My husband says, "If you know how many you have, you don't have that many!" He's usually talking about cattle though because it is a way of not giving someone your business when you'd rather keep it private. I used that line one time and the person said, "Wow! You have THAT many?!"
As for the "Where did all these chickens come from?" I had that thought once. I started out with 11. I adopted 7 from a friend who was no longer able to keep them due to a new city ordinance where she lived. By then I had given away 2 roosters, so I had 16 birds! Trying to count them before they went to roost was crazy. I had to go by how many of each color or pattern!!! I'm back down to 11 right now, but when I told Hubby that I wanted 8 more hens and that I would give my extra roo to his dad, he said, "Go ahead and get 10 in case one or two of them doesn't make it."
I have some new chicks hatch last night and today.
I was standing looking in the pens today trying to count up the bantie crosses I have growing out in there. I tell you, it's futile! I need to sell some and need to count them so see how many I have, decide how many to keep and know how many I'm selling. At the moment it would be a guess at best!
I started my chicken adventure in August. I was only going to get 8 buff orpingtons, but one week after they arrived I had 5 cochin, that I had to have, on the way! Well I lost 2 cochins as chick and sold 2 that barely had feathering on their feet! Then I fell in love with silkies so now I have 6. I sold my mean Buff orp roo and his fav hen. The got 3 blue laced red wyandotte boy, only kept 1! Now in my brooder, I have 3 salmon faverolles, 3 EEs, 5 bantam cochins, 2 buff orps, and 8 naked necks(which I'm selling)
Mom talking grandma: she has a few, I think maybe 15 now…
Grandma: 15!!! I thought she was only getting 8!?!
Me: well actually………its more like 35………
Mom: silence
Grandma: WHAT?
Mom: o……well……its your money.
Now that I've been living in my home in the Foothills for a few months, I have added more to my "quite a few" chickens. Added ducks and a pair of geese, hatched some more in incubators and a couple of hens helped by hatching some of their own "for the good of the flock."
Still more than I will count. Guessing it's around 60-70 fowl now. They have a huge coop (former dilapidated garage) and range freely over the entire .62 acre.
Mine aren't free ranging yet, they'd be snacks for something if I let them out on the paddock like I plan too. I'm also kinda scared to let good broody hens out on a couple of acres of rough paddock (goats love their weeds) because with all the hidy holes I just know I'll have them setting all over the place.