door Meghan H
Published on June 25, 2018
It doesn't matter if you arenew in chicken farmingor a seasoned veteran, chances are you've heard the term chicken math. The chances are even greater than you calculatedkipmath, even if you didn't realize it! So what is meant by chicken math and how did this term become a common term in the world of chicken keeping? In the simplest terms, chicken math adds to your flock in quantities and perhaps even different species than you originally planned.
At first they are so small and cute, but then we realize that babies grow quickly and need more space. These little ladies spent the winter growing outside in a greenhouse.
This is how the math works
Maybe you planned to have six birds, but now you somehow made it happen14,22, 30. Or maybe you only planned to have chickens, but you've mastered the advanced chicken math and now you've done soDucks, rabbits and a cow! My personal theory on chicken math is that chickens are not only fun to keep, but they are relatively low maintenance and don't take up much space, so it becomes very easy to say, "What difference would a few more make? " Chicken math can be continued in many different ways; maybe onechicken hatched some eggs,vanself-hatched eggs, Meyer Hatchery had a sale or you got some birds as a gift. As your chicken farming adventures grow, your knowledge and experience will grow, and it's highly likely that the size of your flock will grow as well.
Here are some examples of my own chicken math
- First flock of 14 chickens + 6 chickens = 2 goats
- 32 chickens + 1 guard dog = 2 dwarfs (but the dwarfs only correspond to ½ chicken)
- 50(ish) chickens + 12 sales chickens = too many brown eggs
- 21 chickens (needs to have more color in the egg basket) = 10 broilers
- 12 young chicks (but they were a gift so they don't actually count towards the total) = don't know how many chicks I have
There is no exact rhyme or reason to chicken math, but that's part of the beauty of it! How has your flock grown in unexpected ways? Please share your own chicken math in the comments!
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"Older posts
Farmhouse with five cabins on June 25, 2018 at 5:08 PM
I was only supposed to start with twelve chickens, which my husband thought was overboard. In the last two months I have ordered 40 chickens and 3 ducks, all from Meyer Hatchery. Too bad you don't sell goats! They are next. (But maybe a few more chickens first - I have 15 in my cart ready for next year's additions).
My husband thinks it has gone beyond basic chicken math and is trained in "fowlgebra".Answer
Meghan H on June 25, 2018 at 5:11 PM
Bwahaha! It's amazing... bird Gebra. Thanks for reading and writing! I'm so glad you're enjoying your chickens 🙂
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Farmhouse with five cabins on June 25, 2018 at 5:38 PM
If I end up making a Fowlgebra shirt while I keep threatening, I'll definitely send you some. ♡
I love all my girls so much! They are so funny.Answer
Sarah Jane Chase on June 26, 2018 at 12:12
We have more than 30 chickens, have just ordered 32 more, have 12 goats and more than fifty Koi. I would say we are already in trighenomics.
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Elizabeth F on June 27, 2018 at 5:17 PM
It sounds like you've come a long way in your calculations! Thanks for reading along 🙂
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Cor Boerman on August 13, 2018 at 2:16 am
Don't you mean their claws? Hahaha!
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Marie on July 1, 2018 at 6:59 PM
"Trighenomics"! You are all so creative in your chicken math "term-hen-ology"!
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Jackie Poremba on July 4, 2018 at 12:48 PM
So this is what happened; I went from chicken math to fowlgebra to trighenomics. I don't need any intervention!!
Started small, but chicks are addictive. As the Meyer sign put it: Ckickens are like potato chips, you can't have just one. I have 70 plus in the barn (20 hectares of free range) 44 chiclets and will pick up 6 more chiclets on Tuesday. I tell people that I have VN for chickens from all over Europe and the world. I sell my eggs like any good pusher – the first dozen is free!! If people don't come back begging for eggs, it's only because they can't taste the difference. Yes, there really are people who can't tell the difference.Answer
Cindy on July 28, 2018 at 12:09 PM
I wasn't sure about getting chickens until I did all my research. Said I'd just start with 6 (actually when I went for my first chicken nuggets I said 4 but the girl said go for 6...okay my arm was twisted haha). I got them 6 and they are now 15 weeks old. In the meantime, I decided I wanted more of one variety and some of another, so of course I ordered 8 more from Myers! There are more varieties I want, and I started working on some of them around October. Math has never been my strong point anyway.
