OMG What have I done?

[WLLady]

RIGHT! That's my philosophy exactly.. LOL Gotta keep up with the demand ! We sell eggs too and are always picking up new customers, a couple times we came close to being sold out completely so we "needed" to increase our flock..

i have more customers than eggs, and am constantly sold out....i only have 8 hens. i followed the advice of starting small a year ago

. i have a wait list of 20 customers. i just hatched out 57 chicks in the last 2 weeks, had a broody hen that was getting really cranky, she hatched out another 1....and of course half of those will be roos (about half anyways), and so i figure i need 30 hens total.....built a new coop, just finished yesterday....brooder is in the spare room with 57 chicks all learning how to fly! so...hatch 58 total, 29 will be hens, 29 will be roos. roos to the freezer, and hens to the coop plus the 8 hens in the other coop...that's 37....i was aiming for 30...not bad.

but now all my chickens are dark....red, black, striped...etc. i NEED some buff orpingtons.... or maybe some columbian crosses....and then all my eggs are brown....maybe some ees? i am truly truly afraid of chicken math. but i gotta meet the demand right?

 

[BooBear]

Ah chicken math....
I have a flock that averages around 30 birds of various ages all the time. Roosters are raised for meat and any extra girls are rehomed to help others with breakfast. (A few found new homes, normally I get attached and they just hang out in the family flock)

Just hatched some ubber cute chicks (6 total out of this batch) that I have/had every intention of selling.....named one Bob as a joke to my dad cus he teases me that everytime I name one a girl name it grows into a Rooster.....I can't sell Bob!! And Bob needs a friend to grow up with too!!
The loudest chick is having health (shrink wrapped real bad and has no interest in food or water at all

) issues so is not a chick I would sell; however, I am unsure if this one will make it so Stucco can't be Bob's only buddy....I may have 5 extra ubber cute Silkies to keep & 1 Wheaten Ameraucana chick.

The only time subtraction is sucessful is when a bachlor roo moves on to freezer camp.


Oh and I have a broody on her clutch of eggs too! She is practicing her own version of chicken math.

 

[cooped up]

Ah chicken math. I'm finding that this pertains to the coop also. I have a new building project this spring with the addition of 5 B.A. chicks.let's see now...wanted 3 got 5 gained 2 lost 1 bought 5 will cull 3 = ?

 

[CDel]

We went from 6 to 18 to 45 to 91 to 57 to 30. That is what I call chicken math.

Next week we will go from 30 to 55 to 61 to who knows when we go to Rural King and they have some kind of breed that I just have to have in my layer coop to make it "prettier".

By next month the 61 will increase by however many hatch in the incubator.

I figure by the end of summer I should have over 100 birds and will require some chicken subtraction because our coops combined will only hold 90 at 4 sq ft per bird and I really would hate to have to build another....or would I

 

[AlaskaChicks]

after reading through theses posts i am glad that we don't have a feed store here that i can go to and come home with more chickies! hahaha Its already bad enough when i go out of town and stop by the pound! *count down to the week of May 13th for mine

 

[Tressa27884]

No doubt. Feed Stores are a dangerous place. I try to send my DH as often as possible, but sometimes I HAVE to go in, and then I TRY to stay away from the chic bins. I have no self control when it comes to breeds I don't have as I love to look out in my flock and know each of the girls by name......

 

[toomanydogs]

Wanted a couple chickens last year, only 3 or 4 hens. They turned into 18 thanks to chicken math. I'm scared of what this year will bring.

Lisa

 

[snooptwomey]

I am tryin to figure out this whole thing called chicken math too. Went from trying to have 3 or 4 egg layers last summer, to now have 2 adult red sex links, 1 ameracauna roo, and 16 chicks, YES thats right, 16. 2 are just over a month old, EE's, think 1 roo, 1 pullet. 2 jersey giants around a week and a half old, ALL other chicks are like 4 days old: 3 EE's from my own red sex links and ameracauna roo, 1 auburn java, 1 blue laced red wyandotte, 6 red sex link pullets, 1 ameracauna/EE tractor supply special from yesterday from when I went to get the 6 red sex link pullets I noticed one in the "ameracauna" bin that was darker than the rest, REAL thick looking, with a HUGE beard/muffs already. . . HAD TO HAVE EM!!.

And I will be loading up the incubator again in a couple weeks. I will be selling most of these chicks that I have now. only keeping the jersey giants(hoping for a roo and a pullet), 2 EE pullets, if the auburn java and the blue laced red wyandotte are pullets I am keeping them. All others and any roo's will be sold locally. Only want 2 roo's total and i already have one.

 

[Tressa27884]

Chicken math is UGLY. Ordered 12 fertile eggs, didn't really expect any of them to hatch coming from Tennessee. So I went out and bought a mixed group of ten pullets. Seven of my eggs hatched this morning. 7+10=17, plus the flock outside [+12] 17+12=29 add in the two roos 29+2=31. Holy crap. Somebody come take some of these babies!

 

[SarniaTricia]

I love the chicken math.
I would be setting a new batch of hatching eggs next weekend.... But I have a vacation planned and dont want chicks under 6 weeks under some one elses care!
I started with the plan of 3-4 chickens.
Answered an add for pet chickens. Got 7
2 days later found another add for 6 week old pullets. Got 6
Husband got home from a business trip. My idea of 3-4 chickens was now 13.
One ended up being a roo. down to 12. fall cull of 5 older birds, down to 7.
Set 12 eggs in the incubator 20 days ago.....
Good thing I have found a 2.5 acre place to rent with HUGE barn. already cleaned out the coop area in the barn, but I have 4 stalls that I can expand into and 0.5 acres of pasture!
Chicken math should be interesting this year!

Happy hatching season everyone!