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#   A farmer has some rabbits and chickens. Altogether they have 66 heads and 186 feet. How many rabbits and chickens are there? ## A Mathematics Lesson Starter Of The Day [Starter of The Day](https://www.transum.org/Software/SW/Starter_of_the_day/) [Transum Mathematics](https://www.transum.org/Software/) [Topics](https://www.transum.org/Software/Transum_Topics.asp) Topics: [Starter](https://www.transum.org/Software/SW/Starter_of_the_day/index_page.asp) \| [Algebra](https://www.transum.org/software/SW/Starter_of_the_day/Similar.asp?ID_Topic=2) \| [Problem Solving](https://www.transum.org/software/SW/Starter_of_the_day/Similar.asp?ID_Topic=31) \| [Simultaneous Equations](https://www.transum.org/software/SW/Starter_of_the_day/Similar.asp?ID_Topic=42) - L. Mangham, Hylands School, UK - Good timing! Just the starter I needed for my simultaneous equation topic. Thanks. - The Best Maths Class Ever 7cd/M2, King Alfred's College, Oxfordshire - We all tried our best to find the answer by guessing. But our teacher showed us how to use simultaneous equations to get the answer quickly. A tough question for a year 7 class. - M T, 8b/Ma1 Harris Academy Purley - My class was just introduced to constructing and solving linear equations at the time, and I constructed a linear equation to find a solution for this starter. I let the number of rabbits be represented by x. Then 4x + 2(total heads-x)= total number of legs. - Simbarashe Mukumbira, Mazowe High School - This maths stater was just the thing I wanted before I wrote my algebra test. - Joan Morgan, All Saints Academy Plymouth - Excellent starter improves students thinking skills !!- Thank you. - Transum, - There are so many ways pupils could engage with this problem and possibly the most basic strategy could be one of trial and improvement. Start of by proposing that there are ten rabbits. How many chickens must there be if we know the total number of heads? What is the total number of legs if this is the case? Is that more or less than the actual number of legs? How might we change our rabbit number guess to increase or decrease the number of legs? (Increasing the number of rabbits will decrease the number of chickens and as rabbits have more legs than chickens the total number of legs will go up). Alternatively pupils might be at the stage where they could use a spreadsheet to quickly create columns of possible rabbit and chicken numbers with another column showing the number of legs. Some pupils may have learned the basics of JavaScript and could write a looping program to find the solution. Other pupils may need practice using their graphic display calculator to solve this problem. Having said all of that, there is no denying this this is a classic simultaneous equations problem that can be solved in a number of different ways. - T.O. William-west, Premier Intl Sch., Abuja, Nigeria - This starter is very helpful. In fact, it is intriguing enough to direct students attention and interest to the lesson. Well done. How did you use this starter? Can you suggest how teachers could present or develop this resource? Do you have any comments? It is always useful to receive feedback and helps make this free resource even more useful for Maths teachers anywhere in the world. [Click here](https://www.transum.org/Include/Comments/Form.asp?pagepath=/software/SW/Starter_of_the_day/starter_April23.asp) to enter your comments. [Previous Day](https://www.transum.org/Software/sw/Starter_of_the_day/Starter_April22.asp) \| This starter is for 23 April \| [Next Day](https://www.transum.org/Software/sw/Starter_of_the_day/Starter_April24.asp) ## Answers [Sign in](https://www.transum.org/Software/FormativeFeedback/LoginOnly.asp) to your Transum subscription account to see the answers **Note to teacher:** Doing this activity once with a class helps students develop strategies. It is only when they do this activity a second time that they will have the opportunity to practise those strategies. That is when the learning is consolidated. Click the button above to regenerate another version of this starter from random numbers. *** Extension question: How many rabbits and chickens are in a field if the number of legs is three times the number of heads? *** Your access to the majority of the Transum resources continues to be free but you can help support the continued growth of the website by doing your Amazon shopping using the links on this page. Below is an Amazon link. As an Amazon Associate I earn a small amount from qualifying purchases which helps pay for the upkeep of this website. [Educational Technology on Amazon](https://www.amazon.co.uk/b?_encoding=UTF8&tag=transum-21&linkCode=ur2&linkId=9a91abe5ff412a173ab62878a38bdb80&camp=1634&creative=6738&node=429892031) [](https://www.transum.org/Software/Transum_Products.asp) | | | | |---|---|---| | Change the background of this page to Black or White for clearer classroom display. | | | |  | Teacher, do your students have access to computers such as tablets, [iPads](https://www.transum.org/iPad/Maths.asp) or [Laptops](https://www.transum.org/Software/OnetoOne/)? This page was really designed for projection on a whiteboard but if you really want the students to have access to it here is a concise URL for a version of this page without the comments: Transum.org/go/?Start=April23 However it would be better to assign one of the student interactive activities below. |  | Here is the URL which will take them to a related student activity. [Transum.org/go/?to=simultaneous ](https://www.transum.org/go/?to=simultaneous) *** ## Extension Answer There can be any number of them as long as the number of rabbits is the same as the number of chickens. ## Curriculum Reference See the [National Curriculum](https://www.transum.org/Maths/National_Curriculum/Topics.asp?ID_Statement=114) page for links to related online activities and resources.  