Explaining Chicken Math

[wildflowerrun]

I love this thread! I wish I could spend all day reading about chicken math. I think chicken math was one of the first things I read about, and oh boy! I've definitely succumbed! Haha.

I've been thinking about owning chickens for a long time. When I was a kid, my Dad "let" me get some chicks when we were visiting my Granny--that way, the six chicks I got could stay on her farm. Well, one of those died the very next day. So that was when I first learned that 6 chicks = 5.

Fast-forward about 18 years...........

My boyfriend and I bought some "Residential" land (in an EXTREMELY rural area! Across the street is Ag land--grrrrrrr!). But one day I saw something about a lady with a quarter of an acre and four chickens.... This was when I learned, I COULD OWN CHICKENS!

So there we were, planning for 4. But we would have to buy 6 if we wanted hens, since we were buying straight-run.

So I started looking at local farms/breeders. Then I got to thinking and doing some math on the eggs. There's only two of us, but MAN we can go through eggs! Some weeks we eat maybe 5. Most weeks we'll eat at least 15. More if I make weekend breakfast and cookies and sauces. So we're talking about one dozen eggs per person on average (some weeks more, some weeks less). For the laying rate of the breeds I could find and wanted, 4 birds just wasn't going to cut it. Somewhere around this time, I decided we would jump from 4 to 8. My boyfriend then decided we would definitely want to sell eggs. We both have coworkers (and neighbors) who are all set to start buying our eggs--already!. That's when we decided, OK. 12 chickens. And built a coop that could hold 16--just in case.

I put in my order at the local breeder. Remember, I learned early that 6 chicks = 5 birds. And we were buying straight run, so 6 really meant 2 or 3 birds. Using this math, I bought 22 chicks.

Our chicks were born! Yay!

We showed up at the farm and somehow our 22-chick order turned into 24.... Hey, I'm not complaining! Free chicks! Besides, I figured at least 2 or 3 would die before the day was over. (We actually left the house for 3 hours and I forced my boyfriend to check the box when we got home because I was certain we would come home to a box of dead chickens. I have an over-active imagination.)

But before we left, our breeder said, "Go ahead! Pick out two more!"

TWO MORE CHICKS?! Well, I'm not turning THOSE down! Especially since it ended up being another Ameraucana and a Delaware! So we went home with 26 chicks.

You'd think my chicken math attack would stop there, and I did very well (especially given our weekly trips to TSC/Southern States), until I saw someone local selling Olive Eggers....

I picked up five of those last weekend!! But I still feel that is a success, since I turned down her deal on a dozen wheaten/blue wheaten Ameraucana eggs , which are what I REALLY want!!

BTW, the original 26 chicks are all still ALIVE AND HAPPY AND WELL! Though I think I'm starting to pick out the cockerels even at 3-4 weeks....

 

[BullChick]

I'm new to this site and chickens too! We just bought 4.5 acres. I've always wanted chickens so we talked about getti g 10 chicks. My friend and neighbor wanted to do it with us so we figured we would get ten each and build a coop on the property and share in the responsibilities and eggs. After looking online and seeing the shipping fees we decided to go on Craig's list. We found a lady who was selling pure ameracanas. We were going to get five total-we ended up bringing home 8. Cause they were straight run and you know some may be Roos! Then I found a guy selling silver laced W's. we were only getting four but I came home with 9. Then we found another lady selling sex link and Easter eggers. We ended up with 15 from her! Then I discovered black cooper marans and HAD to get some! I found a lady who had some and bought 7! So now I have like 39 chicks! Sme are my neighbors but the marans are mine! Husband now has said no more! But I found some Wellsummers ...so we will see!

You are doing it right!
Wait until you discover Barred Rocks!

 

[BullChick]

I love this thread! I wish I could spend all day reading about chicken math. I think chicken math was one of the first things I read about, and oh boy! I've definitely succumbed! Haha.

I've been thinking about owning chickens for a long time. When I was a kid, my Dad "let" me get some chicks when we were visiting my Granny--that way, the six chicks I got could stay on her farm. Well, one of those died the very next day. So that was when I first learned that 6 chicks = 5.

Fast-forward about 18 years...........

My boyfriend and I bought some "Residential" land (in an EXTREMELY rural area! Across the street is Ag land--grrrrrrr!). But one day I saw something about a lady with a quarter of an acre and four chickens.... This was when I learned, I COULD OWN CHICKENS!

So there we were, planning for 4. But we would have to buy 6 if we wanted hens, since we were buying straight-run.

So I started looking at local farms/breeders. Then I got to thinking and doing some math on the eggs. There's only two of us, but MAN we can go through eggs! Some weeks we eat maybe 5. Most weeks we'll eat at least 15. More if I make weekend breakfast and cookies and sauces. So we're talking about one dozen eggs per person on average (some weeks more, some weeks less). For the laying rate of the breeds I could find and wanted, 4 birds just wasn't going to cut it. Somewhere around this time, I decided we would jump from 4 to 8. My boyfriend then decided we would definitely want to sell eggs. We both have coworkers (and neighbors) who are all set to start buying our eggs--already!. That's when we decided, OK. 12 chickens. And built a coop that could hold 16--just in case.