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Elizabeth F on August 31, 2018 at 8:40 PM
You sound like a pro in (chicken) math! And before you know it you'll need a bigger house!
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Mike on July 28, 2018 at 12:52 PM
Or calculations CLOCKS
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Donna Millermcnu*tt on August 23, 2018 at 11:58 am
I started with 6 (because if you buy them at a feed store in KY you have to buy at least 6). Next spring I wanted chickens that produce COLORFUL eggs, so I ordered 5 more. One of the "hens" was a "co*ckerel", so I ordered a replacement, but had to order the required shipping amount, so I added 5 more. 2 were DOA (not Meyer Hatchery, from another place I will no longer order from) and 1 died the next day. Then I went to another feed store and saw chicks... bought 8! 2 roosters rehomed, one chicken died from being run over by one of these roosters! 1 died from a neighbor's dog attack and a chicken went "missing". One of my adult chickens had hatched, so I ordered 17 hatching eggs from Meyer Hatchery (You guys are the BEST!!) and TODAY is CLOSING DAY!! I just went to check and she now has one baby under her and the rest are ready to come out!!!!!!! I'm sooooo excited!! Thank you Meyer Hatchery!!! I'm expanding my house/coop and I don't care if I get 100 chickens!!!! I will order more eggs from you!
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Elizabeth F on August 31, 2018 at 8:46 PM
Oh, congratulations on being a new girl grandma! It sounds like you might be well on your way to having more than 100 chickens and we'd love to help you calculate your chickens!
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Molly on February 6, 2019 at 4:44 PM
Yes, but chicken math also works the other way around! All year round, predators make their own deductions!
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Marie on February 7, 2019 at 8:34 am
It is unfortunately a sad truth.
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sarah on April 22, 2019 at 12:21 PM
9 chickens = perfect egg-colored basket
+ 7 more = we have to sell eggs now
+ 3 lavender orphingtions = If I have a rainbow of eggs, I must also have a rainbow of chickens.Answer
Marie on May 9, 2019 at 10:12 am
I completely agree!
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Victoria on December 23, 2021 at 9:47 PM
I started with 3 chickens and have 13 chickens, a rooster, 3 guinea fowl, 3 rabbits, 2 goats and 3 sheep.
I also sold my house to move to the country.
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Jessica Smit on February 26, 2022 at 5:45 PM
My problem stems from the fact that my birds are housed next to the old zoo. People dump their unwanted birds at the zoo, and then they show up at my gate begging to be saved. My rescues are super cute and don't have the rights issues that my forced girls have. There are definitely cliques in my pack, between the raised hand and the rescuers. I've had both ducks and chickens this way. Plus, people know that I rescue and occasionally throw their birds into my coop. Problems in small towns. Laugh out loud. Needless to say, I don't always have a real number...I do know what I think I have...which is 96, plus the two wild mallards that fly here every day for snacks and to love my ducks. .
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Marie on March 24, 2022 at 9:23 am
Hi Jessica. It's a bit of a problem when it comes to chicken math!
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Christy Pitard on September 26, 2023 at 4:27 PM
I was accidentally placed in an AP Trighenomics class!
8 chickens+1 raccoon-2 chickens=2 pregnant goatsAnswer
Lauren R on October 9, 2023 at 1:54 PM
Trighenomics zeker!
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Brittany Clements on January 4, 2024 at 12:58 PM
I ordered my first 8 chicks from the hatchery. They ended up giving me 9. I lost one to a hawk so I bought 5 silks because they are cute. I decided we needed to add a puppy to the mix. But then I lost my original rooster to a predator and bought two more roosters, but they gave me a third. So I had 15 chickens, but decided I could use a goat to tend my flower beds. I had 15 chickens, a puppy, a goat. I decided I needed a few more chicken friends, so I bought 6 of each type of egg layer the hatchery had, leaving me with 21 chicks. Of course they added a few extra. I eventually found some cool breeds on Google that met the minimum shipping requirement of 15 chicks. Also, the hatchery didn't have any of the chicks in stock, so I'm getting 6 more from the hatchery on the same day the 15 arrive. #chickenmath
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Lauren R on January 4, 2024 at 1:15 PM
Brittany, chicken math for sure! Sounds like you have a great group! Enjoy your new chicks too!!
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