Counting your chickens

[JacinLarkwell]

Ugh, I hate that! Then most of the time I find the 'missing' bird has just tucked up next to someone out of sight or something. I ended up putting together a complete list of all of my breeds and which are in which coop so that, if someone is missing, I can pull it up on my phone and check off down the list until I figure out who.

I used to have birds sleep on or under other birds

 

[L Home Farm]

I’ve got 27 right now. 3 Faverolles hens, & 4 Fav Roosters ( only 2 are good enough to breed ) so I’m hatching more next spring with my best hen & rooster. I have 6 Cream Legbar hens & a roo who I’m also planning on breeding. And I want a couple of chicks from my Brahma ( I have 2) hens by the Cream Legbar rooster for fun to see what they’ll be like. ( offspring should lay green eggs right?)
I have a Light Sussex pair, and I want to get a few more hens.
Then there’s the Silkie, Buff Orpington, 3 hybrids, 2 Cream Legbar Crosses & a LaBresse who I’m just keeping for eggs and broodies.
I’m going to hatch Cuckoo Marans, and more Brahmas and Cochans too. Ahh I’m gonna be busy!!
I’m only hatching now, no buying adults, so this is the number I’m keeping for the winter. I probably will lose a few, hope not tho.
I’m a nightly chicken counter too. I also count by coop - I have 4 coops right now. Hoping to build 2 or 3 massive ones that will fit everyone (including the extremely likely large expansions I do lol… I went from 2 to 21 in my first year…) and I can use my old coops as quarantine, broody, and breeding coops.
Well, that’s my plan. Heck. It sounds big on paper. Let’s hope I can handle it!

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Ugh, I hate that! Then most of the time I find the 'missing' bird has just tucked up next to someone out of sight or something. I ended up putting together a complete list of all of my breeds and which are in which coop so that, if someone is missing, I can pull it up on my phone and check off down the list until I figure out who.

That happens the most to me after I bring everyone back in from free ranging. I put their feeder up while they're out and put it back down when I plan on getting them back in. They all circle around the feeder, so I try to count them in that circle. There's always one who is ducking under the other hens and feeder, then they're all moving around it. I have 18 hens, and sometimes I'll count either 16 or 17 and other times I'll count 19! About time I've counted them about 3-4 times, I take my rough estimate that they're all there. I'll count them again at night, and if I had accidentally missed one, I assume she'll be around the pen by that time anyways.

That used to happen to me pretty frequently. So I tap each chicken as I count to make sure nobody is hiding. I’m pretty sure my Ameraucana cockerel gives me “the look” every time I tap him.

I do that when I count them every night. Some of the girls act "offended" that I do that, but I think most of them have given up on that now and have accepted that they're going to get tapped each night.

 

[Egg Snatcher]

I gotta count my birds probably got close to 50-100 or more

 

[Egg Snatcher]

As of right know I have 126 chickens. 18 roosters, 55 hens, and the rest are chicks or grow outs. About 30 on the way. My plan for the winter is to sell off a few roosters and a couple hen. Sell the chicks, see how the grows out turn out (then sell who doesn’t make the cut), and have around 100 to 80 chickens threw the winter.

 

[Mrs. K]

Whew! WHAT do you do with the eggs? That is a lot of chickens!

I have 4 month old chicks, 2 -4-5 month old pullets, and 4 last years birds, and 1 matriarch that thinks she is broody again - and two Cockerels. So a bakers dozen.

One cockerel is going, decisions, decisions -

11 female birds - the chicks won't lay until February... Maybe the pullets will, egg laying is already dropping. I would like to get down to 8 birds + 1 rooster...

But who to go? Need to sell 4. Might sell two last years birds, and two month old chicks...

Decisions, decisions

 

[alwaystj9]

How old is the matriarch?
Hmm...so you need to part with 1 roo & 3 females. If the matriarch is over 2 or you are tired of broody, I'd plan on selling someone a "Starter Flock" of a roo, Ms.broody and one other. That leaves you with a spare for emergencies. Good luck! I am corralling my lavendar Orps into a small flock to sell. That will get me down to about 28.

 

[wolfinator]

Easiest way to count chickens is at night while they roost. That's when I count mine. I count my ducks after they've come in from free ranging, a task in itself because they don't roost. I corral them an let a few at a time get pass as I count. I've had the occasional "Where are they hiding?" situations but always found them before my bed time. My 2 guineas were raised with chickens but now reside with the ducks, they go to roost at dusk.

Egg production has gone from nearly 30 daily to 7-14 for hens, I get 1-2 duck eggs out of 12 and it looks like a pillow factory exploded between coops and pens. My hens usually pick back up between Christmas and mid-Jan but hopefully a few older pullets will be laying before then.

I currently have 41 chickens including 1 rooster and 40 hens with 1 hen being a 7 month old CC Broiler. The Broiler and 3 other hens they can't be with the other hens, so they stay with the ducks full time, even free ranging with them. There are 10 older juvenile pullets, 16 weeks and 6 younger pullets, 9 weeks that share a large divided coop. And 6 new ones that are about 2 weeks in the nursery. My chickens range in age from 2 weeks up to 6 1/2 years old. My ducks range from 2 weeks to 6 1/2 years. Then there's my male duo guineas.

So all together I have 65 chickens, 2 male guineas and 25 ducks, plus a pair of 2 week old ducklings that actually belong to my boyfriend's grandson who lives in another state but I get to caretake them. The chicks and ducklings share the same brooder for now.

My current set up - plus now there's a full garden next to them. There's a total of 6 coops, one is divided and 4 pen areas plus. Photo was taken May 29th, 2023 before I'd gotten or hatched some of the babies. Our setup spans about 65ft across and goes 50-70ft back which includes usable garden area for off season. Dog kennel is 15x30.

My comparison of a few of my girls eggs.

And BK, my Broiler.

 

[goldenyears]

I have 20 accidental chicks in the outdoor brooder (they kinda migrated to my shopping cart at TSC as they were on sale for $2) along with three ducklings I incubated. 42 - I think - meat birds remaining out of 120. 15 Pekin ducks. And around 100 various breeds with an uncertain number of hatchlings. Expect to have 100 or so over the winter and into spring. Considering reducing those numbers next season as granddaughter (lives with me) will be 4 and I want more time with her than with the chickens. May focus more on the silkies and those that lay green and blue eggs?????

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I have 20 accidental chicks in the outdoor brooder (they kinda migrated to my shopping cart at TSC as they were on sale for $2) along with three ducklings I incubated. 42 - I think - meat birds remaining out of 120. 15 Pekin ducks. And around 100 various breeds with an uncertain number of hatchlings. Expect to have 100 or so over the winter and into spring. Considering reducing those numbers next season as granddaughter (lives with me) will be 4 and I want more time with her than with the chickens. May focus more on the silkies and those that lay green and blue eggs?????

Migrated into your cart? I haven't heard that one yet, lol. Silkies are great birds around younger kids (though I can't say the same on the roosters). They're super friendly and some people train them to ride in stollars, if your granddaughter is into that. Easter Eggers (hatchery named Ameruacana) are the ones who'll give those eggs. From my experience so far, I've seen my Whiting True Blues be friendlier than my EEs, if you're looking for the friendlier out of the two. (Disclaimer: I have heard varying reports about the WTB's friendliness, so there might be different strains. Mine was bred for the beard, if that has anything to do with it. )