When Chicken Math Goes Too Far
So, we have all heard of chicken math. It has claimed us all from one time or another. What happens when the chicken math has gone too far? After six years of adding, adding, and more adding it has become apparent, the addition needs to become subtraction. How do you choose who stays and who goes?
107?
This summer in the midst of acquiring new spring chicks, I realized I have excessively acquired chickens. Is it possible to have too many? I did not think it was possible! Yet when the chicks grew and were ready to be introduced in with the main flock I realized I had a problem. Last year my husband and I built a coop large enough for up to 75 chickens. When the new girls were introduced, the coop appeared overloaded. How could that be? Well, when I began to count I realized just how many chickens we truly had and the number astonished both of us. 107! Oh my god, how did this happen?
How to Pick?
I am not sure how it happened but it did. We needed to downsize the flock. Therefore, I placed an ad on our Facebook as well as a local chicken site and the rehoming began. People came from far and near to claim as few as two and as many as twelve. Now our numbers have come down to sixty-seven with another dozen or so that still need to go. How did we choose who stayed? Well, that was easy: we kept all of the original old girls that we are super attached too, the youngest girls, as well as a few others that we just adore. The sad fact is we need to stop purchasing chicks for the next few years as we slowly decline our flock. Have you become overloaded with chickens?
A New Adventure
Each day that chickens leave for their new homes is hard for me. A bit of sorrow is felt, as each moves on to a new adventure. Each will be missed, as they were all hand-selected, named, and loved. Chicken math once seemed like a funny cool concept that was until it had gone too far. How would you choose you stayed and who went?
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1 Comment
I have the a similar math problem. We started with 3 chicks then added a few, Were gifted 2. Incubated some eggs, only 1 made it. Had a broody hen last year that we allowed to sit & she hatched 5 eggs. Now we’re up to 14. We’ve had some die (got stuck in something in the grove, etc.) We just ordered 15 chicks of different varieties which will be here in April.
I built an addition to the coop last year to accommodate more. But we set our Max to 30… so we hope. Love their personalities & they love to be pet.