How do you count your chickens?

[janiedoe]

I count the chickens when I lock them up in the run after free ranging. I have only 6 adults and 3 chicks. But its not easy to count them because the run has 5 bushes in it. Lots of hiding places.
If I miss I girl I like to now which one and then I call her name. often I give them a few mealworms or another snack after entering the run. This way they won’t mind to come home again.

Before sunset they always go to the coop, safe behind a auto-popdoor. (Run is wuit safe but not against nighly predators). I check on then after dark but mainly to be sure there is no broody sitting on Eggs.

And congrats with the new chicks.

Thank you!

 

[janiedoe]

We count by breed. Soon we'll up to 32 girls in the yard by mid summer. More then we've ever had but I just can't help self...

We all feel your pain. I started with 6. I know I'm still under 50..I think.

 

[janiedoe]

Thanks @Sally PB and congratulations to you too!

 

[PippinTheChicken]

I only have 8 chickens so Its quite easy.
The first chickwns I see when I peek into the coop are my 3 younger pullets/roos who roost right infront of the door.
If I look to my right, I see Fries, one of the older hens, nice and snug in the nesting box (I don't mind her sleeping there).
If I look to the right, I see Pippin (oldest hen) in another nesting box. I lift up her wings to make sure her 3 chicks are under her.

 

[janiedoe]

I only have 8 chickens so Its quite easy.
The first chickwns I see when I peek into the coop are my 3 younger pullets/roos who roost right infront of the door.
If I look to my right, I see Fries, one of the older hens, nice and snug in the nesting box (I don't mind her sleeping there).
If I look to the right, I see Pippin (oldest hen) in another nesting box. I lift up her wings to make sure her 3 chicks are under her.

I came very close to leaving a chick out last night. They are around 4 weeks and have become somewhat rebellious. They only listen to their mama if she sounds an alarm.
I feel like the ones that hatch here listen to the hens that raise them. More so than the adopted, tractor supply chicks anyway. Lucy's girls are TSC chicks and they are not the best behaved chicks, that she has raised. I just hope they are the pullets they were purchased as becausr they fight like cockrels.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

I came very close to leaving a chick out last night. They are around 4 weeks and have become somewhat rebellious. They only listen to their mama if she sounds an alarm.
I feel like the ones that hatch here listen to the hens that raise them. More so than the adopted, tractor supply chicks anyway. Lucy's girls are TSC chicks and they are not the best behaved chicks, that she has raised. I just hope they are the pullets they were purchased as becausr they fight like cockrels.

Pippin's chicks are only around 6 days old so they still follow her around. They were Ebay eggs but Pippin hatched them.

 

[janiedoe]

Pippin's chicks are only around 6 days old so they still follow her around. They were Ebay eggs but Pippin hatched them

How was your hatch rate?
I'm always tempted by Ebay eggs but have resisted so far. I have a sweet natured rooster; if I buy eggs, I'm afraid I'll end up with demons. Lol
I think it would be fun to get some mixed breed eggs and guess what I had.

 

[Xouie]

“Hi Strawberry, where’s Taco?” Or “Hi Taco, where’s Strawberry?”

pretty easy to count when there’s just two, but totally pointless to the purpose of your question. When I had more Swedes, I counted them in the groups they settled in at night. With our Cornish cross, they were color coded so I just counted by how many of each color.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

How was your hatch rate?
I'm always tempted by Ebay eggs but have resisted so far. I have a sweet natured rooster; if I buy eggs, I'm afraid I'll end up with demons. Lol
I think it would be fun to get some mixed breed eggs and guess what I had.

I got 6 but 2 were infertile so I had 3/4 fertile eggs hatch with my broody.
I did another hatch with my incubator with Ebay eggs and got 50%
I buy all my eggs from ebay since I don't have a rooster

 

[BDutch]

I got 6 but 2 were infertile so I had 3/4 fertile eggs hatch with my broody.
I did another hatch with my incubator with Ebay eggs and got 50%
I buy all my eggs from ebay since I don't have a rooster

I bought eggs (bantam RIR) from a breeder who visits shows if there are any. I got his telephone number from the RIR club. This guy lives so close to my place that I could pick them up by bike. He sold me 10 eggs for a very nice price.

The outcome was poor. Probably because I had 2 broodies in both nestboxes. Both with 5 eggs. They changed places a few times and the other chickens wanted to lay their eggs in these nests too.
After the fuss I separated the broodies from the flock but unfortunately this was too late. Only one nest hatched with 3 chicks.
Lesson learned.

6 weeks old bantam RIR with two black Dutch broodies.