We tripled our flock last spring. Until then, we’d only had 8-12 birds at a time. But now, I wanted 32! Flock-keeping circles on the internet call it “chicken math.” I actually intend to get another 8-10 black copper marans from a fellow vendor because that breed lays beautiful, deep brown eggs (more chicken math!). Likely those hens won’t lay until next spring.
What I didn’t anticipate was tripling our water capacity, feeders, and nest boxes. They already had plenty of feed and space, but these other details are critical. Let me tell you that unhappy hens do not grace us with their eggs! However, it didn’t take long to get everything sorted out, with the help of The Egg Carton Store and Amazon Prime.
The hens are happily laying for us again, but it was definitely one of those moments where I thought, “Man, I should have known better.” And maybe. But I had to remind myself that it was the first time I’ve expanded the flock so much and that we all learn from our mistakes, which were quickly corrected. You might not be a flockster, but I bet there’s another situation where you need to give yourself a little grace just like I did. I hope you do!
Veggie Charm Gardens 