Happy New Year from the west coast ark! The girls spent some time scratching for grubs and worms throughout the back lawn and the garden today. We enjoyed a balmy 10 degrees and spent time turning the garden, raking the last of the fall leaves and generally tidying the yard. No snow to shovel for us!
The girls remain productive at an egg a day, each. The eggs are a glorious rich browny/orange colour, with the Barred Rocks offering up a slightly smaller, paler version. Both laying boxes are being used, with today's yield offering an even three and three split.
I have introduced straw into the muck of their run. It offers something to keep their feet less mucky and therefore the eggs are less mucky from their feet. It also gives them something to scratch about, which they spend the better part of their day doing.
The hens are all very friendly and accustomed to their people. They are vocal for anyone that appears in the yard, making their presence known in case you might want to offer up some scratch. They tolerate being held and are easily herded back into the cube after free ranging.
All appear healthy and robust. The Barred Rocks seem more suited to the wet, rainy weather, appearing less bedraggled by the incessant rain. All are happy to go about their business and both the cube and the run appear appropriately sized in square footage and volume for the six birds. No fighting, no abusive pecking - supported by keeping them well fed, watered and warm.
Happy New Year girls!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Sunday, October 25, 2009
'dem eggs
So, we have eggs. Lots of eggs. All the girls are now laying. We are at 5 a day and should be up to 6 by Halloween. VERY satisfying!
Our routine is pretty established with the onset of fall. The six birds keep the cube pretty scratched down, so that a new layer of pine bedding each week is essential. The two laying boxes are both in use and each receive a fresh pile of bedding along with the cube. The run is where most of the bedding ends up, but that keeps the muck down and absorbs the fertilizer. This will become an excellent source of nutrition for my gardens in the spring.
The girls LOVE scratch (a variety of grains and corn), which I sprinkle in the run each morning by the handful. This gets them out of the cube so that I can fill their feeder (layer pellets - 16% protein, all natural) and their water. The water has been a bit of a challenge to keep clean and must be changed each day - I have it on a raised platform in the cube, in a corner and this seems to be working.
We give them all of our kitchen compost and anything that has "gone" in our fridge and is not moldy - all scraps are cut up into smaller chunks and thrown into the run in the morning. As I clean out the gardens, I am also giving them a variety of greens, which they eat down to nothing. All very efficient and very satisfying.
The photos include the two plymouth barred rock "chicks" roosting in the cube and the four highliner layers busy grubbing our lawn. A wonderful variety in our flock which is only slightly discernible in the egg coloration (the barred rock eggs are paler and smaller, while the highliner eggs are a richer, deeper brown and are frequently double yokers!)
Happy days on the farm!
Our routine is pretty established with the onset of fall. The six birds keep the cube pretty scratched down, so that a new layer of pine bedding each week is essential. The two laying boxes are both in use and each receive a fresh pile of bedding along with the cube. The run is where most of the bedding ends up, but that keeps the muck down and absorbs the fertilizer. This will become an excellent source of nutrition for my gardens in the spring.
The girls LOVE scratch (a variety of grains and corn), which I sprinkle in the run each morning by the handful. This gets them out of the cube so that I can fill their feeder (layer pellets - 16% protein, all natural) and their water. The water has been a bit of a challenge to keep clean and must be changed each day - I have it on a raised platform in the cube, in a corner and this seems to be working.
We give them all of our kitchen compost and anything that has "gone" in our fridge and is not moldy - all scraps are cut up into smaller chunks and thrown into the run in the morning. As I clean out the gardens, I am also giving them a variety of greens, which they eat down to nothing. All very efficient and very satisfying.
The photos include the two plymouth barred rock "chicks" roosting in the cube and the four highliner layers busy grubbing our lawn. A wonderful variety in our flock which is only slightly discernible in the egg coloration (the barred rock eggs are paler and smaller, while the highliner eggs are a richer, deeper brown and are frequently double yokers!)