For Students: - [Maths Map](https://www.transum.org/Software/Maths_Map/ "Find an activity for the Maths topic you are studying") - [Go Maths](https://www.transum.org/go/ "Activitied to engage your mathematical skills") - [Games](https://www.transum.org/Software/Game/ "Mathematical games") - [Puzzles](https://www.transum.org/Software/Puzzles/ "Mathematical puzzles and challenges") - [Times Tables](https://www.transum.org/Tables/Times_Tables.asp "Learn a Times Table in only 5 days!") - [TablesMaster](https://www.transum.org/Software/Tablesmaster/ "An online multiplication table speed test") - [iPad Maths](https://www.transum.org/iPad/Maths.asp "Activities designed to work well on a touch sensitive screen") - [Investigations](https://www.transum.org/Software/Investigations/ "Your chance to be a Mathematics detective") - [Exam Questions](https://www.transum.org/Maths/Exam/ "Examination type questions similar to those appearing on GCSE and IB Maths exams.") For Teachers: - [Starter of the Day](https://www.transum.org/Software/SW/Starter_of_the_day/ "A Maths Lesson thinking skills starter for each day of the year") - [Shine+Write](https://www.transum.org/Software/SW/index.asp "Visual Aids to project on to a whiteboard and write on") - [Fun Maths](https://www.transum.org/Software/Fun_Maths/ "Fun mathematical activities for the end of term") - [Newsletter](https://www.transum.org/Newsletter/ "Read the latest edition of the Transum Newsletter") - [Random Names](https://www.transum.org/Software/RandomStudents/ "Let the Random Student Generator pick a name at random from your class list") - [Maths Videos](https://www.transum.org/Software/SW/YouTube/ "Some of the videos available on YouTube that may be of use in Mathematics lessons") - [Maths On Display](https://www.transum.org/Maths/Display/ "Some great ideas for displaying Mathematics in your classroom") - [Class Admin](https://www.transum.org/Software/FormativeFeedback/ "Our online student information management system and lesson planner") - [Curriculum](https://www.transum.org/Maths/National_Curriculum/ "The English National Curriculum for Mathematics with suggested activities") For All: - [Sign In](https://www.transum.org/Software/FormativeFeedback/LoginOnly.asp "Sign in or subscribe to Transum") - [Create An Account](https://www.transum.org/Software/Transum_Buy.asp "Buy a licence to use Transum at your school") - [Home](https://www.transum.org/ "Our front door") - [About Transum](https://www.transum.org/Software/Transum_About.asp "What is Transum?") - [Topics](https://www.transum.org/Software/Transum_Topics.asp "Find activities to go with the topic you are studying") - [Parents](https://www.transum.org/Parents/ "Supporting parents supporting their children in Mathematics") - [Privacy Policy](https://www.transum.org/Privacy.asp "Find out about privacy on the Transum website") - [Contact Me](https://www.transum.org/Software/Transum_About.asp "Contact us by email") - [Shop](https://www.transum.org/Software/Transum_Products.asp "Buy mathematical resources") [](https://www.kidsafeseal.com/) [©1997-2026 WWW.TRANSUM.ORG](https://www.transum.org/Software "Transum")

 A farmer has some rabbits and chickens. Altogether they have 66 heads and 186 feet. How many rabbits and chickens are there? ## Answers [Sign in](https://www.transum.org/Software/FormativeFeedback/LoginOnly.asp) to your Transum subscription account to see the answers **Note to teacher:** Doing this activity once with a class helps students develop strategies. It is only when they do this activity a second time that they will have the opportunity to practise those strategies. That is when the learning is consolidated. Click the button above to regenerate another version of this starter from random numbers. *** Extension question: How many rabbits and chickens are in a field if the number of legs is three times the number of heads? *** Your access to the majority of the Transum resources continues to be free but you can help support the continued growth of the website by doing your Amazon shopping using the links on this page. Below is an Amazon link. As an Amazon Associate I earn a small amount from qualifying purchases which helps pay for the upkeep of this website. [Educational Technology on Amazon](https://www.amazon.co.uk/b?_encoding=UTF8&tag=transum-21&linkCode=ur2&linkId=9a91abe5ff412a173ab62878a38bdb80&camp=1634&creative=6738&node=429892031) [](https://www.transum.org/Software/Transum_Products.asp) | | | | |---|---|---| | Change the background of this page to or for clearer classroom display. | | | |  | Teacher, do your students have access to computers such as tablets, [iPads](https://www.transum.org/iPad/Maths.asp) or [Laptops](https://www.transum.org/Software/OnetoOne/)? This page was really designed for projection on a whiteboard but if you really want the students to have access to it here is a concise URL for a version of this page without the comments: Transum.org/go/?Start=April23 However it would be better to assign one of the student interactive activities below. |  | Here is the URL which will take them to a related student activity. [Transum.org/go/?to=simultaneous](https://www.transum.org/go/?to=simultaneous) *** ## Extension Answer ## Curriculum Reference See the [National Curriculum](https://www.transum.org/Maths/National_Curriculum/Topics.asp?ID_Statement=114) page for links to related online activities and resources.