Chicken math

[DanielB20]

It takes at LEAST a dozen eggs to feed my family and we eat a lot of eggs. I buy them 5 dozen at a time. I think we're safe. Haha. Plus my family wants some too. They are already putting in orders!!

WOW, I only have three chickens, on of them just laid its fourth egg 20 minutes ago or maybe even less than 20 minutes.

I know what you mean.. Two people can clear out a dozen poached with buttered toast!!

OK,

I started out with 4 and then i kept adding them two a time Now i have 18 lol

WOW, that is a big difference from 4 to 18 chicks.

Welcome!

I had to laugh. I bought 8 new chicks this spring. That was IT!! Well, through a series of unfortunate events, all but one of the chicks died or was killed by a predator. (I had a predator attack that got 4 of my chicks and three of my grown hens). I was so frustrated that I moved the one surviving chick (16 weeks old at this point) in with the big girls and ordered 25 from McMurray's. I got those plus two more for free, and they are 7 weeks old now. ALL of them are alive and it looks like most of them are pullets, as advertised. I think one of my leghorns and one of my EE's are roos though.

So, I went from 7 hens and 1 almost grown pullet to 35!

THAT'S how chicken math works!

Spring is just about the right time to get chicks. I did as well.

We decided last year to get just a few chicks, picked up 6 black australorps from tractor supply. As far as I was concerned, that was more than enough, I didn't even like chickens! Or so I thought anyway, my grandparents had chickens when I was younger and I remembered having to take a broom in with me to collect the eggs because they were nasty little things. Once we got them home I couldn't resist their adorable chick charm... but in the back of my head I just kept waiting for them to turn mean. They never did, so when this spring rolled around I decided we would add just a few more to our flock, we had lost one hen to a predator and were left with 2 hens and 3 roosters, we needed just a few more egg layers i thought. My friend wanted some Black sex links, but not all 6 that you had to buy so we agreed to split them, there 3 more that should be good enough. Than I walked into TSC for chick feed and ohh look at the pretty EE's, they will give me pretty eggs! Lets get 12 of them just in case we get a bunch of roosters... and on it went. This time last year I had 5 chickens which I was still unsure I even liked... Now I have 73 and am itching to add more... don't worry I am fully aware now that I absolutely adore my chickens and may be just a little bit addicted. Chicken math is a very real thing.

OK, chicks are just so much fun.

 

[goats2chickens]

New kid here. So, three years ago I bought six hens and an Ameracana roo from an FFA girl that were 1.5 years old. Two years later the neighbor moves to town and gives me their flock of white rocks. Lost one here and there and then in June I retired. Now I have the fever. I started buying chickens - full grown ones. Then I bought 2 still air incubators and a circulating one, and some more chickens, and more chickens, and more chickens, and tomorrow I am going to pick up - More chickens! What happened? Did I mention the incubator is full of eggs?? Oh, and yes, I joined Hatchacolics Anonomous.

 

[JRNash]

Lol. Welcome!! We are here for you.

 

[DanielB20]

New kid here. So, three years ago I bought six hens and an Ameracana roo from an FFA girl that were 1.5 years old. Two years later the neighbor moves to town and gives me their flock of white rocks. Lost one here and there and then in June I retired. Now I have the fever. I started buying chickens - full grown ones. Then I bought 2 still air incubators and a circulating one, and some more chickens, and more chickens, and more chickens, and tomorrow I am going to pick up - More chickens! What happened? Did I mention the incubator is full of eggs?? Oh, and yes, I joined Hatchacolics Anonomous.

WOW, there must be a lot of chicks coming in the future.

 

[DanielB20]

Lol. Welcome!! We are here for you.

Yes, welcome!

 

[DanielB20]

WOW, there must be a lot of chicks coming in the future.

I just joined this month. Last week to be exact. This one is for me. Welcome To BYC!

 

[21hens-incharge]

. They hens will each lay 1 egg every day, I think you got too many chicks.

Not true, just not true. You have to adjust the quotient for the broody hens and when one or many take the day off. Then there is molting and just being plain stubborn. LOTS of times they do not lay. Oh and winter holiday and boycotting Easter. YUP need more hens since surely some will have an attitude about laying and just not do as well as others. Oh and if they form a union then no one lays until the labor dispute is settled and that can take months.

 

[JRNash]

From the last time I raised egg layers,figure up how many eggs you want a week. Then get triple the hens.lol

 

[DanielB20]

Not true, just not true. You have to adjust the quotient for the broody hens and when one or many take the day off. Then there is molting and just being plain stubborn. LOTS of times they do not lay. Oh and winter holiday and boycotting Easter. YUP need more hens since surely some will have an attitude about laying and just not do as well as others. Oh and if they form a union then no one lays until the labor dispute is settled and that can take months.

OK, I totally understand.

 

[DanielB20]

From the last time I raised egg layers,figure up how many eggs you want a week. Then get triple the hens.lol

OK.