How many chickens do you have?

[BantyChooks]

'Probab

'Probably more than two!' I love that!
I usually end up saying "Hang on, I know how many of each breed I have... That's Pumpkin and Sissy and Jane... Marla, Darlin, Oswald-..." (It goes on!)

I used to be able to calculate my totals that way, but these days, the only thing I know for sure is that I have three ducks. Chickens? Quail? Um... let me get back to you on that.

When I had 7 buildings of chickens and someone would ask how many I had, it took a while to do the math. I want to get back there again but I'm dismantiling a grow out building and replacing it with two 3 unit breeding houses. My old breeding complex it currently unused as I have to repair some serious security issues.
I only have two buiildings housing birds now and I still don't know an exact number. What adds to the confusion is that about 5 of them have started sleeping in trees and i found a hen on a nest under some mowing equipment.

I can only dream of having the housing for that many birds. My cap right now is about 75 to 80 birds; past that, even my second-tier housing is terribly cramped. I have some plans for new pens, but until then, I am limited in my capacity.

 

[Cheeki]

I started out with three a year ago. Last count was 43, but I lost a couple here or there. I also have 9 ducks and a turkey.
I have 24 chicken eggs under six broody hens and a mallard duck sitting on about 15 eggs. Yesterday a Pekin duck started sitting but I'm not sure how many eggs are viable.
I'm about to expand and convert a shed into a co-op. I figure to have twice as many birds next year.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

'Probab

'Probably more than two!' I love that!
I usually end up saying "Hang on, I know how many of each breed I have... That's Pumpkin and Sissy and Jane... Marla, Darlin, Oswald-..." (It goes on!)

I have never named a chicken except once when I took one to the vet and the receptionist wanted to know the 'patient's' name. All I could come up with was Bar-b-que.
You should have seen the other people's faces in the waiting room when the vet tech called for Bar-b-que and I picked up the cage with a chicken in it and walked into the back.

I've always used colored numbered bandettes for identifying birds but for the last couple years, I've been using wing bands. I liked leg bands because I could read them from a distance and from even farther away, I could tell the age of a bird due to the color of the band.
The problem was that they would loose them. The issue with wing bands is they can't be read without handling the bird but on the plus side, they are with them for life.

 

[Chickstarrs]

Fish tank is for breeding, got a 275 gallon tote and cut top off for the main portion of the fish. Have a 12v dc pump cycling water thru a swirl filter that will eventually supply an aquaponics set up in the geen house. The pump and lighting runs off a 100 watt solar panel. total cost to set up the "fish tank" is about $500 give or take. You tube has some awesome videos that can give you some good ideas. One lesson I ave learned in the process is not to have the tank in to bright of light as algae will grow fast.

I am glad you cleared that up. I was thinking 55g was pretty small for raising tilapia. I have a 70g in my living room for my decorative fish. Yes, sunlight on a fish tank = algae.
Good luck with your fish project, sounds interesting.

 

[Chickstarrs]

I have 3 laying hens and 10 chicks ages 9 and 10 weeks. I know there are at least 2 roosters and possibly 2 more (I hope not).

 

[WallyBirdie]

I have never named a chicken except once when I took one to the vet and the receptionist wanted to know the 'patient's' name. All I could come up with was Bar-b-que.
You should have seen the other people's faces in the waiting room when the vet tech called for Bar-b-que and I picked up the cage with a chicken in it and walked into the back.

I've always used colored numbered bandettes for identifying birds but for the last couple years, I've been using wing bands. I liked leg bands because I could read them from a distance and from even farther away, I could tell the age of a bird due to the color of the band.
The problem was that they would loose them. The issue with wing bands is they can't be read without handling the bird but on the plus side, they are with them for life.

I like the idea of using bands for identification- but I can't help simply naming them. All are pets, none are eaten. I don't even eat eggs; eggs are collected and gifted.
How do wing bands work?

 

[BantyChooks]

I have never named a chicken except once when I took one to the vet and the receptionist wanted to know the 'patient's' name. All I could come up with was Bar-b-que.
You should have seen the other people's faces in the waiting room when the vet tech called for Bar-b-que and I picked up the cage with a chicken in it and walked into the back.

I've always used colored numbered bandettes for identifying birds but for the last couple years, I've been using wing bands. I liked leg bands because I could read them from a distance and from even farther away, I could tell the age of a bird due to the color of the band.
The problem was that they would loose them. The issue with wing bands is they can't be read without handling the bird but on the plus side, they are with them for life.

I have been considering wing bands as well. I had been using coloured zip ties, but they rapidly became brittle and fell off.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Usually somewhere between 40-50 but I have a lot of bantams so in chicken math doesn't two bantams equal one hen/rooster? I hope!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chicken-math-101-–-with-quiz.75403/

Yes a bantam is only 1/2 of a chicken!!

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I like the idea of using bands for identification- but I can't help simply naming them. All are pets, none are eaten. I don't even eat eggs; eggs are collected and gifted.
How do wing bands work?

I name the ones that stand out to me. I have several very friendly birds. Others have names like "roo man" and "wee man", "chicken" (named thus after a vet visit) and "no name" lol I am so creative! Some don't have even that much as a name. However I definitely have favorites, with names, that will live out their lives in peace. For example the one in my avatar picture is Burrito, and she's a total love bug. She loves napping on my lap and I'll sit for an hour or more on the porch with her content and napping. Another one, Scratch, was hand raised and likes to run into the kitchen every time I open the door. It's hard not to accept those big personalities as pets.

 

[TomDooley]

I am glad you cleared that up. I was thinking 55g was pretty small for raising tilapia. I have a 70g in my living room for my decorative fish. Yes, sunlight on a fish tank = algae.
Good luck with your fish project, sounds interesting.

LOL no 55 gal just breeding tank