Three years ago I started with 7.
Now that is some BIG chicken math!
They all molted at the same time..... actually had to buy grocery store eggs for three months!
Decided that would never happen again so purchased 7 more, although these are young they lay med/almost large eggs. That wont do either.....
Two of my best layers got taken by some predator, and my EE passed away.... So ordered 17 chicks to ship in June, 12 to ship in May, I have my eye on a few at the feed store (trying to wait till I have chicks so I can brood them together.
And then this Easter HAL came along.... Ordered hatching eggs and filled one incubator and filled the other with my back yard mix (one of my hens was a roo). Total in incubator 95.
Oh yes, I had a broody hen about three months ago and she hatched out three chicks.
My husband about freaked over the incubator..... told him It was ok... the average hatch rate is 50% (or expect that even though often its much better, didn't tell him that part) and then half of those will be Roos.... So basically I will have about 25 new hens

, right? However, my daughters teacher asked "What have you done!?"
We were building a new coop anyway,, guess it will have to be bigger.