rescued chickens. Then a fox got in the coop and took 3, leaving 16. Having an empty barn, I moved the coop into the barn and built it with room for 36. It wasn't long before I stumbled onto a Craig's List add for pullets of breeds I had read about and was interested in. This resulted in 8 more. Then Animal Control came out with 36 rescues! My wonderful, forgiving, darling, city-boy husband was not prepared for that or happy about it. So I found home for the additional 36 plus 1 of the original chicks that was sexed incorrectly and turned into a roo. However, 1 of the 36 was a Hudini and kept slipping out of the holding coop, so we ended up with 1 addition. Bringing us up to 25. Well the eggs were coming and so had the egg business. People from work were lining up. Before long, someone asked to be on the egg list because a fox had taken all but 2 of their chickens. So they gifted the remaining 2 to me. So in 9 months we went from 0 to 27. Over the winter, 2 of the rescues died in their sleep. And we started this year with 24.

This is not the end of the story though. This Spring I expanded the coop to a 30'x16' space in the barn that opens onto 1500 acres or free range. We added 17 laying and 12 meat chicks in January - would have been 48 but a freak freeze killed one shipment. The replacement shipment brought us to 32 layer chicks and 12 meat chicks. And I a decided to add a dozen ducks. May will bring 25 more meat chicks for a 4'x12' tractor.

Darling, forgiving , understanding, city-boy husband is blaming Farmville. He says it's a gateway to the real thing. But he has gone along and even allowed 2 pigs and 3 sheep. He now understands the term "barn shoes" and owns 2 pair. His only real complaint is that of the 1500 acres, the chickens feel the need to come up to the house and scratch in the gravel drip edge and make a mess.

The moral of the story is that Chicken Math can lead to Farm Math. But what a wonderful thing.

Coop: CHICKENS 6 Rocks (Barred, White & Partridge), 3 Buff Opries, 1 RIR, 2 NHR, 2 Australorps, 2 Andalusians, 8 EEs, 8 Ameraucanas, 5 Marans (Black Copper & Cuckoos), 2 Barnes, 1 Welsummer, 4 Wyandotes (Clumbian & Gold Lace), 1 Sussex, 2 Black Stars, 1 Silver-Spangle Hamberg, 1 Buttercup, 2 Exchequer Leghorns; DUCKS 8 Jumbo Peking, 2 Blue Swedish, 2 Buff. 1 Spoiled Mini Aussie & 1 Darling, forgiving Husband

 

[chickenmanII]

I am truly glad to see all of your stories, I was out of town ( with no access to the internet) so I have spent an hour or so catching up on the thread. I did not think i was the only one with this problem, but who knew how many people were enjoying chicken math. Gotta love it.

 

[78Vette]

Me and my wife have talked about getting some chicks for the last few years. Well this year was the year to do it. We got 6 from TSC and thought we had al we would want. That lasted about a week. Yesterday we went to the local feed store and they had RIR, Berhmas and Barred Rocks. So we now have 6 more 2 of each of them lol. I think we will be placing a order next week for 6 more, 3 Silkies and 3 Polish so that will make 18 total. So much fo the 6 to start.

 

[mabhera]

Well, I wanted 6 to 8 tops. I got 12 easter eggers eggs and 6 black copper maran eggs. Made a Incubator and started the process, Then I read that ebay eggs usually dont hatch and that was with shipping small distances. In my case they were shipped across seas so I figured that none of mine will hatch. So I got 11 girls from ideal and the sended 11 free males White leghorns. 2 of the girls died. Then my eggs hatched. 3 out of 6 black cooper marans and 5 out of the easter eggers, Gave my mother 1 male 2 females.One day I realized I had 16 roos....and only 9 girls. Only one black copper maran pullet so I got 11 eggs in the bator and hatched 7. time will tell how many pullets. 16 roos, 9 pullets and 7 chicks. ....32 total. I just wanted 6 to 8. well, now I'm planning for bigger coop.