Counting your chickens

[DonyaQuick]

I have 20 chickens right now: 7 pullets, 7 hens, 3 roos, and 3 cockerels. They're in 3 kind of awkward groups right now, to be rearranged for the winter into a main flock of 2 brother roos with the ladies and bachelor flock of 4. I count my chickens each night, but my biggest roo can apparently still fit more than one cockerel in his abundant neck floof when it gets chilly...so sometimes I have to look for extra sets of feet to make the numbers add up lol.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

haven't decided on an exact number to finish the year with or anything. I have 130 birds at the moment, but 70 of those are grow outs for my breeding groups, so most of those will not be staying. I'd like to keep a max of 6 cockerels, preferably 4 or 5, and around 10-12 of the pullets for breeding. It all depends on how they look as they fill out the rest of the way. Of the adult birds I have, I expect a couple not to be around by wintertime (very, very aged hens that have started slowing down and showing other signs that their age is getting the best of them), and I likely will not be keeping one of my adult roosters, either, simply because he's served his purpose of making chicks this year and I'd like to rotate him out for another male. So I guess I'm aiming to overwinter around 75-80 birds.

I'm down a few cockerels as of last week, so I'm only counting 123 these days

 

[ChickyWhicky]

Started the year with 60+ chickens and now we currently have 36 chickens, which includes 3 roosters (2 of which are adolescent and may or may not stay). I recently gave away some older hens for the sole reason of not wanting to winter over 60+ birds.
Ideally we'd have about 10-15 laying hens BUT chicken math gets us every time! Now I have favorites and home hatched babies that I just can't seem to let go of.

 

[alwaystj9]

I have 20 chickens right now: 7 pullets, 7 hens, 3 roos, and 3 cockerels. They're in 3 kind of awkward groups right now, to be rearranged for the winter into a main flock of 2 brother roos with the ladies and bachelor flock of 4. I count my chickens each night, but my biggest roo can apparently still fit more than one cockerel in his abundant neck floof when it gets chilly...so sometimes I have to look for extra sets of feet to make the numbers add up lol.

So count all the little feets and divide by 2?

 

[BDutch]

I planned to end with 8 or 9 Bantams after the summer. 8-9 is a great number for my coops/runs.

I had 6 adults to start with this spring. I bought 11 hatching eggs and had 9 chicks with 3 broodies. -> 4 cockerels too much. And could sell all chicks but 2 pullets to one person. It was a relieve to find a nice destiny for the cockerels.

At the end of the summer I had 8 chickens. But unfortunately I am back to 7 already now. One pullet disappeared a week ago. I hope these 7 all survive winter.
I want to start a new breeding project in April 2024 with bantam speckled Sussex's.

winter counting
end of 2014: 4
2015: 6
2016: 6
2017: 9
2018: 8
2019: 8
2020: 7
2021: 7
2022: 6
2023 ....

 

[DonyaQuick]

So count all the little feets and divide by 2?

Pretty much I don't think my big roo appreciates his nephews burrowing into his feathers at night but he's too much of a softie to do anything about it.

 

[Bonkerelli]

I have between 30-35 chickens, including 2 definite and 2 maybe roosters. (I gotta say, it's hard to get a good count of moving chickens). I plan on selling the Lavender Orpingtons before winter because they are the ones struggling most in this weather -- I won't be going forward with them next year. I would like to go into winter with 20-25 chickens. I'll probably lose at least one over the winter to mystery death and a couple to predators (hawk migration season). The goal is to have 18 hens and 2 roos to start 2024. And hope feed prices don't go much higher.
What numbers are you planning to over winter and how do you plan for next year?

I plan on getting 40 next year. I think have 23 right now. I'm a self admitted chicken addict.

 

[Maddcatter]

I currently have 175 ish birds.
8 roosters, 31 ducks and 130is hens.
I also have two hens that are brooding, one has 4 chicks hatched, 3 pips, and 2 eggs, and the other hen's brood is set to start popping tomorrow.
I thought I was going to get a lot more males out of my last hatch of ducks, so I think the duck flock is staying as it is (I was planning on eating 3-4 ducks over the holidays)
And a lot of then chickens are breeding stock, I just need to build separated coops.
I count my birds at night. The chickens all roost, and the ducks have learned to come into the chicken run at night. I also count the chickens by breed.
My Welsummer rooster once was buried under a bunch on hens when I went to count him, instead of glaring at me. Luckily he knows his name, so he rose from the pile like a submarine breeching the surface... Eventually...

 

[RadEggs]

I have 3, kinda sad in comparison...
4 is the legal limit where I live. (We want to add another, but our current ones are not super chill with other birds, and it is hard to integrate just one.)

 

[tlcmurphy]

I have around 300 rn, I just sold 20 and picked up 200

I have 3, kinda sad in comparison...
4 is the legal limit where I live. (We want to add another, but our current ones are not super chill with other birds, and it is hard to integrate just one.)

That’s exactly how we ended up with 3, Queen Bee is an A$$hat to any new chickens we add, I’ve given up trying