I put in my order at the local breeder. Remember, I learned early that 6 chicks = 5 birds. And we were buying straight run, so 6 really meant 2 or 3 birds. Using this math, I bought 22 chicks.

Our chicks were born! Yay!

We showed up at the farm and somehow our 22-chick order turned into 24.... Hey, I'm not complaining! Free chicks! Besides, I figured at least 2 or 3 would die before the day was over. (We actually left the house for 3 hours and I forced my boyfriend to check the box when we got home because I was certain we would come home to a box of dead chickens. I have an over-active imagination.)

But before we left, our breeder said, "Go ahead! Pick out two more!"

TWO MORE CHICKS?! Well, I'm not turning THOSE down! Especially since it ended up being another Ameraucana and a Delaware! So we went home with 26 chicks.

You'd think my chicken math attack would stop there, and I did very well (especially given our weekly trips to TSC/Southern States), until I saw someone local selling Olive Eggers....

I picked up five of those last weekend!! But I still feel that is a success, since I turned down her deal on a dozen wheaten/blue wheaten Ameraucana eggs , which are what I REALLY want!!

BTW, the original 26 chicks are all still ALIVE AND HAPPY AND WELL! Though I think I'm starting to pick out the cockerels even at 3-4 weeks....

Go get those Ameraucanas!!!!!

 

[wildflowerrun]

Go get those Ameraucanas!!!!!

Don't encourage me!!!!!

 

[BullChick]

Quote: I am not! I am ORDERING you! You must go get them! Do you know what those eggs go for? Besides, the blue of an Ameraucana cannot compare to the blue of an EE. It is so much brighter!!


Do you see the difference?

 

[missnu01]

We moved onto a property that already had a really large building here...so I turned the top portion into a coop. It is 18x20 feet and that is all it takes for me to start doing chicken math...space, and space we have...
Now I just have to get all these chicks to laying age so I can recoop some of the feed money...Lol.

 

[wildflowerrun]

I am not! I am ORDERING you! You must go get them! Do you know what those eggs go for? Besides, the blue of an Ameraucana cannot compare to the blue of an EE. It is so much brighter!!


Do you see the difference?

Well, I already have Ameraucanas! 7 of them in fact.... It's just that they're Blue/Black/Splash, and I find the Blue Wheatens and the Wheatens just adorable.

And then I added the 5 Olive Eggers just to see what the eggs were like.... What can I say, I'm simple! I like a bit of a rainbow They're F2, so I might get surprised with some dark brown, though.

Also, your eggs are beautiful!! Congratulations

Edited to add: Your picture made me look up egg colors again! Haha. I know roughly what shade of blue my BBS Ameraucanas will lay, but now I want to email the other breeder to see what her Wheaten Ameraucana eggs look like!! But I'm pretty sure my boyfriend would kill me if I brought even one more chick home (I forgot to mention that I went to buy 4 Olive Eggers, not 5). Maybe I can sneak it in?

 

[missnu01]

I love this thread! I wish I could spend all day reading about chicken math. I think chicken math was one of the first things I read about, and oh boy! I've definitely succumbed! Haha.

I've been thinking about owning chickens for a long time. When I was a kid, my Dad "let" me get some chicks when we were visiting my Granny--that way, the six chicks I got could stay on her farm. Well, one of those died the very next day. So that was when I first learned that 6 chicks = 5.

Fast-forward about 18 years...........

My boyfriend and I bought some "Residential" land (in an EXTREMELY rural area! Across the street is Ag land--grrrrrrr!). But one day I saw something about a lady with a quarter of an acre and four chickens.... This was when I learned, I COULD OWN CHICKENS!

So there we were, planning for 4. But we would have to buy 6 if we wanted hens, since we were buying straight-run.

So I started looking at local farms/breeders. Then I got to thinking and doing some math on the eggs. There's only two of us, but MAN we can go through eggs! Some weeks we eat maybe 5. Most weeks we'll eat at least 15. More if I make weekend breakfast and cookies and sauces. So we're talking about one dozen eggs per person on average (some weeks more, some weeks less). For the laying rate of the breeds I could find and wanted, 4 birds just wasn't going to cut it. Somewhere around this time, I decided we would jump from 4 to 8. My boyfriend then decided we would definitely want to sell eggs. We both have coworkers (and neighbors) who are all set to start buying our eggs--already!. That's when we decided, OK. 12 chickens. And built a coop that could hold 16--just in case.

I put in my order at the local breeder. Remember, I learned early that 6 chicks = 5 birds. And we were buying straight run, so 6 really meant 2 or 3 birds. Using this math, I bought 22 chicks.

Our chicks were born! Yay!

