Share your chicken math story!

[Saundra4]

I just started chickens on June 20th of this year. I got 4 to start all different breeds, one turns out to be a roo. Before I knew that I ordered 3 orpingtons to be ready Aug 7th. I am already looking at my property to take a shed make it into a bigger coop so I can have more.

 

[Luckyeights86]

It really happens SO FAST, doesn't it? I personally wouldn't have it any other way, though.

I will also say, I was planning on giving a few of ours to a friend so they could start their own flock, but now I'm becoming attached to the ones I was considering giving away. Maybe I should order some more and just give them to her instead

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I have, um... about 20 older layers. So I order 12 chicks this spring, six each Sapphire Gems and Prairie Bluebell Eggers. I plan to cull the old girls. I do cull some for the freezer and also have a few losses due to age and illness. One of the Egger chicks dies so I have 11 pullets. Somehow I end up with 22 total layers and the rooster. I drive 400 miles to Alabama (from MO) to get a dozen beautiful lavender EE, figuring some will be cockerels (freezer) and maybe I will sell some. The breeder encourages me to take 4 extra in case of losses on the way. Very hardy chicks, all survive. A dog gets in and kills one of my beautiful Gems. I am down to 21 layers. And 16 three-week old chicks. And a rooster. Total: 36 birds. My hen house holds 25 birds, max.

UPDATE: of the 16 lavender EE, one small chick got crushed and had to be put down, leaving 15. Five are cockerels as far as I can tell right now (only five!) and 10 are pullets (one more may be a cockerel, they are really hard to sex). I hope to sell three of the cockerels. Eventually I hope to raise OEs by breeding the lavender cockerels to some of the Gems, maybe next spring. And then sell the OEs as started pullets in the fall.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Here are my lavender EE cockerels.

And here is the rest of my flock:

Clearly, that's way too many eggs for a household of three people!

 

[AntiqueB]

I started with 3. I think a lot of us do. But one turned out to be a boy, and had to be removed.

Well, 2 isn't a good number, and I thought about getting a couple more. We went to a chicken expo, and a very nice lady gave my son a blue egg at the end of it. Hmm, those hens had a rooster with them. . .

We hatched that egg. And of course had to get 2 more chicks to keep that one company. Sadly, one chick didn't make it. So I had 4 total.

I resisted for a while, but then I had 2 girls die due to reproductive issues. That left me back at 2.

I got 2 from a local chicken keeper, but one doesn't lay eggs at all, and I fear she may have a short life due to that. So I order 2 pullets. Knowing chicken math, I get an email telling me the shipping is the same for 3! So I up that order to 3.

I now have 7. My original plan was 3. Sigh.

 

[MamaPoult]

Well! In 2021 we said "Heck! Let's get some chickens!"

From there we proceeded to buy 24 Isa Brown chicks. We got our first Australorp roo and then started an egg business. The next spring we got 60 meat birds. I also rescued a teenage RIR roo too.

We sold a dozen of the Isa's along with my rescue roo to a loving home After loving our Australorp roo so much we got 6 more Ausie chicks and a few Silkies too!!

Now, after rotating through LOTS of birds that I don't even have time to list we now have a flock of almost all Brahmas! (Save my few darling Ausies!). My turkey Jenny is also a content flock member. I know we will go through a lot more birds but I hope my current flock lasts a long time! I love them, especially my Brahma roo, Chief

 

[MamaPoult]

Here are my lavender EE cockerels.

View attachment 3896918

And here is the rest of my flock:

View attachment 3896923

Clearly, that's way too many eggs for a household of three people!

Lovely flock

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Lovely flock

Thank you. There's that one funny-looking one there, though, with four legs ....

 

[MamaPoult]

Thank you. There's that one funny-looking one there, though, with four legs ....

I thought that one looked a little......off

 

[Azhtann]

I had someone at my work ask me if I could transport five hens for her, to be handed off in a town close to me. I agreed, after being told they were already waiting in the parking garage for me. The people supposed to be picking them up never did. The original owner didn't want them back, so I kept them. Two of the five are roosters, one was killed by a raccoon. The other two are quite lovely little hens.

I also bought two Indio gigante chicks from a local breeder who threw in three more freebie chicks as living heat packs (although weather has been very hot). All five chicks are doing great. An odd mix, the two gigantes, a BCM, a bresse, and a 55 flowery hen. I suspect the BCM may be a little boy. Time will tell.