I'm infected with chicken math and losing the will to fight.

kesrchicky16

Songster
Dec 13, 2016
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478
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So here is my chicken math story.

My husband and i had talked about having chickens "someday". My mom said "Not on my property." Ok no chickens.

Last October i walk into the living room to hear Mom say, "Do you still want chickens?" Mind you the last word through my lips on chicken ownership was 10+ years previous.

"Um... sure."

"There is someone wanting to get rid of 4 hens and a small coop in town." (That didn't happen)

2 days later. "There is someone selling young chickens in (about 1.5 hours away). What kinds if chickens do we want? Research that." Mom says.

"Um... ok."

3 days later. A 7.5 month pregnant me, my husband, and our 3 kids are driving to get our first 10 chickens. 2 RIR, 2 Buff Orpington, 2 Speckled Sussex, (all about ready to start laying), 2 Silver Laced Wyandotte, 2 Easter Egger (cause why not). We bought some food from him and came home. 2 days later we had our first egg!

To summarize the next 11 months
Lost 1 Wyandotte to a predator (everyone else stopped fighting going in the temporary coop that is now the infirmary)

Finished the permanent coop moved the 9 chickens.

A friend of a friend needed to rehome 6. We got 5. Later decided they were 4 White Plymouth Rock and 1 Barred Rock. That same day a RIR suffered a vent prolapse and died a couple days later. Chicken count 8 original 5 new 13 total birds.

Decided to free range.

A friend needed to rehome 4. 1 White Plymouth Rock, 2 RIR, 1 Polish. Also near this time an Easter Egger decided to be a wild chicken. She survived over a month on her own. Updated chicken count: 5 White, 4 black, 3 brown, 2 yellow, you (EE), and you (Polish sporting a Mohawk hair cut) total 16 birds.

Lost a speckled Sussex to unknown sudden causes.

Added 6 ducks. 2 flew away, 1 was stolen by a Raccoon. 2 ducks 1 drake & 15 chickens.

Said raccoon prompts consideration of Roosters. Mom finds someone getting rid of "Free alarm clocks". Plus 2 young roosters. 15 hens are enough for 2 roosters.

Gave up fighting my broody buff Orpington. Gave her 6 eggs. 2 end up hatching.

Dog tries to get a chicken to play. Chicken dies of a nervous breakdown 2 days later.

Are kept away from home later then anticipated. Find 2 very pissed off and sad roosters and 1 dead chicken and a duck pool with bloody water. Guessing raccoon attack. Count 3 White, 3 black, 3 brown, 3 "oddballs", 2 roosters, 2 ducks and 1 drake & 1 mama and 2 babies in a seperate pen.

Ok now I think 12 hens aren't enough for 2 roosters and they are starting to look a little scroungy when the roos feet sit. "I need more chickens and a couple more ducks would be nice."

Find 8 chickens and 7 ducks needing to be rehomed. No problem we have the space and I have been wanting to separate the ducks to their own part of my property anyway so lets do it.

New chickens appear to be 4 Buff Orpington, 3 RIR, and what BYC has diagnosed as a Red Laced White Cornish Bantum. Run out if time to move my original ducks so new ducks have their own place for a the time being. New chicken count: 19 hens, 2 roos, 2 ducks, 1 drake, "and a partridge in a pear tree." & mama and 2 babies, & 7 new ducks I haven't looked at.

My first ducks hear the new ducks and go investigating 2 days later and want to play with their new friends. I finally have time to go meet the new ducks. 6 ducks and 1 immature but very protective drake. We decide to go for it. There is a bit of flapping but it seems ok. Only problem I like my first drake and the new drake won't let anyone mingle. New drake gets put back in the shipping crate and everyone gets to play. By morning everyone is playing nice. New drake is left in isolation for 1 more day where he can watch the new flock dynamic. Now he brings up the rear and we have 1 happy flock.

1 chick dies. No injury, just didn't wake up. The other chick won't stay penned up so mama is free with everyone else.

Aunt decides to restart her flock after having to cull egg eaters. So I start chicken shopping again. Find 3 dark Brahmas. Mom says, "I want those."

