Explaining Chicken Math

[deedee1]

Your "chicken math" is awesome! And it sounds just like me. Even though I know I'm buying 25 birds from MMM:
I need some Easter Eggers. Better get 12 so that the proportion of green/blue to white/brown will be right in the carton (we sell eggs)
My DH loves Buttercups and a fox got ours, better get 3 of those
OOOHH! Silver Penciled Rocks! Gotta have some! What, straight run? Better get 6 so that I've got a decent chance of getting at least 2-3 hens
I don't have any buff colored chickens. Love Rocks, better put some Buff Rocks in there. My Dad's girlfriend wants some, so I'll brood some out for her, too. Better get 12.
I want to start hatching some eggs under a broody, need a broody breed. Better add 3 dark Cornish.
Oh, look, Partridge Rocks! Add 3 of these!
and don't forget that 1 free rare chick...

And that's how my 25 chicks from MMM turned into 40. Then MMM sent me a free extra Buff Rock and and two free extra EEs (all pullets, WOOT) so I actually got 43.

THEN...

There were some month-old Tetra Tints on super sale at TSC. Gotta pick those up--pullets that I didn't have to feed for a month, AND they are cheap? SCORE

THEN...
My dad and his girlfriend gave my kids 4 chicks for Easter...

THEN...
Someone who knows we have chickens gave us 6 ASA Browns that he got just so his kids could play with chicks, doesn't actually want hens

THEN....
A teacher at the local Jewish Day School bought hatching eggs from us and couldnt' place the chicks. 13 came back to us.

THEN...
I decided that I really dislike my current White Leghorns because they aren't laying well and when they do, they lay medium-sized pointy eggs. They're going on Craigslist, but I need some white egg layers, so I buy 6 16-week old pullets.

SO, the grand total of chickens that I bought this year (in addition to the ones already in the hen house) is... ba ba ba bum...

***80*********

Remember, I was "just getting 25..."

Chicken math is hard.

 

[Ben Rogers]

My chicken math:

Intention: keep 10 chickens for eggs -- order enough to make sure I wind up with 10 chickens -- intend to sell the extras or process them for the freezer.

Ordered:
10 Rhode Island Reds
5 Cherry Eggers
10 Ameraucanas

Received 26, lost one early -- and then three weeks in my dog killed them.

Modified inteintion to keep 15 chickens instead of just 10 -- increased cost for the coop...
Ordered the next batch:
5 Cinnamon Queens
5 Welsummers
5 Domniques
5 Golden Laced Wyandottes
15 Ameraucanas

Received 37, lost two early. Still have 35.

Decided to also raise quail...

Ordered 50.
Received 52. Lost 4 so far.

Thought about some other breeds I'd like to try...
Ordered another batch (to arrive late July):
5 Australorps
5 Rhode Island Reds
5 Brown Leghorns
10 Buff Brahma (straight run)
10 Red Jungle Fowl (straight run)

Found some other breeds at another hatchery, ordered another batch (to arrive late July):
3 Golden Lakenvelder
3 Partridge Rock
1 Partridge Penedesenca Male
1 Partridge Penedesenca Female

Decided to keep the male and female Penedesenca and see if I can breed them true.

So, I currently have 35 chicks and 48 Pharoah Coturnix quail and I have 43 additional chicks on order.

All so that I can keep 15, mind you...

...sounds like I'll either be processing/selling a lot of them -- or building another coop...

 

[Feanor]

I started out building an outdoor aviary for my parrot. Well, a Mississippi summer is too hot for a parrot, so I thought, well I'll get 2 bantams to live in it so at least I'll get some eggs out of the deal. Went to a farm market and the only ones available were a 3 hen, 2 roo batch. So I gave the 2 roos to a deaf friend (let them crow all they want at her house) and kept the hens. After two weeks of barely getting 5 eggs a week--equaling about 2-3 regular sized eggs--I found an ad for golden comet females on the cheap so I bought them and rehomed my bantams. Up to then I had been good at letting go as many as I got. Then I moved to the country. Neighbors like the eggs so I had to get two more layers (felt guilty since we have a huge communal "lawn" (well field) and the chickens roam all of it) then I fell in love with this majestic Jersey Giant at the farmers market, then found two adds for people trying to rehome their chicks (hens almost to maturity, how can you pass that up?) then my neighbor wanted some hens for himself so I ordered a dozen from IDEAL, then my cousin wanted some so I ordered the 25 for $50 golden buff special from MPC and so now I have ... let me see, um, 49 ... with the expectation that I will be selling or giving away most of them after they get started. But we all know how that goes

 

[shelbear81]

I can't help but smile at all of your stories!! I love it!! I have had some chicken math but unfortunately not for the same reason. I am trying to start my own flock and have had terrible luck. So, here is my math:

May 2012:
tried to hatch 28 eggs.... 0 chicks
(faulty thermometer)

June 2012:
first order from the hatchery
26 chicks .... 4 survive shipping

second order from hatchery
26 chicks.... 4 survive

now since my friend and I split the orders we are splitting the ones to survive so i am at 4 chicks out of i don't even want to think about how many

third hatchery order (different hatchery)
15 chicks.... 13 survive .... 1 died a day later

so i am at : 4 +6 = 10

a friend gave me a roo so i am at 11
i wanted 15 birds and can't seem so get their.... sometimes chicken math really does suck!!

