Could someone explain what "Chicken Math" is please?

[MontanaDolphin]

I did find an older post in the social section, but I still can't quite grasp it. Could someone PLEASE explain it, like you're talking to a 5 year old?

Will it pertain to me? I just got my first babies ever yesterday at a day old.

 

[Bunnylady]

The thread you found - was it this one?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/472434/what-is-chicken-math

 

[Chicks Galore3]

Chicken math goes like this- You coop is big enough for 12 chickens- so you go and and buy 20.

 

[mrwoodboat]

bahaha- that pretty much sums it up- it is the unrational urge to just get one more chook, because "its so cute" " my roo needs another hen to distract him" and on and on...
in our case 9 became 20 which became almost 40...dang birds...

 

[MontanaDolphin]

Yes, that was the post.

I think I understand. The term comes into play when building a coop, right? Like, you build your coop to house 6 chickens, but what you should have done was build it to house more than double that because you will always end up with more than 6 at some point? Is that right? And if my 6 babies turn out to be 5 hens and 1 rooster, and say that all hens lay well, and I allow them to set on their eggs, I'll end up with babies, which will grow up, and add to my chicken total. Am I grasping the term correctly?

 

[tadpole98]

Yes, that was the post.

I think I understand. The term comes into play when building a coop, right? Like, you build your coop to house 6 chickens, but what you should have done was build it to house more than double that because you will always end up with more than 6 at some point? Is that right? And if my 6 babies turn out to be 5 hens and 1 rooster, and say that all hens lay well, and I allow them to set on their eggs, I'll end up with babies, which will grow up, and add to my chicken total. Am I grasping the term correctly?

never make room for just 6. make it as big as you can. I started off just wanting 12. no more, no less. Lets just say here I am a few years later with 100+ and hatching by the month.

 

[ocap]

here is my chicken math:
an acre is 209 feet by 209 feet = 43681 square feet
if I can stuff in one chicken for every four square feet and I have 41 acres
(43,681/4)x41=447,730 chickens on my place without building a second story

 

[tadpole98]

here is my chicken math:
an acre is 209 feet by 209 feet = 43681 square feet
if I can stuff in one chicken for every four square feet and I have 41 acres
(43,681/4)x41=447,730 chickens on my place without building a second story

if thats the case. then I can fit 9,566,139 chickens on mine without building a second story. I have 219 acres.

imma go buy more chickens!!

 

[tadpole98]

Quote: hold up, i did that wrong. i have to divide by 4 now. 2, 391,534.75 (the .75 will be a bantam)

 

[MontanaDolphin]

never make room for just 6. make it as big as you can. I started off just wanting 12. no more, no less. Lets just say here I am a few years later with 100+ and hatching by the month.

My coop is pre-existing...it came with the house which sits on 8.63 acres. It's 4ft by 8ft, with 9 nesting boxes not included in that measurement. I have 6 babies, one rooster (possibly more, if I go by the sexing tips for the species) and 5 hens. I hope that's a big enough coop, since I had to buy 6 minimum.