Chicken Math

[Perris]

3 months ago I had a flock of 8. I thought I'd increase by a couple of dark egg layers, so I ordered 2 Welsumer pullets. About a week later, one of my hens went broody. Not wanting to break her, I gave her 4 eggs; 3 chicks hatched. One of the other hens took a great interest in the chicks, and 2 days later she went broody. Not wanting to break her, I gave her 3 eggs; 2 hatched. Today I collected the Welsumers I ordered at the start of this little saga, and realised that since then, the flock number has almost doubled, to 15: 8 adults, and 7 chicks, aged between 2 and 7 weeks! And while the home raised chicks are already integrated, the newbies need quarantine and gradual introduction, so the next two months will be interesting!

 

[Mybackyardpeepers]

View attachment 1805395 People my one son worked for had to quickly rehome their 18 bantam chickens with 3 coops and accessories. I only used the 8x10 large coop, other 2 were much smaller. So I originally started with the 18 bantams (9 hens/pullets and 9 cockerels/roosters as I soon discovered) the first year (2015). I managed to reduce the roosters down to 3 (lost a few to nature also). 2016, I added 14 pullet and 2 cockerel chicks. A friend who got over her head gave me 4 cockerels and 4 pullets (same ages as my new 16) plus 6 ducks. Never planned on this many or any ducks, but what the heck. 2017, I had sold several hens and gave/sold a few roosters plus lost some to nature. Well, I got 23 more chicks and again was given several more. I had to add another coop, so by now I'm using 3 of the 4 coops (bantams got new coop, ducks got a small coop and the 16 got the 8x10) and all are happy. I built a pen for each coop too. Oops, a hen laid on some duck and chicken eggs, now I've got 2 ducklings and 4 chicks hatched out by a bantam. I kept 2 chicks and gave away the ducklings and other 2 chicks. Enter 2018, I allowed all my bantams and ducks to share same pen, well same broody bantam hen stole 4 duck and several chicken eggs. Ducklings survived, chicken eggs didn't. Sold all 4 ducklings plus a drake and 2 duck hens. Some how I had ended up with 11 roosters and managed to find homes for 4, lost 2 to fighting (my favorite bantam got attacked by another bantam and my buff Orpington killed that bantam). Lost a few hens to injury (hip injuries from roosters) over the summer sadly. Winter wasn't kind to my chickens as I lost 3 bantams and 10 standard chickens by spring of 2019 and had to cull 6 hens and a rooster due to illness or injuries. March of 2019 brought chick season and I figured on getting 12-14 pullet chicks increasing my flock to 50-55. HA HA HA!!! I ended up over the next 6 weeks (3/8 - 4/18) buying 27 pullet chicks (I'm quite sure 1 is a rooster and questioning on 2 more). As of posting this, I have 1 drake, 2 duck hens and 6 roosters, 1 cockerel, 34 standard hens, 2 bantam hens (only 2 left of my original 18) and 26 pullets (hopefully all are) for a total of 69 chickens and 3 ducks. So much for a flock of 55 or less. My flock has free range access to a 40' X 50' pen and have a custom built 18' X 10' coop with 8 foot walls and there is a 8' X 4 1/2' coop for the pullets (and cockerel) behind the large coop.

Oh wow. Long CM history lol.

 

[Mybackyardpeepers]

3 months ago I had a flock of 8. I thought I'd increase by a couple of dark egg layers, so I ordered 2 Welsumer pullets. About a week later, one of my hens went broody. Not wanting to break her, I gave her 4 eggs; 3 chicks hatched. One of the other hens took a great interest in the chicks, and 2 days later she went broody. Not wanting to break her, I gave her 3 eggs; 2 hatched. Today I collected the Welsumers I ordered at the start of this little saga, and realised that since then, the flock number has almost doubled, to 15: 8 adults, and 7 chicks, aged between 2 and 7 weeks! And while the home raised chicks are already integrated, the newbies need quarantine and gradual introduction, so the next two months will be interesting!

I just re-homed my last rooster to avoid fertile eggs, but never really thought what I would do if one of my hens went broody. This would be me if I kept my rooster lol.

 

[Mybackyardpeepers]

Chickens are addictive, i am now up to 79, i have 28 hens laying eggs with two Roosters and 9 twelve week old pullets and 40 eight week pullets, i was happy with 30 but then i read about Dixie Rainbows, Sapphire Gems Etc and just kept buying, i sold one of my incubators so i would not hatch more but i still have one left and i am tempted but i had to build two new coops and runs this year so i will stop, i have plenty of egg customers so that is not a problem but i charge very little just enough to pay for the grain, i spend a lot of time free ranging them while i sit and watch them and my wife cant understand it but i just say would you rather i was in a bar looking at other chicks or in my backyard !!!

I just got done telling people at my work I'm going home to hold my chicks, it's calming lol. I could of said I'm going home to drink!

 

[MROO]

I just got done telling people at my work I'm going home to hold my chicks, it's calming lol. I could of said I'm going home to drink!

Imagine their reactions if you'd told them you were going home to have a drink with some chicks. I wonder how many would have tried to wrangle an invitation!

 

[Mybackyardpeepers]

Imagine their reactions if you'd told them you were going home to have a drink with some chicks. I wonder how many would have tried to wrangle an invitation!

Considering I work mainly with females I would of been shocked lol.

 

[MROO]

Considering I work mainly with females I would of been shocked lol.

Why? It would be a "for real" Girls' Night Out!

 

[Mybackyardpeepers]

Why? It would be a "for real" Girls' Night Out!

Very true!

 

[wolfinator]

Here is a photo of my pullet/cockerel coop. I bought it at TSC 2 years ago and it started falling apart within 6 months with the roof peeling. This year its getting a complete makeover. I still need to add the metal roof if the rain will allow it. There's no nesting boxes, we removed them since not needed. It originally came with 2 roosting bars but added a third for elbow, umm wing room. I gave it a new coat of paint and added a floor (much easier to clean now).

Before (new)

After (roof and painting need finished)

 

[Cryss]

Here is a photo of my pullet/cockerel coop. I bought it at TSC 2 years ago and it started falling apart within 6 months with the roof peeling. This year its getting a complete makeover. I still need to add the metal roof if the rain will allow it. There's no nesting boxes, we removed them since not needed. It originally came with 2 roosting bars but added a third for elbow, umm wing room. I gave it a new coat of paint and added a floor (much easier to clean now).

Before (new)
View attachment 1818510

After (roof and painting need finished)
View attachment 1818509

I did pretty much the same thing except I covered the entire unit! It sits inside the hardware cloth covered chain link dog run.