A quick google search of the phrase “Chicken Math” will yield a number of interesting definitions or explanations. My favorites start with “phenomena” and “force of nature.” We haven’t seen one egg yet, and we have already experienced how this plays out.
Since we started our farm journey we toyed with the idea of adding some sort of livestock, but never felt quite ready. Three springs came and went and we successfully avoided leaving Tractor Supply or the local farm store without chicks. This year, we couldn’t escape the call and peeps of the chicks.
It started with a visit to our mentor’s place, Red Tree Farmstead, just before Covid kicked in. We went to observe their flower operation, but in addition to learning about the flower set-up, we left encouraged with their ability to successfully manage flower fields and a flock of birds.
With Gloria urging us to jump in, I started looking at what we would need in order to get started.
I figured a few birds would be good to start with and a little pre-fab coop would suffice. (Boy- was I wrong!)
Red Tree kindly got us started with a handful of birds. We stopped at Tractor Supply to pick up supplies to care for our new birds, and somehow walked out with another dozen. It wasn’t more than a couple of weeks later that we had a second stock tank full of chicks. (Luckily, those were meat birds – which have now been processed and we hope to pull them out of the freezer soon once we get the all clear for a social gathering.)
This piece was supposed to be about the Coop build, but obviously, like Chicken Math itself, it took on a life of its own. I’ll save the build for the next blog. BUT- you have been warned – the phenomena is real!. We are victims of Chicken Math.
In the meantime, I’m scoping out the perfect peppery thick-slabbed bacon to pair with the first eggs we should start seeing any minute now.
