Share your chicken math story!

[BigBlueHen53]

Lol, that must have been some time ago. Today I got 4 eggs. That's it. They're molting and the sun goes down at 5 pm or so. Oh well.

 

[Susan Skylark]

If your hubby complains about chicken math just remind him to be glad it isn’t horses! Love it! We got into quail, and the same mathematical theorem applies (to any species actually!). We bought a cute little hutch thing that should hold 4 quail (which is actually like tent math: divide by two, sleeps 4 actually sleeps 2 (barely)). I ordered eggs and borrowed an incubator, traumatic shipping, novice incubator, hatched 6, one died day 3, remaining chicks 4/5 male! Order more eggs, amazing shipping and now have a clue on incubation, 24 chicks (have room for 6-8!). By 6 weeks had a breeding flock of 3 Roos and 14 hens (and some dinner). Now can’t stop hatching eggs but as I’m constantly weeding out bad attitude, accident, etc it keeps our numbers constant, just need to keep each hatch to six eggs which is the hard part!

 

[Clucking happy]

Loving the chicken math and feel I’ve found my tribe!!
So we moved at the end of 2023 and there were two old chicken runs/ coops left. In Feb this year we thought we’d try to find some pullets and we got 4 (maybe) warrens- assured easy for newbies and never go broody.
6 weeks later we are getting our groups eggs, but decide we still have room and the silver Sussex advertised is gorgeous….. so we add a silver, a light and a speckled Sussex- deciding to have variety this time. Except when we get there he also has a beautiful araucana…. So now 8!
In May one of the warrens goes broody, maybe the sudden temp rise/ full nest box (because everyone has to use the same one?!). We try to break her, but after a week in jail she’s still mad and sitting on the wire.
So we get 6 legbar eggs (not everyone will hatch right?). Nope all 6 pop out, sadly 4 roos- who are rehomed. Now at 10, with the once broody mum done with children and going back to her mates. We were all a bit worried about our 2 lone chick girls- broody mum is running a smear campaign with the flock, so no one likes them and they’re pets to the children, so they are spoilt and we are “helicopter chicken parents”.

Due to a massive slug issue (wet ground at the back) we then thought we would get some ducks- except it’s a bad year for ducks here. When chatting with our friendly poultry man, he comments that he has two olive eggers (same age as our chicks). So oops we bring home the next two….
All are now causing chaos together, the coop has been upgraded, the run extended (and the new double run yet to be built- just in case of flock down, they free range over about an acre- but have access to double that.

Now 12 chickens in 9months, with my eye on at least 4 more breeds for their coloured eggs (which I know taste the same, but I love the joy it brings). Plus the runners I *need* want for slug control.

For us chickens weren’t the gateway to smallholding, but they bring us a lot of joy and we make our delivery people smile with eggs!