Chicken Math

[Mybackyardpeepers]

Really!!! Silkies are not even a chicken. It’s some futuristic long haired rat. Lol J/k

They are actually not that adorable when their plumage is coming in lol.

 

[MROO]

My chicken raising has only gotten me to gullible straight run buys, rare feed store buys, and recently mail order buy. I don't have an incubator, but it's in my mind. Raising meat birds, mmmm probably couldn't bring myself to that. I definitely respect people who can.

If you really can't do the processing yourself (like me ... can't do it!) the trick is to get a bunch - and by "a bunch," I mean "too many to name" - that all look exactly alike and send them all off to be processed at the same time. That way, you have the benefit of home-grown chicken, but never have to worry about whether you're eating Fluffy's drumstick or Spot's!

 

[MROO]

Ohh I forgot the blue ones!

Have you seen the calico projects some people are working on? I WANT one!

 

[Mybackyardpeepers]

If you really can't do the processing yourself (like me ... can't do it!) the trick is to get a bunch - and by "a bunch," I mean "too many to name" - that all look exactly alike and send them all off to be processed at the same time. That way, you have the benefit of home-grown chicken, but never have to worry about whether you're eating Fluffy's drumstick or Spot's!

That might work, except the 5 year old that would probably try to name them (or at least think it's that one or this one) lol

 

[Mybackyardpeepers]

Have you seen the calico projects some people are working on? I WANT one!

No, I'm assuming it's a new color.

 

[MROO]

No, I'm assuming it's a new color.

Actually , it's an old one. There's a picture floating around the internet of an absolutely gorgeous calico silkie, but the pic is decades old and the breeder is no longer active. A few people here are attempting to recreate it, yet again ... and I sure hope they do!

 

[Mybackyardpeepers]

Actually , it's an old one. There's a picture floating around the internet of an absolutely gorgeous calico silkie, but the pic is decades old and the breeder is no longer active. A few people here are attempting to recreate it, yet again ... and I sure hope they do!

That would be awesome. Have to keep on top of that! Thanks.

 

[HendricksonHomestead]

Oooh; I hope you protect that little silkie from the ayam cemani. Silkies are VERY docile!

So far so good with them together! Only 4 weeks old at the moment.

 

[wolfinator]

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.

 

[pepe1]

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 !!!