Do you count your chickens before bed?

[Dottie the Chicken]

How many of you count your chickens when you put them up at night? How many chickens would it take for you to give up counting?

 

[Chicken Heel]

For me it was when I had a flock that exceeded 100 and ultimately I ended up with 142.

 

[Mrs. K]

Counting the dead ones is easy... and just assume if you don't have those, you have them all.

 

[rosemarythyme]

We always do a headcount at night. I felt bad for sending hubby out in snow and rain to do it in winter, so we put in a camera just to do nightly headcounts lol.

 

[Chickassan]

I don't count, mine are named so it is really more of a roll call.
I would do this no matter how many were here, im twisted like that.

 

[GC-Raptor]

I have two coops, no auto pop doors and weather permitting I let them out of their pens to free range an hour before sunset.
So I do a headcount when I'm closing the coops after sunset.
The most chickens I've had were ten, 3 in one coop and 7 in the other, so easy to count them on the roosts.

My capacity limit between the two coops is twelve.
So as long as I don't get another coop with a capacity over 19, I'm good, as I only have 20 fingers and toes, and 1 finger is doing the counting.
So 19 chickens per coop/pen would be my limit to do a headcount. GC

 

[Tre3hugger]

I don't count them when they're all roosted up for night. I do habitually count them throughout the day though. Takes l;ess than 5 seconds and gives me piece of mind. Also gives me an idea of who lays what if I'm working outside ill keep tabs. I have 10 birds. If i only see 9 i'm more curious about who is laying which egg, etc. So I will go and investigate. Not because I think they are missing, but because I am genuinely curious and determines to learn their routines.

 

[Chickassan]

Iv'e "lost" one that was sitting on my shoulder.
I understand.

Haha, my brain doesn't cooperate sometimes. I can come up short on my count and for the life of me can't remember who might be missing, and they are all named too!

 

[Skyle]

I count them every night, but I only have 13 chickens in the coop

 

[Folly's place]

We do a count every night if they have been free ranging that day. Usually fewer than 50, except for summer, when the numbers climb, usually no more than 75, though.
It's easiest to count them by type, or in sections of the coop.
There have been times when a missing bird is alive out there, and can be saved!
Mary