Do you count your chickens before bed?

[ackie]

Hahaha this is complicated.

I genuinely do not know how many chickens I have living in trees. I can guess based on how many chickens I see out before I open the pens but I had to stop looking for tree chickens every night because they hide way better than youd think and I was stressing myself out.

I was counting the 4+ month olds which is when I start letting them free range, but that quickly stopped because every couple nights one would stop sleeping in the coop and join the big girls in the tree and I'd stress out and go looking for it only to find it was totally fine.

I have roughly
20 + 9 + 2 + 1 + 3 + 6 + 2 + 6 + 6
ish

55

chicken math
20 pullets, 9 roos for sale, one of those roos has 2 hens, another has 1 hen, 3 roos for keeps, 1 alpha cock + his 4 ladies + one has a 1 cockrell who thinks hes a chick still following her around, 1 hen and 1 chick following her around, 1 hen + 5 young chicks in the brooder, and 1 roo + 5 pullets that arent free range

 

[Docdetective]

I only have two, so it’s easy But I always go out at night to close the coop door, give them goodnight scritches, make sure my little crossbeak’s crop is full, clean out any poops from the shavings, inspect the poops for any abnormalities, ruffle the shavings so they have their little nests(they have a roost but don’t use it) put food and water inside since they aren’t let out until 8:00 am, and watch them snuggle. Best part of the day.

 

[HollyWoozle]

We do count ours but only have 15 so it doesn't take long!

 

[nashua]

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?

I count them several times a day. I have nine. Too many to count? Might be 25 or so

 

[nashua]

I only have two, so it’s easy But I always go out at night to close the coop door, give them goodnight scritches, make sure my little crossbeak’s crop is full, clean out any poops from the shavings, inspect the poops for any abnormalities, ruffle the shavings so they have their little nests(they have a roost but don’t use it) put food and water inside since they aren’t let out until 8:00 am, and watch them snuggle. Best part of the day.

Mine are 2 years old, and only one of them starting roosting recently. I have the same routine as you, and I enjoy it!

 

[nashua]

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.

We did the same! I count them before they go into the coop and again by camera before I go to sleep!

 

[LaFleche]

Yes, with four different coops headcount is important here as sometimes the automatic door will close and leave some dawdlers outside.

 

[HodgesHappyHens]

I too count in groups. 1 Delaware 6 Buffs 4 RIR 7 black sexlinks 9 brown sexlinks. Then followed by a count/search for any unwanted critters in the secure run and coop before locking up for the night.

 

[The Happster]

I do count.

If I didn't count I wouldn't be able to sleep.

Since forgetting to put a single cockerel in, and him being taken by a fox, I've been paranoid.
I regularly wake up in the middle of the night to go out and double check they're safe.

 

[birdlady11]

My 23 girls have 3/4 acre to roam which includes a chunk of woods. They put themselves to bed each night about a half hour before sunset. However, because some of the ladies are quite geriatric and I live in a predator-rich environment I always count before closing the coop doors. I too have to count by groups by I go with color groups: 6 blacks, 5 browns, 5 stripes, 4 whites, and 3 reds. That way, if someone is missing I'll know exactly who and where the most likely place is to look for her.