Chicken math

[JimRob]

I sure wish someone would tell me where I can find a older silkie pullet or a silkie hen somewhere near Nashville, TN. There seem to be hundreds of silkie chicks or roosters available but no older pullets or hens.

 

[kissnpeeps]

Now am up to four containers of peeps in my spare bedroom

now am up to hmmm maybe 120 babies 10 barred rock youngsters

and approximately (@:!/€%¥

juvenile lovlies in playpen ! Loving chicken math that only chicken lovers understandi

 

[nickdlny]

Yeah, I understand that chicken math is more complicated than even the most complicated other math. The problem, as I've identified it, is that the process is dynamic and the answer to the question (How many chickens?) is a moving target.

We started our flock this year--we wanted 6 or so Isa's. Easy enough. Then my first grader had a library day and found a book on chickens. Our 6 Isa's turned into: 6 Isa's, 4 Wyandottes (2 gold, 2 silver), 3 Barred Rocks, and 7 Buff Orpingtons. The worst part is that ours wasn't 1 errant trip to the farm store, it happened across 5 trips over 3 weeks. The one that I have the most trouble explaining is the 7 Orpingtons--2 would have been fine but then we ended up with 7!(?)

 

[silkiechickens8]

So I went to my local feed store to only get one polish chick, but when I entered the store I saw a white crested black polish jump down from the brooder and made a dash across the room. No one saw her so I scooped her up. The guy that works there said I could just put her right back in through the little sliding door. How could I put her back?!?!?! So I bought her, but then saw they had other colors. So I ended up coming home with a white crested black (the one that escaped), a white, a buff-laced, and a golden-laced. Well I'm getting better!! I'm surprised that I didn't come home with the whole store!! Ok this is enough for chickens until next year (at least I think). Next year I'm thinking about getting a Ginger Old English, Frizzles, and maybe even my own fertilized eggs!! Since we might have a roo from our straight run chicks. I defiantly want some more bantams oh and a Russian Orloff. My friends think I'm crazy, but hey I'm not the only one who has fallen victim to chicken math!!

 

[nimopiba]

I started out by picking out 8 chicks about 2 years ago. I only wanted 6 but I knew maybe one or 2 might not make it to adulthood. I collected and lost some along the way. I received a shipment of 10 back and February and now I have 16 total. Did I mention I only wanted 6?

 

[nickdlny]

I started out by picking out 8 chicks about 2 years ago. I only wanted 6 but I knew maybe one or 2 might not make it to adulthood. I collected and lost some along the way. I received a shipment of 10 back and February and now I have 16 total. Did I mention I only wanted 6?

Seems 6 is the magic number. If you start off wanting 6, you'll end up buying 18. Maybe we can call this the multiplicative property of chicken math; you're going to end up buying at least three times the number of chickens you originally had in mind.

Alright, I'm looking for other properties and/or rules in chicken math--do you have any?

 

[n3kms]

Seems 6 is the magic number.  If you start off wanting 6, you'll end up buying 18.  Maybe we can call this the multiplicative property of chicken math; you're going to end up buying at least three times the number of chickens you originally had in mind.

Alright, I'm looking for other properties and/or rules in chicken math--do you have any?

If you ever have to subtract due to loss a replacement is necessary and always greater in number than the loss.
When you incubate there will be some infertile eggs and some quitters so you must incubate more than the incubator will hold because when you candle you will be throwing out the clears and quitters and you still want a full incubator.

 

[emma p]

I thought I had avoided chicken math. I had only had three chickens for one year (proud of my self for that

). But three chicks really needed a home. And next week one of my original three girl's eggs are hatching. It looks like three or four will hatch. Three to possibly ten chickens in one week. Ten is not that bad, just hope they do not keep multiplying like the have this last week!

 

[chicapee]

I stopped in at tsc to pick up a couple of cow hooves for my dogs the Sunday a week after Easter. Well they had 9 chicks left in two bins. My hubby and I decided that we would have 4 they were 4 little black and grey chicks called asian blues. The manager said we had to take at least 6. I told her that there were only 4 of the ones that we wanted. She said that if we took the 5 white rocks as well she would only charge us for six. So my husband said the coop and run we were building would be large enough. So we bought the 9 Plus the whole ensemble to brood them and feed them. One little black one died the first night. We now have 8 in the coop and a dozen blrw in the brinsea octagon 20 advanced that arrived yesterday for my birthday. We are planning our second coop, 3 rooster tractor coops to keep a rooster for each 3 breeds. I think we are going to be farmers. We have 4 wooded acres.

 

[SouthernStorm]

We did the same thing here. Planned on starting with 6, bought 6 at feed store, found 4 more at a hatchery, lost 2 to hawks in the first 18 months, raised 6 more the next spring, and now have 8 in the brooder...plus my husband wants to raise a turkey this year. The internet memes on chicken math aren't just funny, they hold true to practically ALL chicken keepers. LOL

Good luck getting started, and remember you can always add a few each year to stagger their ages and laying rates.