We showed up at the farm and somehow our 22-chick order turned into 24.... Hey, I'm not complaining! Free chicks! Besides, I figured at least 2 or 3 would die before the day was over. (We actually left the house for 3 hours and I forced my boyfriend to check the box when we got home because I was certain we would come home to a box of dead chickens. I have an over-active imagination.)

But before we left, our breeder said, "Go ahead! Pick out two more!"

TWO MORE CHICKS?! Well, I'm not turning THOSE down! Especially since it ended up being another Ameraucana and a Delaware! So we went home with 26 chicks.

You'd think my chicken math attack would stop there, and I did very well (especially given our weekly trips to TSC/Southern States), until I saw someone local selling Olive Eggers....

I picked up five of those last weekend!! But I still feel that is a success, since I turned down her deal on a dozen wheaten/blue wheaten Ameraucana eggs , which are what I REALLY want!!

BTW, the original 26 chicks are all still ALIVE AND HAPPY AND WELL! Though I think I'm starting to pick out the cockerels even at 3-4 weeks....

Wow 5 eggs a week...Lol. We use at least 6 eggs everyday... If I make eggs on the weekends when everyone is home I have to have at least 10 eggs. So having our own chickens is bound to save us some money. I mean when I buy a dozen eggs they are gone the next day...We used to buy our eggs 5 dozen at a time, and I have never ever had to throw out an egg because it was spoiled...
My husband doesn't seem to care too much how many chickens I get...as long as I have somewhere to put them..which is good. I like chickens because if you end up with too many you can just eat some...let's hear the crazy cat lady say that one...Lol.
At first he was saying to get 100 chickens, but I said that was too many...but half that might be perfect. I probably could deal with 100 chickens, but I got some ducks, and 4 ducks are 5x the work and mess of 17 chickens...My adult chickens are so easy...go up in the morning and take them water...refill the feeder once every few weeks, and that's it...every once in awhile throw out some more hay in the coop...
Oh the ducks though...they are so very very gross. We have 8 ducklings, and 26 chicks right now, and the ducks require so much more time and attention than the chicks do...
I think my incubator is going to be the harbinger of chicken math...Lol. I have 24 eggs in right now on day 6 so far...looks like one might be infertile...so 23 going strong at least. We have the room, so why not...Lol. Not to mention I can sell the eggs, and sell the chicks, and sell the adults and so on and so forth so again, why not...
One day I will have some cream legbars..but only when I have enough money saved from the current chickens...those things are expensive.

 

[wildflowerrun]

missnu1, I think it sounds like a GREAT plan! If you have the space for them, why not, right?! But the ducks sound so cute!! But it sounds like you're succumbing to chicken math more than DUCK math lol

We technically have the land space for a few more, but I'm barred from putting anything in the dog's area (half our property, though this is an entirely reasonable restraint), but I think my boyfriend is more upset that he thought he built the coop big enough only to find out we need another small one

Also, yay! Someone who eats more eggs than me 5 a week is usually when I'm too lazy/tired/overworked to make lunches and breakfast for the week. Otherwise.... We're definitely at 2 dozen for the both of us. So I'm not too concerned about the eggs! If we start drowning in them, I'll just make cookies, and then NO ONE will complain!

We even got an old Red Bull fridge from an auction. I joked that we'll have to strip the paint and make it John Deere green, next thing I know my boyfriend is going at the vinyl sticker with a heat gun!

 

[missnu01]

It sure is a lot of fun. I get bored easy and need a hobby to occupy me, and I think chickens and well poultry of all kinds will accomplish that for me...there is so much to do and collect and learn...it is a bonus that we can eat them and save a little cash. I just hope that one day all this will be functioning in the green, or at least the black, as opposed to the red...We are just now getting enough eggs to feed us without having to buy eggs...so hopefully in another 6 months I will be getting enough to sell. 7 hens gives us enough to eat without worry of running out of eggs...as long as we skip a few days...and my kids are gone often on the weekends, with their grandparents and such, so that gives us an egg break...Anyway I am rambling on about nothing really...It is crazy how fast chicken numbers go up...I think if I had a limit or restrictions I wouldn't have even started this venture...I mean who can have just 6 chickens?...Lol.
My husband claims that he likes all the projects he and I do together for the chickens, but I feel like I am constantly asking him to do something...he might have a free day 6 months from now...Lol. But hey as long as he is willing we can keep building and chickening to our hearts content...
He's afraid of the chickens...Mind you he is a huge man...6 foot 5 around 230 lbs or so...but if they flap at him he jumps...he is even nervous around the chicks...which they seem to pick up on and it seems to make them want to climb all over him...He's a strange man...but he indulges my hobby and seems to enjoy the processing of the chickens...He doesn't even like the eggs, but we have spent a lot of time together building and fixing and improving all sorts of outside chicken enhancements...When we used to do projects around the house we would fight and argue, but now we are a home improvement team...I have to think the chickens helped with that. It gives him a chance to work on his carpentry skills, that I thought all men were just born with, turns out they aren't...but they can learn...