Understanding Chicken Math

[estamets]

Last May, we decided to get two chickens. But you can't just have two chickens because if one dies they get lonely. So 3 chickens. But if you mail order 3 chickens, and one dies on the way, you're back to 2. So 4 chickens.

Today, I have 7 laying hens, 5 adolescent meat birds, and 15 in the brooder.

 

[trailrider330]

Here is my chicken math:

Started with 5 (4 hens and a roo) - 4 (3 hens and roo killed by predator) + 4 (3 hens and one roo from the neighbor) – 1 (hen killed by roo) – 1 (bye-bye to that roo) + 3 (free hens on Craigslist) + 11 (chicks from local breeder – most of which turned out to be roos) + 2 (hens from the neighbor – 7 (too many roos) + 6 (hens from the feed store) + 5 (chicks from broody hen) + 5 (chicks from another broody hen) – 5 (sold chicks to neighbor) – 1 (roo went after our son) + 1 (roo showed up in our yard one day) – 1 (roo with back injury) - 1 (hen killed by hawk) – 6 (hens killed by fox) - 3 (roos sold on Craigslist) = 12 remaining (if I did my math right – 4 EE’s, 4 barnyard mixes, 1 australorp, 1 barred rock, 1 buff Orpington, 1 Welsummer) with plans to build a new coop with runs to add more chicks in the spring.

I blame my hubby. It was his idea to get chickens and I was originally opposed to the idea. But, now I’m the one who’s obsessed.

 

[Suziqzer]

Funny how that works!! I have wanted to get chickens for a few years. I grew up on a farm and wanted my son to have the experience of raising animals for food supply. We already had a garden which gains us squash, corn, canned tomatoes, and various other things to enjoy, but I wanted more.

This summer hubby decided it would be a simple task to transform the playset our son was out-growing into a chicken coop. After a little consideration, we ended up converting part of an out-building into a chicken coop and building an attached run instead. Our son got some modifications done to the playset as well.

We went to the local farm store to look at the chicks thinking we would stay around 6. Somehow we left with 7. Found some easter eggers and we really wanted some pretty eggs, 3 EE and 3 buffs. 7+6=13. The barred rocks we bought ended up being Australorps. Since my son wanted the barred rocks because some friends have them, we went looking to get a couple of those.. Knowing the minimum was 6. I got some more EE. It seemed that 1, possibly 2 of my first 3 easter eggers were Roos... Not acceptable, I wanted pretty eggs. 13+6= 19

The older chickens are starting to lay and the later group is a few weeks behind. No casualties and only 1 Roo.. & a beautiful EE he is. Hoping the neighbors don't mind too much so I can eventually let a broody hatch some babies next year.

Rewind to last week, mom calls... Someone they know bought a coop and 12 chickens this year and has decided they can't do it right now. Do we want the chickens. ?? Without asking me, hubby tells her yes. We know two other couples with chicken fever so if we don't keep them, or make some dinner, we have a resource to move them along to. Free so we are still at 19.

I told hubby that the fifth is Wednesday this week, I had in mind it was Thursday for some reason- the fifth is our 20 yr anniversary. I said I was mistaken on the day. :/. He said it's ok, we are going to get chickens that day!! He has it as bad as I do. Then my son asked this morning when are we getting more chickens. He knows we were talking about some free ones but I guess wanted to know if it was real.

Now, if I can just get my hands on an olive egger and a frizz.

Got to get to work on a seperate temporary coop for now until we are sure the new birds are safe to integrate. That will keep me busy

 

[csneill]

Just stumbled across this thread as I have found myself doing chicken math. Started out last summer with 6 chicks & 3 ducks. Dog broke into my brooder & we lost 4 of 9. Back to bomgaars for 2 ducks & 3 RIR. Those new babies had just made it out out the brooder & into the coop- a fox struck one night & took all 5. I'm back to 3 pullets. I go & get 5 hyline hens from a guy off craigslist- still have 2 of those hens as my dog got 3 of them in the past 6 mo. I go and get 4 leghorn hens- they have all survived for the past 8 months & are laying great. Decided I wanted to add some color to my flock so I got 3 buffs, 3 barred Rock & 3 EE from bomgaars this spring, they have about 3 weeks to go In the brooder. All my ducks are gone now due to a dog attack. Probably going to replace them this spring. Decided we like the looks of welsummers- love the roosters, the hens, and the eggs are gorgeous- ordered a dozen eggs- got 14 & they're all in the incubator now. So 8 hens + 9 chicks + 14 fertile eggs = 8 hens right?!? And since ducks don't count the 3 ducklings I get in a few weeks don't count either. Love this math!

 

[realsis]

Yikes I'm done with chicken math! started my order with 5 female Barred Rocks, added 2 more. added 1 free female layer. added one Golden cuckoo Maran. Added one Silver penciled rock.my five turned into 7 turned into 8 turned into 9 turned into 10! OH NO!! no more! PEIROD..

 

[csneill]

Until next time...

 

[realsis]

So True! LOL

 

[Mammahen71]

Yikes I'm done with chicken math! started my order with 5 female Barred Rocks, added 2 more. added 1 free female layer. added one Golden cuckoo Maran. Added one Silver penciled rock.my five turned into 7 turned into 8 turned into 9 turned into 10! OH NO!! no more! PEIROD..

Famous last words... That was me, 15 chickens and 9 ducks ago!

 

[Peeps61]

I ordered 3 Easter Egger chicks from the feed store to put under my broody Orphington. Ha ha. I already have 32 birds. What's 3 (maybe) more?

 

[csneill]

Until you get to the feed store to pick up said EEs and leave w 3 more chicks- just in case!