Here's the post I just put up on my blog trying to explain my foray into chicken math...
How does, I'd like to get about eight chicks to replace the older hens turn into, "Oh heck, how did I end up with twenty seven chickens?" It's chicken math. People who have raised chicks understand chicken math.
When Scotty and I got the first batch of chicks we started with fifteen creepy meats, and six Sagita pullets. I lost one of the pullets due to unthriftyness. It was just lethargic and eventually went to sleep and didn't wake up. One of the creepy meats got it's head wedged under the feeder and died a day later. Of course I had to replace them. I got three more pullets.
Now we're at twenty two. I had four adult hens. Make that twenty six. After I moved them all outside I still had this big brooder crate that I only really got to use for a week and some change. We got to talking and really, fourteen chickens for the freezer wasn't enough and one of the pullets is a rooster. Twelve hens really isn't too many either.
Then again I've Really wanted the hens that lay green and blue eggs since I started with the chickens last year. D&B had some when I went in there the other day. Darn it. I just HAD to have some. They have such cute little muffs under their beaks too. Then there was the single little bantam pullet left that couldn't be left on her own. Just look, she's gonna have feathered legs and feet.
Chicken Math. When eight new pullets turns into thirty two chickens. So make that seventeen hens when they're all grown.
The two dark ones are the colored egg layers and the one with the cinnamon-ish colored head instead of the a yellow head.
And back to the fourteen meat birds really isn't enough to stock my freezer. We decided twenty more would be good. Pete didn't have any more CornishX's but he did have a whole load of Red Rangers. They are a little slower growing bird than the CornishX. Box em up I told him.
So what am I up to now?
4 Jersey Giants
2 White Rocks
1 Austra White
4 Easter Eggers
1 Bantam
4 or 5 Sagitas
14 Creepy Meats
20 Red Rangers
ERM, I'm up to 51-52 chickens. Did I mention the Broody hen sitting on fourteen eggs? Thirty four of those birds are going in my freezer though. I want to smoke some, try canning some of the breasts. Some will be parted out, some frozen whole. That leaves me seventeen or so laying hens.
\The broody eggs should start hatching out any time if any are going to. She stole a couple eggs from the other next boxes, and I know for sure two of them cracked and leaked liquid chicken all over the other eggs. I don't know if that will affect anything. Yes I could just candle them, but I can't a find a flashlight around here, and I never remember before Scott goes off to work and takes his tool bag with him that has a flashlight in it. Plus I'm not really sure what I'm looking at.
Did I mention my neighbor just ordered twelve Rhode Island Reds? She doesn't know why she ordered twelve and maybe would I like a few when they feather out? Oh yeah, and the older hens she already has, could they find a home at my house too when the new pullets start laying........
Chicken Math. When eight new pullets turns into 75 chickens.
Otherwise its 15 more chicks!!!
