So when we started this chicken stuff..we decided on 8

[ARose4Heaven]

Started with 5...3 years ago, now up to 54 layers and 100+ 5 week olds. Gonna have to sell a lot of eggs to support this "chicken math"!

 

[SarahBeth9394]

My hubby would pass out if that happened here.

 

[Louise's Country Closet]

We were originally going to just start out with 5 but when we got to the guy's place we were getting them from, the conditions were so bad that we ended up taking 10 - trying to save the poor things.

When spring came I decided I wanted to try my hand at incubating, and ended up with a lot of little chickies. I did three or four batches last summer, and kept some from every batch so then I had 18 chickens. 3 of my girls died from unknown causes

So now I'm down to 15.. BUT, I've already ordered 15 more chicks for June so that will bring me up to 30!

 

[jennifersmith326]

When I met my bf he had 5. 3 Roosters and 2 hens

Well, we got rid of the roosters because they were mean so now we are down to 2 hens
then my mom gave me 6 hens to go with the 2 I already had.
Then a lady gave me 5 hens but they wouldn't lay so I gave them to my mom
back down to 8 hens
Then a lady had posted on craigslist some bantams so I got 5 of those
4 males and 1 female
so I got rid of 3 of the males
up to 10
Then a guy had 10 chickens for sale so I bought those and gave 2 to my mom
up to 18
I had a hen go broody so I stuck some eggs under her and she had 2 babies
up to 20
a dog killed all but 9
so back down to 9
a guy sold me 86 chickens
so back up to 95
then I sold 54
so down to 41
then we had 20 eggs hatch
up to 61
had to cull one at 3 days old
down to 60 then I sold 15
so back down to 45

I think I added all that right. It is very confusing.

Right now, I have 42 eggs in the incubator and I am setting 41 more tonight.


It just happened so fast.

 

[blue_egg_lover]

We started off with ordering just 11 then we added a few more and then a few more. lol We'll probably end up a lil over 30 when its all said and done!

 

[sandracollins]

O.K planned on 6 went to a bring and buy sale and came home with 7 then a week later bought 5 more then another week later 4 more and so it goes !!!!!Now i have 17 hens, 6 four week old chicks ,because you cant let a broody sit on nothing,5 call ducks and six cuckoo silkie eggs under another broody and a white silkie that went broody 2 days ago ,might put some call duck eggs under her and so it continues help I am addicted

 

[HHandbasket]

Quote:
Oh, I see you are immersed in Chicken Math 101 without even realizing it. Welcome to my world!

This time last year, we were contemplating getting a couple of chickens. It's just the 2 of us now, so maybe 2 or 3 laying hens, no more, just 3 hens. So we decide we should round them off and get an even number and settled on getting 4. Went to pick out and purchase our pullets and left with only 5. Well, then someone on BYC was offering free chicks in July. Can't resist the fuzzybutts, so I took three. Two turned out to be cockerels and were rehomed, and we kept the one pullet, which brought us up to 6. Well, then 2 died, but I wanted more... had to still have 6. So I took a BCM/OE mix (doesn't lay olive eggs, tho... her eggs look like BCMs but she's blue with beard/muffs like an EE, super sweet too) and a light brahma. Hmmm.... then I got a nice purebred FBCM pullet... then a friend (yeah, some friend she is LOL) bought us an incubator.

So fast-foward 10 months, and "2 or 3 hens" has evolved into 7 hens in the coop, 9 chicks in the brooder, 11 eggs in one bator, 10 in another, and a broody hen out back with 11 under her.

That is chicken math.

 

[Myabcs3]

Glad to hear that chicken math is an epidemic!

A year ago, we started with 16 chicks - only wanted a dozen or so, but figured we would have losses.

All 16 survived.

Added 3 point of lay hens to cover the "egg waiting" period for my youngest son

Added 5 from a friend that needed to downsize.

Hatched 10 this fall - because you know we have to do staggered hatches.

Test hatched 3 more 2 weeks ago.

Broody hen just hatched 2 with a few still pipping.

We have concluded that we just aren't counting...but if you are that makes 39 with a few more coming... I know kind of like burying your head in the sand!

And I am not stepping foot to TSC or elsewhere, nor am I looking at the auctions on BYC ... are any of you believing that???

 

[Chicks&Chihuahuas]

Where I live you can *legally* have 6 hens, and I think up to 14 chicks under 8 weeks. Well...I started out with 10 chicks (just in case you know...) and bad Chihuahua got 2. Wanted some ducks so when I went to get ducklings I fell in love with a couple of bantie chicks.13 birds. One bantie escaped brooder and met bad Chihuahua. Ducklings had gotten too big to live with remaining bantie, we we had to get her a friend. BF wanted to pick them out, but couldn't choose, so 4 more came home. A friend of mine fell in love with my girls so I ordered some for her (aaand a few "fun"breeds for me since my layers were well on their way to laying age. That puts us at 24. 3 of the babies died. 21. Then 2 turn out to be roos. We liked them, but one neighbor did not, so we had to re-home them. 19. THEN, some evil critter got into the garden while I was working late one night, and I came home to a most hideous scene.that looked like a sorority pillow fight had gone horribly wrong. Down to 2 ducks.

Now I have moved and am rebuilding my flock. Still the same laws, but better fencing for hiding the evidence of the "extras". I have 5 chicks in the brooder (3 are st. Run bantie, so we shall see) and 3 more ducklings. I plan on getting a couple more banties (i have a small coop on order for them) and will be bringing my old coop over for the big girls. I think this year I will also get 3 started pullets, As I don't want to have to wait for season's end for eggs again. I'm having a much bigger run built, so they will have to spend the second half of the day in there instead of free ranging all day. No more dusk-time "visitors"!

My PLAN is not to have more than 12...but that is of course before CHICKEN MATH!

 

[Patricia Jane]

I just started so only have 4 which DH is not too happy about. Didn't want any. chicken math has already hit and I have only had my gals alittle over a month. I want silkies. After DH goes to bed I dig out my pans for another coop to house them. He found them this morning and said "what's this? another coop?!!!! I had to tell him I was just dreaming, yea right. I know I will eventually get them. I can break him down. Got to love DH ;0}