Official Definition(s) of Chicken Math

[wsdareme]

I love it when people talk about "Chicken Math"! I have seen some interesting descriptions, but what I haven't seen are peoples DEFINITIONS of what they consider to be "Chicken Math". I'm not sure that newbies know what we're talking about, so maybe we should help them out. Let's have everyone contribute THEIR definitions and descriptions of "Chicken Math"!! There are so many funny posts on BYC -- it is a good source of entertainment.

Well, I'm thinking that we should have everyone contribute THEIR definitions and descriptions of "Chicken Math"!! I propose we use this thread to come up with lots of definitions and descriptions of "Chicken Math" for the benefit of our new members.

Here is Shellz131's description of "Chicken Math". It's one of my favorites...

I love chicken math !!! As of 7 pm today I will have 15 chickens but...

3 are White Leghorn Roos but do not count since I am going to eat them

2 Are chicks ( 1 welsummer and 1 Black Australorp) so they do not count

2 Are EE roos that I am getting today so they will be in quarintine so they do not count

1 is a Cochin Roo that I got on impulse as a pet so he does not count

so In reality I have only 7 chickens but wait!!

Of those there are 2 Roos

1 Mutt and 1 Lav Silkie they do not lay eggs so they do not count

I have 1 silkie/australorp mix that is not producing eggs so she does not count

I have 3 silkie hens of whom only 1 is producing eggs at the moment so ..

I have the grand total of only 2 chickens that count!!!!!

 

[mmaddie's mom]

I'm thinking that there are all kinds of definations and variations on chicken math... but what the end point in all of them is (wait for it)...

LETTING US HAVE MORE CHICKENS!

 

[dsqard]

Well my chicken math gets a little convoluted since it involves how many more I can have.

Right now I only have four but have dreams of many more.

So here it goes:

Allowed to have 4 "animal units" per acre. We have three acres so that adds up to 12 animal units. Large animals (cows, horses, etc) count as one. Ok so I have five horses so that takes me down to 7 animal units left. Small domestic animals including fowl are 5 per animal unit. I have three small dogs but "pets" don't count. SSSSSSOOOOOOOO that means that:

I can have a total of 35 chickens, minus the 4 I have so I can have 31 MORE!!!!

Or (thinking really quickly) I can count all of the chickens as "pets" and have as many as I want!!!

LOVE chicken math!

 

[mississippifarmboy]

I'm terrible at math.. but great at "Chicken math"

Pet chickens don't count because they are pets, so therefore not really considered chickens
Chicks don't count because they are chicks, not chickens
Chickens you are going to cull don't count because they won't be here long
Bantams, Sultans and other small chickens don't count because they are small
Any chickens in quarantine don't count because they aren't in with the rest of the flock
Stupid chickens don't count because... well.. they are stupid (And yes I do have a few that are reverse Einstiens)
Any chicken that runs loose doesn't count because they are yard chickens, not really considered real chickens
Any chicken that was free doesn't count because you didn't pay for them

Just wait, I bet the list will be twice this long by the time I get off work tonight.

Some of these people are REALLY good at chicken math.

 

[mxer]

Chicken Math. LOL. Never heard of it but seems very familiar......

....We'll just start out with a few chickens the first year honey......We now have 32 in our first.....6 months.

 

[Ohhhdear]

Another way to look at "chicken math".... chicken ALGEBRA!

1 50# bag of Layena crumbles divided by 12 hens, times 10 (or 11, or 12) eggs per day, minus # of soft shelled eggs broken in coop= amount of eggs in carton ready to sell.


Oh, and my DH does the kind of chicken math in post #1 when it comes to tools and computer gadgets. I do it when it comes to yarn and knitting supplies

 

[canada-goose]

Thank you! I finally understand Chicken Math!

Way more useful than normal math, I think.

 

[RubberDuck]

Quote:
I sort of get this, and I sort of don't.
What is the piont of chicken math? Is it to make a large amount of chickens seem really small?
My head hurts!

So, if I had 4 chickens (that lay eggs and are not going to be killed for meat), according to the chicken math above, I would have 4 chicken.
Right?

 

[welasharon]

Ah...the beauty of Chicken Math is it is flexible. It bends and shifts according to the way you want the outcome to be. If you only want four chickens, then four you have...but if you want more then you apply Chicken Math and then you have room for more! See the beauty? There are no set formulas nor rules....only logic defying counting that results in the ability to justify MORE chickens.
sharon

 

[dawg53]

Chicken Math is very simple....1+1=11, 1+2=12, 1+3=13 etc...