Understanding Chicken Math

[JessicaThistle]

Ok, I see the problem here. You are all counting wrong.

You only count the ones that have names and are of laying age. Names like "white chicken", "speckles", "cheeks", etc. do not count. Those are descriptions, not names. Go back through your flock using this method of counting, and you will see that you do not have nearly the number of chickens that you have stated before. In fact, you may find that you have so few that you need to go to the store and purchase more chicks......... which of course don't count until they start laying

See how easy it is to do "chicken math"?

OH MY LANDS! I must go tell my husband that he is mistaken! We don't have chickens and I must go get some to fill that beautiful coop! Now to find out who still has chicks around here. They won't count either anyway.

 

[CarolinaHen]

OH MY LANDS! I must go tell my husband that he is mistaken! We don't have chickens and I must go get some to fill that beautiful coop! Now to find out who still has chicks around here. They won't count either anyway.

See how easy chicken math is once you get the hang of it??

 

[Gingersnap722]

Ok, I see the problem here. You are all counting wrong.

You only count the ones that have names and are of laying age. Names like "white chicken", "speckles", "cheeks", etc. do not count. Those are descriptions, not names. Go back through your flock using this method of counting, and you will see that you do not have nearly the number of chickens that you have stated before. In fact, you may find that you have so few that you need to go to the store and purchase more chicks......... which of course don't count until they start laying

See how easy it is to do "chicken math"?

So my counting is right on!! Woo hoo!!!

 

[Bweis13]

We got sucked in by the bantam bin at TSC. We have 3 original chickens from our very first flock, but all are bantams, so we needed some regular size egg layers, right? (We lost our last one this winter. ) Sooo, we ordered 2 Welsummers and a buff Orpington from My Pet Chicken because TSC said they'd order 2 EE's for us. I got the brooder ready, and dear husband called from TSC to tell me they had random chicks in. I stuck to my guns. We already have three bantams, and I had 5 regular size chicks coming. Well, I knew I needed chick grit and feed, so out I head to TSC. Knowing that I had large breed chicks coming, I decided to just take a look at the turkeys and production reds they had in the bins, knowing that I didn't want any more.

Lo and behold, there's the mixed bantam bin! There is no limit on the amount of chicks you can buy, so I picked up a golden sebright (which I've always wanted) and a tiny mystery chick which I think is an OEG. My children arrived home from school and begged for more. Back to TSC. We came home with a frizzled Cochin and an EE bantam, all of which are now being cuddled like crazy and spoiled rotten.

Now, according to the chicken math on this thread, I take the square root of the number of chicks, subtract the three existing bantams, and then again subtract the one grown bantam roo. According to my chicken math, that puts me in the NEGATIVE numbers. Does that mean I need to get more? (My daughter says, "Yes, we need more." No hesitation at all.)

 

[sayga]

Oh yes, chicken math got me too. Last year we bought feed-store chicks, 10 of them, hoping for 5 or 6 adult chickens. 2 were roosters, 2 we gifted to a friend in need of chickens, 2 got sick and died, and one was eaten by a raccoon. We were left with 3.

This spring, my sister bought fertilized eggs for her incubator. Because of how mail order egg batches go, she ordered lots of eggs, and we took home 9 chicks. Just before they hatched, though, a friend of my mother's said she was rehoming her 2 RIRs. We have one RIR already and so we said we would take her 2. Now we have 5 laying hens: Spike, Twilight, Apple Jack, Betty and Veronica. And 9 chicks. But 3 or 4 are roosters (2 for sure, one probably and one maybe).

...And I just responded to an ad on Craigslist to get 2 cream legbars and 2 blue wheaten Ameraucanas. Our legbar is a rooster, so he will be dinner.

If I get these 4 new chick(en)s, we will end up with around 14. Luckily we are zoned to have up to 50, just no roosters, but still... Our current coop only holds the 5 hens and 9 chicks (the chicks still cuddle up in one nesting box at night; the roost only holds 5-6). So, now we need a new coop and I'm thinking of getting a big shed.

But once I have a big shed, I might want more chickens...

 

[PaigeBundy]

This is hilarious .. I thought it was just me!!! My husband said I could get 3.. Naturally I came home with 5.. But then learned about Americanas and went to the feed store to get two of those but while I was there saw the bantams and needed two of those too... So 3=9 but really I also dont have any chickens yet either! !

