Chicken math 101

 

I have two goats now, but is that enough? There is still so much space in the yard and we are allowed to have chickens! Now, after the rough goat start, you would like to think that I did my research moving on to my next animal, right? Well, I'd like to tell you I did, but no! I didn't tell my husband that I just wanted goats, now did I? One trip to Atwoods, and the sound of baby chicks chirping was all it took! I did my research right there on the spot, in the store. They had so many breeds! Which breeds did I even want? 

Naturally, for any beginner, I googled the most docile breed. I would not enjoy having chickens, after all, if they were going to try to end me. Out of those breeds that popped up, I then asked myself, which one lays the most eggs in a year? Ok now, what kind of eggs do I want? Well, the most colorful ones, of course. After my short 10-minute research journey, standing in the store, with the employee waiting on me to make my decision, I chose my first (The OG 6) chickens. Two Rhode Island Red, two Buff Orpingtons, and two Olive Eggers. 

As you can see, here are my 6 brand new baby chicks. Oh, and the first two baby ducks, they are included in the chicken math too ;) Now, unlike the goats coming home to no shelter and/or food, we were much more able to provide everything up front for these guys. We made a brooder out of a galvanized tub, who doesn't need one of those at any point of owning animals, and a wood frame top with chicken wire, of course. We also purchased the poultry kit for beginners. That kit is definitely for beginners, that feeder is a pain! 

The more and more I learned about chickens, the more different breeds, I had to have. These were super simple animals, after all. My quest wasn't about wanting all the fancy breeds, it was about the egg rainbow that would come much later. 

I had two olive eggers and four that would lay variations of light browns (that can appear pinkish with the heavy bloom). Now, I needed blue eggs, of course. There are a few different breeds that can lay blue eggs (Ameracaunas, Aracaunas, Easter Eggers, and Cream Legbars just to name a few). Ameracaunas are very docile and lay a great number of eggs in a year. I NEEDED some! Here comes the chicken math! It is already hitting me, days after purchasing our first chicks. 

I start obsessing over finding some Ameracaunas. I finally found a local breeder with some Splash Ameracaunas. Her birds were beautiful and healthy. I grab two (it's never a good idea to purchase 1 single chick from anywhere, they need a friend they recognize). Now, this is probably where it could have ended, however, like I said she was a breeder. Obviously, she had more than one breed she offered. Well, dang! I need to browse! I almost get out of her barn, without any additions, but the Lord knew I wouldn't be able to resist, if I spotted the Silkies. They were so small and fluffy! They lay smaller eggs, but who cares when they are just so fancy looking! So I bought three.

For the next six weeks, these chickies all get to know each other and establish their pecking order. I will come to find out later, in due time, that I had in fact bought two roosters. One of my precious Ameracaunas and one of my Olive Eggers. Let this be a lesson, in case you specifically ask for pullets (young hens that do not lay yet), that you may not ever be guaranteed to get just pullets. There are ways people can try their best to tell the sex, however, unless they are a sex-linked breed, you may still end up with a rooster, or two.  In the meantime, we purchased a chicken coop and a duck pen (really just a dog pen with a fabric roof on it as we try to be frugal). I now gaze outside, holding my coffee, and see a chicken coop, duck pen, and a goat arena. The hobby farm was officially born!

That trampoline you see in the background, later, becomes my chicken run while we lived there!

This satisfied me for a whole year. I enjoyed watching the chickens peck the ground. I loved listening to my rooster perfect his crow over time and we waited, oh so patiently, for our first egg! I cannot even sit here and explain the sheer excitement it is to finally open the nesting box door and see an egg, after 6 long months. An egg that MY chickens laid. An egg that I knew, from start to finish, what went into it. The $1500 egg! Yes, that is what it seemed we spent over the course of waiting for it. The egg that would start my egg business. 

Obligatory first egg photo 

 I would go on to selling dozens of eggs and eventually incubating and hatching more!!!

 Two years later my current chicken counter is at 15...that's with some ups and downs.