So I now have. 27 chickens or various ages, genders, and sizes and 10 ducks of various genders.

I have officially lost my battle with chicken math. Heaven help me!

P.S. I forgot. My count was right I forgot to include the last loss. My mom mama original Buff Orpington disappeared on Solar Eclipse Day. She hasn't returned yet. I will count her as gone unless she showed back up. She would make 28.
 
Last edited:
So here is my chicken math story.

My husband and i had talked about having chickens "someday". My mom said "Not on my property." Ok no chickens.

Last October i walk into the living room to hear Mom say, "Do you still want chickens?" Mind you the last word through my lips on chicken ownership was 10+ years previous.

"Um... sure."

"There is someone wanting to get rid of 4 hens and a small coop in town." (That didn't happen)

2 days later. "There is someone selling young chickens in (about 1.5 hours away). What kinds if chickens do we want? Research that." Mom says.

"Um... ok."

3 days later. A 7.5 month pregnant me, my husband, and our 3 kids are driving to get our first 10 chickens. 2 RIR, 2 Buff Orpington, 2 Speckled Sussex, (all about ready to start laying), 2 Silver Laced Wyandotte, 2 Easter Egger (cause why not). We bought some food from him and came home. 2 days later we had our first egg!

To summarize the next 11 months
Lost 1 Wyandotte to a predator (everyone else stopped fighting going in the temporary coop that is now the infirmary)

Finished the permanent coop moved the 9 chickens.

A friend of a friend needed to rehome 6. We got 5. Later decided they were 4 White Plymouth Rock and 1 Barred Rock. That same day a RIR suffered a vent prolapse and died a couple days later. Chicken count 8 original 5 new 13 total birds.

Decided to free range.

A friend needed to rehome 4. 1 White Plymouth Rock, 2 RIR, 1 Polish. Also near this time an Easter Egger decided to be a wild chicken. She survived over a month on her own. Updated chicken count: 5 White, 4 black, 3 brown, 2 yellow, you (EE), and you (Polish sporting a Mohawk hair cut) total 16 birds.

Lost a speckled Sussex to unknown sudden causes.

Added 6 ducks. 2 flew away, 1 was stolen by a Raccoon. 2 ducks 1 drake & 15 chickens.

Said raccoon prompts consideration of Roosters. Mom finds someone getting rid of "Free alarm clocks". Plus 2 young roosters. 15 hens are enough for 2 roosters.

Gave up fighting my broody buff Orpington. Gave her 6 eggs. 2 end up hatching.

Dog tries to get a chicken to play. Chicken dies of a nervous breakdown 2 days later.

Are kept away from home later then anticipated. Find 2 very pissed off and sad roosters and 1 dead chicken and a duck pool with bloody water. Guessing raccoon attack. Count 3 White, 3 black, 3 brown, 3 "oddballs", 2 roosters, 2 ducks and 1 drake & 1 mama and 2 babies in a seperate pen.

Ok now I think 12 hens aren't enough for 2 roosters and they are starting to look a little scroungy when the roos feet sit. "I need more chickens and a couple more ducks would be nice."

Find 8 chickens and 7 ducks needing to be rehomed. No problem we have the space and I have been wanting to separate the ducks to their own part of my property anyway so lets do it.

New chickens appear to be 4 Buff Orpington, 3 RIR, and what BYC has diagnosed as a Red Laced White Cornish Bantum. Run out if time to move my original ducks so new ducks have their own place for a the time being. New chicken count: 19 hens, 2 roos, 2 ducks, 1 drake, "and a partridge in a pear tree." & mama and 2 babies, & 7 new ducks I haven't looked at.

My first ducks hear the new ducks and go investigating 2 days later and want to play with their new friends. I finally have time to go meet the new ducks. 6 ducks and 1 immature but very protective drake. We decide to go for it. There is a bit of flapping but it seems ok. Only problem I like my first drake and the new drake won't let anyone mingle. New drake gets put back in the shipping crate and everyone gets to play. By morning everyone is playing nice. New drake is left in isolation for 1 more day where he can watch the new flock dynamic. Now he brings up the rear and we have 1 happy flock.