 

[jrsckn]

I'm still at 50-something until Aug 1 when my 26 meaties go to camp but I still can't help wanting some french copper marans and my daughter wants a seabright as a pet ( still trying to convince DH that a house chicken is a good idea lol ) and what do I see on CL this morning ? silver laced seabright chicks for $1 !!!!!!!!! Too bad its an hour drive each way so that seabright would actually cost $21 lol I might consider it if the marans weren't still $3 each and if I didn't have 5 separate brooder/coops going right now

Its a sickness I tell you!

 

[mynamesjenelle]

I'm still at 50-something until Aug 1 when my 26 meaties go to camp but I still can't help wanting some french copper marans and my daughter wants a seabright as a pet ( still trying to convince DH that a house chicken is a good idea lol ) and what do I see on CL this morning ? silver laced seabright chicks for $1 !!!!!!!!!  Too bad its an hour drive each way so that seabright would actually cost $21 lol I might consider it if the marans weren't still $3 each and if I didn't have 5 separate brooder/coops going right now   Its a sickness I tell you!

Doo it! I'm a bad influence

I really wanted a cochin after seeing a cute video of them, and I was pretty sad about not getting SLWs this year, until one day I saw a silver-laced cochin pullet on craigslist for $10! The best of both worlds! When I called the lady she wanted $15 for that one (only the others were 10 since they were more common) but at that point I was already sold. I drove 23 miles one-way up a winding canyon in rush hour traffic after work to get her. She's the most pain-in-the-you-know-what chicken (always running away from us and squawking) but she's gorgeous.


Edit: I'll just leave this right here :yiipchick

 

[jrsckn]

Doo it! I'm a bad influence

I really wanted a cochin after seeing a cute video of them, and I was pretty sad about not getting SLWs this year, until one day I saw a silver-laced cochin pullet on craigslist for $10! The best of both worlds! When I called the lady she wanted $15 for that one (only the others were 10 since they were more common) but at that point I was already sold. I drove 23 miles one-way up a winding canyon in rush hour traffic after work to get her. She's the most pain-in-the-you-know-what chicken (always running away from us and squawking) but she's gorgeous.
Edit: I'll just leave this right here

Stop it!!!!! I don't need any more encouragement

The problem is they're straight run so I can't get just one, I'd have to get at least 6 in hopes of a hen because there is NO way DH will let the house chicken be a rooster. It's bad enough I added a SLW from this guy 3 weeks ago when I got my jersey giants and EEs. And that was after my 26 CX in May,which were after my 16 BR, 3 BO, and 3 production reds from TSC in March. Any more and DH may move me into the coop; even theough the jg are his

.

 

[Dylan6]

Ha. I know what you're feeling. One of my girls went broody so I stuck 6 eggs under her. i had little faith that a baby chick could actually hatch out of an egg so just to hedge my bets I ordered 8 chicks from IP to come on the 21st day of when my eggs might hatch. 6 eggs turned into 9 eggs and on the 21st day they started hatching.( all 9). I hadn't dared tell my DH that I had also ordered eggs so I stayed near the phone and when the post office called I ran out and snuck them under the broody. 2 days later I saw my husband take a second look at the chicks and saw saw the spark of understandind light his eyes. The only thing he said as he walked back toward the house was "You are crazy".

lol

 

[Reurra]

We all know that 5+5+5+5+5 (Multiply by the cuteness factor) = 80

 

[shelbear81]

Stop it!!!!! I don't need any more encouragement

The problem is they're straight run so I can't get just one, I'd have to get at least 6 in hopes of a hen because there is NO way DH will let the house chicken be a rooster. It's bad enough I added a SLW from this guy 3 weeks ago when I got my jersey giants and EEs. And that was after my 26 CX in May,which were after my 16 BR, 3 BO, and 3 production reds from TSC in March. Any more and DH may move me into the coop; even theough the jg are his

.

I'm sorry, I am gonna be dumb for a moment and ask what the heck is an EE, CX, and a BO is... I am new-ish to the forum and see these all over and have no clue... well, I have a clue but not sure if I am right!!