 

[PearlGrey]

Oh, yeah, I can do chicken math. My brother and SIL got a straight run of 21 chicks, but they live in town and can't have roosters. Since I live on a farm, I said I'd take their cockerels. But of course, if n=number of possible cockerels one might have in the future, then obviously n+12=number of pullets I should get because if I have to build a chicken coop I may as well have eggs, right?

Now it turns out I'm not getting cockerels, so n presently=0. Obviously, the poultry theorem requires thatn+8 must equal the number of EEs I can now buy because I didn't get any the first time.

 

[jujub41482]

I too didn't understand chicken math... until I gave away my cat. Yes really, it all started with my cat.

I had to give away my cat because my daughter was highly allergic. After a few weeks of not having him to pet and cuddle, I was just browsing at a farm store during chick days and of course the cuteness got to me and I got 1, yes just 1, little RIR pullet. I promised my husband it would just be her and she would live in the house with us.

But of course, no amount of attention was enough for her. So I HAD to get another one to keep her company, right? So I got a little Black Sex-Link to be her new companion. But then of course the poop around the house got to be too much to handle, so I built them a little coop outside. And wouldn't you know the coop was big enough for another chicken!

That's when I got our third little girl, a Barred Rock. After getting her, I SWORE I was done.

Then last winter I went out to the coop to check on them at night while they were sleeping and I noticed that there was just enough room on the roosting bar for 2 more girls! So of course I had to add my two EE ladies, you know, because of their blue eggs.

And just a few weeks ago, my daughter's teacher at school had three baby chicks in the classroom, but didn't know what to do with them when she was done with them. I agreed to take them temporarily for her and find them new homes, but wouldn't you know it, I fell in love with one of them. After a few hours of begging and pleading with my husband, I got to keep one of the three baby chicks. I mean, I should be allowed to keep at least one, right?

So to sum it up, here's how I did chicken math:

-1 cat = 1 chick

1 chick - my sanity = 2 chicks

2 chicks + 1 coop = 3 chicks

3 chickens + 2 spaces on roost = 5 chickens

5 chickens + 1 chick I was supposed to give away = 6 chickens

 

[Bweis13]

Oh, yeah, I can do chicken math.  My brother and SIL got a straight run of 21 chicks, but they live in town and can't have roosters.  Since I live on a farm, I said I'd take their cockerels.  But of course, if n=number of possible cockerels one might have in the future, then obviously n+12=number of pullets I should get because if I have to build a chicken coop I may as well have eggs, right?

Now it turns out I'm not getting cockerels, so n presently=0.  Obviously, the poultry theorem requires thatn+8 must equal the number of EEs I can now buy because I didn't get any the first time.

I checked your chicken math, and it works out. However, the theorem I used adds in two black copper maran pullets. This allows for a REALLY COLORFUL egg basket!!!

 

[Bweis13]

I too didn't understand chicken math... until I gave away my cat.  Yes really, it all started with my cat.

I had to give away my cat because my daughter was highly allergic.  After a few weeks of not having him to pet and cuddle, I was just browsing at a farm store during chick days and of course the cuteness got to me and I got 1, yes just 1, little RIR pullet.  I promised my husband it would just be her and she would live in the house with us. 

But of course, no amount of attention was enough for her.  So I HAD to get another one to keep her company, right?  So I got a little Black Sex-Link to be her new companion.  But then of course the poop around the house got to be too much to handle, so I built them a little coop outside.  And wouldn't you know the coop was big enough for another chicken!

That's when I got our third little girl, a Barred Rock.  After getting her, I SWORE I was done. 

Then last winter I went out to the coop to check on them at night while they were sleeping and I noticed that there was just enough room on the roosting bar for 2 more girls!  So of course I had to add my two EE ladies, you know, because of their blue eggs.

And just a few weeks ago, my daughter's teacher at school had three baby chicks in the classroom, but didn't know what to do with them when she was done with them.  I agreed to take them temporarily for her and find them new homes, but wouldn't you know it, I fell in love with one of them.  After a few hours of begging and pleading with my husband, I got to keep one of the three baby chicks.  I mean, I should be allowed to keep at least one, right?

So to sum it up, here's how I did chicken math:

-1 cat = 1 chick

1 chick - my sanity = 2 chicks

2 chicks + 1 coop = 3 chicks

3 chickens + 2 spaces on roost = 5 chickens

5 chickens + 1 chick I was supposed to give away = 6 chickens

Hahahahah!!!

There you have it, folks! Chicken people are so funny! You make my day!!! :yiipchick