1 chick dies. No injury, just didn't wake up. The other chick won't stay penned up so mama is free with everyone else.

Aunt decides to restart her flock after having to cull egg eaters. So I start chicken shopping again. Find 3 dark Brahmas. Mom says, "I want those."

So I now have. 27 chickens or various ages, genders, and sizes and 10 ducks of various genders.

I have officially lost my battle with chicken math. Heaven help me!

P.S. I forgot. My count was right I forgot to include the last loss. My mom mama original Buff Orpington disappeared on Solar Eclipse Day. She hasn't returned yet. I will count her as gone unless she showed back up. She would make 28.
Lol..great chicken math all right. Just sorry if had to add up becsuse of loss. Sounds like you need a covered long run to keep them safe. This is Cynthia .. met your husband tonight. Glad he thought the birds were beautiful. That little Icelandic is adorable. Have you gone to the Utah thread yet? Not as active as it used to be, but we get on and have fun.. especially in the spring when we are hatching and selling. Not sure if you would be interested in Nn's, I may have a couple of hens later. Getting close to laying. I'm trying to decide which ones to sell. They are one hardy bird! Go to the Nn/turken thread. I posted some todsy to share. Maybe you have some photos you can share here. I used to swear I would never have one, but, they are nice with bow ties. Loved your story, thank you for sharing. :)
 
Lol..great chicken math all right. Just sorry if had to add up becsuse of loss. Sounds like you need a covered long run to keep them safe. This is Cynthia .. met your husband tonight. Glad he thought the birds were beautiful. That little Icelandic is adorable. Have you gone to the Utah thread yet? Not as active as it used to be, but we get on and have fun.. especially in the spring when we are hatching and selling. Not sure if you would be interested in Nn's, I may have a couple of hens later. Getting close to laying. I'm trying to decide which ones to sell. They are one hardy bird! Go to the Nn/turken thread. I posted some todsy to share. Maybe you have some photos you can share here. I used to swear I would never have one, but, they are nice with bow ties. Loved your story, thank you for sharing. :)

We have a fully enclosed run attached to coop that is the evening "I've fed you eat and go to bed" spot. We've only lost 2 that I can attribute to predation the rest have been total flukes. Have "lost" 6 coons though.

I'll encourage my aunt to get fun/cute birds. Mutts lay eggs.
 
:lau
Sounds like your doing just fine.
And I'll vouch for 'Cynthia' claiming those naked necks are hardy, hardiest birds I've ever encountered even down to subzero temps they laughed at me.
I see Greenfire rare breeds for sale all the time here but know no one with Nns. And they lay great.
You should probably add a dozen to your flock :lol:
 
I know. I love me a red sex link and leghorn for eggs. Coons, glad you lost a few of those. We have hawks fly over. Our neighborhood is a smorgasbord for them. Chickens in many back yards. I've had a few close calls. I have a big dog in the back. Makes it nice so I can free range in our little area. Hey, I would love to see those 2 birds when they are older. Your a hoot, love your humor.. they've been fed, go to bed. :p
 
:lau
Sounds like your doing just fine.
And I'll vouch for 'Cynthia' claiming those naked necks are hardy, hardiest birds I've ever encountered even down to subzero temps they laughed at me.
I see Greenfire rare breeds for sale all the time here but know no one with Nns. And they lay great.
You should probably add a dozen to your flock :lol:
Hey Beercan. She actually bought an Icelandic from me tonight for family. I hatched that one from Greenfire. Pretty cute. And yes, Nn's lay great! I have a girl out there that has been giving me an egg almost every day this summer.. and boy, has it been hot here. We had to fix bumblefoot on her too.. still laid every day!
 
My next adventure will be making a broody run. 1/2 inch hardware cloth enclosure with "great dane size" dog cages for each mama and clutch. Truly the edition of 7 chickens and "a partridge in a pear tree" was to keep the flock from being over breed so the roos could stay and protect them. I give away 3-5 dozen eggs a week.
 

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