Explaining Chicken Math

[Avonshire]

Well I was just going to hatch some eggs--as a homeschool project--and then give the chicks back to the lady with the eggs. 12(yes, only 12 so far but since I was originally keeping 0, it seems like a big number) chickens later (only one and a half month later) my dh is struggling to build a coop that will work for them instead of finishing the deck he was working on first!!!! Must be true love!

 

[Mellisa]

You sound like a lot of us.
Some people have subtraction math when it comes to chickens: They try it, hate it, and go from 5 to 0 after spending a lot of money to try and get started.
I currently have 5 layers, 1 Silkie 'Momma' and her 7 surviving chicks (4 pullets / 3 cockerels), 20 Rainbow Layer pullets (4 weeks old), and 2 pea chicks (1 M/1 F?), with 25 broilers due to arrive next week from the hatchery.
Eight years ago I was down to 2 Silkies after raising a lot of meat and egg layers over the years.

I'm so glad my husband is as excited about the chickens as I am. He's built a lovely coop that looks like a small cabin, is finishing up a large run, and cares very much for them when they are free ranging around the ranch.

I sell my LG to XL eggs (and sometimes Jumbo) for $3/dozen. My girls pay for their food and seem to enjoy life.

 

[hennyandpenny]

well last count is... 14 Production reds, 3 Ameracaunas, 2 tetra tints, 2 speckled sussex, 4 amber links, 4 sexlinks red, and 4 chicks that are unknown that i hatched. 33-34 give or take. started as a hobby and turned into an addiction. now i just need to hatch out some mix pr and ameracauna.... oh and one of the chicks has a top hat it is the funniest thing ever!

 

[nerfy]

Great stories! Mine consists of a chick a few days old that was abandoned by his Mother at my in-laws place. My Husband brought him home, with expectations of returning once he got big enough. That never happened. I had my lil bantam Roaster for over 10 years in a town that didn't allow chickens.
Roaster met his demise by a mom raccoon during daylight hours. Always loved chickens.
My in-laws ordered more chicks 2 years later & had a couple sick ones. I took them and raised them. In the meantime, my hubby, dad-in-law & bro-in-law built an awesome chicken tractor for me.
Had 2 hens, but wanted more. We would be moving to our farm in the near future. I found my pet chicken, and bought 3 more hens.
We finally moved to our farm only to have lightning strike our house on the first day we moved in. The house was totaled by the fire.
Rebuilt, and have been at the farm a little over a year. Have hatched out Ameraucana, and French Blue Marans (anyone want a free rooster?). Bought some Barred Rock & Orphington pullets last may, and have Guinea Fowl eggs in the bator now!

 

[sleepysdutch]

we had the same "problem", started with 2 australorps and 3 RIRs 2yrs ago, last year added 12 asst layers and a EE roo, silkies, OEGBs,and pekin ducks, this year added 30 tetra tints, hatched more barnyard mixes, silkies and OEGBs and a muscovey as well a coturnix quail. we are around 90ish birds now
my dad started the same year as us with 12 sexlinks because my mom said no to any birds and ...well my dad won that one , and over the last 2yrs he has added 80 more birds to have a nice sized laying flock and has many loyal egg buyers each week

 

[sleepysdutch]

oh and i forgot the 3 guinea keets i brought home from the feed store when i was going to get feed

 

[ChickenDal]

Chicken Math...........Last October I found this fourum.Did some research contacted the county.I was told I was allowed 2 hens.COOL!! About November I find A coop that will hold 12 on Craigslist for $50.SWEET! December I get a straight run of BR and a Black Star packing peanut.AWESOME!! I say to the wife we should keep all the girls?NO!! Well 5 weeks later I have 5 pullets.CLUCKIN FANTASTIC!!March rolls a round and after 3 TSC purchases of a total of 32 chicks.I now have 9.HUH???Last week I place a Pirate flag off the peak at the front of the house.Chicken math has made me an OUTLAW!! I have made it clear to those close around me that I will never live without chickens again!!

 

[folgerrd]

I am a victim of Small Scale Chicken Math. At the time I was planning on getting chickens, I was thinking... Eight, no expanding, no deaths just eight hens to last me for 3-4 years when I'd buy a rooster and start the next generation. Step-dad says, "No. Get one, we'll see how things go." So I put my hands up in defeat at the idea of one(no amount of proof or knowledge I had over him would help. Then I am researching hatcheries and find most have a three chick minimum(some have higher but none lower), sneak this into the next chicken meeting. Three, we'll get three! Three RIRs, no discussion. Wrong. I find out all the major hatcheries are in the US or far from here(the closest big city has a chicken ban), so we look at local breeders and find one that has RIRs. No other place had RIRs, I knew little to nothing on all other breeds because I had my sights set on RIRs(turns out RIRs are endangered in Canada, who would thunk it?). So we call up the guy, first thing I notice: Not a real breeder and has a six chick minimum! So we decide on six RIRs. They never arrive, he never bills us and claims he knew nothing of our order, I decide if he's that unprofessional I don't want to my chances. So the hunt is on again, I find a registered breeder of Cochins and Silkies who is(for the one year) selling RIRs! She doesn't have six, we're back down to three. But she'll throw in a discount if we buy some of her usual fare, Silkies or Cochins. I knew little of either but she had three varieties of Cochin and God knows how many Silkie breeds, so I decide to get three Cochins(one of each) as well! In the beginning it was 8, then 1, then 3, then 6, then 3, and finally six! It isn't exactly the same as Chicken Math but thought I'd share my story!

 

[craftbug1021]

3 years ago I started with 6 straight run from TSC, 2 hens 4 roos, rehome all the roo's but one. 2 hens and 1 roo in a 10x10 dog run. The roo gets mean so I gave him away to someone with 8 hens, he was much happier. Made the mistake of going to a swap meet and fell in LOVE with the silkies. Bring home one silky roo. He was killed by a possum and I was devistated! My DH goes with me to the ladies house to get one more ...just one white roo, he gets there and loves the black ones. We end up coming home with 2 white hens and one black and one white roo. The white roo turns female so then the broodiness begins and we hatch out 6. Then 4 more. Then I found out about EE's oh my, 3 hens one roo. My grandaughter gets 4 red pullets for easter then they come to live with me when they get Ugly and Smelly as she rolls her eyes. So right now I have 4 pens and the EE's free range. I have 17 silkies, 4 mutt reds, 5 EE's and another broody silky....hmm wonder how this is gonna add up!!! Also ended up with a baby goat that I adore!!! now looking for and angora goat..Lily has to have a sister. I should have seen this coming when we ended up with 13 cats.....2 dogs....2 rabbits.....Needless to say the guy at the feed store LOVES me!!!!

 

[Mellisa]

Oops, forgot the 3 Guinea (2 females) and the teenagers: 3 Americana & 2 Rhode Island Reds.
I expect the Silkies to start laying in the next few weeks and the teenagers above to begin laying soon after.