diff --git a/src/models/multiBarHorizontalChart.js b/src/models/multiBarHorizontalChart.js
index 60fe4a31f..9aca0c8fd 100644
--- a/src/models/multiBarHorizontalChart.js
+++ b/src/models/multiBarHorizontalChart.js
@@ -224,7 +224,7 @@ nv.models.multiBarHorizontalChart = function() {
             if (showXAxis) {
                 xAxis
                     .scale(x)
-                    ._ticks( nv.utils.calcTicksY(availableHeight/24, data) )
+                    ._ticks( nv.utils.calcTicksX(availableHeight/24, data) )
                     .tickSize(-availableWidth, 0);
 
                 g.select('.nv-x.nv-axis').call(xAxis);
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ nv.models.multiBarHorizontalChart = function() {
             if (showYAxis) {
                 yAxis
                     .scale(y)
-                    ._ticks( nv.utils.calcTicksX(availableWidth/100, data) )
+                    ._ticks( nv.utils.calcTicksY(availableWidth/100, data) )
                     .tickSize( -availableHeight, 0);
 
                 g.select('.nv-y.nv-axis')
diff --git a/src/utils.js b/src/utils.js
index de060dac1..3b117efc0 100644
--- a/src/utils.js
+++ b/src/utils.js
@@ -453,8 +453,26 @@ nv.utils.calcTicksX = function(numTicks, data) {
 returns number of ticks to actually use on Y axis, based on chart data
 */
 nv.utils.calcTicksY = function(numTicks, data) {
-    // currently uses the same logic but we can adjust here if needed later
-    return nv.utils.calcTicksX(numTicks, data);
+    // find max number of values from all data streams
+    var numValues = 1;
+    for (var i=0; i < data.length; i += 1) {
+        var values = data[i] && data[i].values ? data[i].values : [];
+        var maxValue;
+        for (var j=0; j < values.length; j += 1) {
+            maxValue = values[j] && values[j].value ? values[j].value : 0;
+            numValues = maxValue > numValues ? maxValue : numValues;
+        }
+    }
+    nv.log("Requested number of ticks: ", numTicks);
+    nv.log("Calculated max values to be: ", numValues);
+    // make sure we don't have more ticks than values to avoid duplicates
+    numTicks = numTicks > numValues ? numTicks = numValues - 1 : numTicks;
+    // make sure we have at least one tick
+    numTicks = numTicks < 1 ? 1 : numTicks;
+    // make sure it's an integer
+    numTicks = Math.floor(numTicks);
+    nv.log("Calculating tick count as: ", numTicks);
+    return numTicks;
 };