Happy days on the farm!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Urban Farming
The cube is in its groove, winter ready - the roof is sealed and the siding is up. The cube is uninsulated and fitted with a heat lamp for any cooler weather we may have.
Chickens 3,4,5 and 6 arrived, with two eggs layed en route. There was a big kafuffle for the first 48 hours and now the pecking order is firmly entrenched. The two barred rock chicks stick pretty close together, while the four highlanders are independent roamers.
Our youngest farmer has taken to collecting eggs each day - 4 pretty much guaranteed. We are eagerly anticipating the first eggs from our "chicks". The eggs are rich in colour and flavour - we are enjoying and sharing our special treats!
The birds are all enjoying our early fall warmth, happily following whoever around, particularly if you happen to be digging in the garden where a fresh worm might just pop up!
Chickens 3,4,5 and 6 arrived, with two eggs layed en route. There was a big kafuffle for the first 48 hours and now the pecking order is firmly entrenched. The two barred rock chicks stick pretty close together, while the four highlanders are independent roamers.
Our youngest farmer has taken to collecting eggs each day - 4 pretty much guaranteed. We are eagerly anticipating the first eggs from our "chicks". The eggs are rich in colour and flavour - we are enjoying and sharing our special treats!
The birds are all enjoying our early fall warmth, happily following whoever around, particularly if you happen to be digging in the garden where a fresh worm might just pop up!
Monday, September 7, 2009
The flock evolves
The days of summer are quickly passing. Our tiny flock is growing daily - enjoying the rhythms of their people feeding them treats diverted from the compost. No sign of eggs yet, but our cloaked hen is proudly testing his vocal range. It would seem that his days are, indeed, numbered.
We have decided to put a timeframe on his stay. We will be picking up four additional hens next Saturday, in an effort to sustain our egg production capacity through the winter and, truth be told, with an eye toward halting the trepidation we have toward losing yet another bird.....and what if our two should somehow become one.
So, his days are numbered. The week ahead promises to be joyful. The lavishing on one who is headed for the dining room table.....
The cube is evolving - a detachable run contains the flock nicely. The run can be shifted around the yard, something we hope to do during the fall and winter, particularly in warmer, sunnier weather since their cube is largely in the shade.
We have decided to put a timeframe on his stay. We will be picking up four additional hens next Saturday, in an effort to sustain our egg production capacity through the winter and, truth be told, with an eye toward halting the trepidation we have toward losing yet another bird.....and what if our two should somehow become one.
So, his days are numbered. The week ahead promises to be joyful. The lavishing on one who is headed for the dining room table.....
The cube is evolving - a detachable run contains the flock nicely. The run can be shifted around the yard, something we hope to do during the fall and winter, particularly in warmer, sunnier weather since their cube is largely in the shade.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
People = food
The chickens have finally figured out that people = food, and they now follow us around the yard. They'll even eat scratch (seeds) out of our hands. The down side of this is that I was outside reading a book and they kept pecking my toes.
They've lost a lot of their original fear, and now come right out of the cube when we open the door. They're all over the yard, in the garden, and up on the deck. They'll perch on anything that's slightly elevated.
Chicken One is definitely a boy. Not only in looks and size, but he's also more aggressive. He hasn't crowed yet, but pretty soon he'll need to go back to the farm...
They've lost a lot of their original fear, and now come right out of the cube when we open the door. They're all over the yard, in the garden, and up on the deck. They'll perch on anything that's slightly elevated.
Chicken One is definitely a boy. Not only in looks and size, but he's also more aggressive. He hasn't crowed yet, but pretty soon he'll need to go back to the farm...
Sunday, July 12, 2009
The Cube has a hat
They keep growing. It was rainy for three or four days this week, so we didn't have them out and about. When the sun came out on the afternoon of the fourth day I opened the cube and these big birds were staring at me. Whoa! When did they get so big?
We're starting to talk about what to do about Chicken One. He's going to need to go back to the farm at some point... In the meantime, he definitely "rules the roost".
The Cube is in progress. The Chicken Mom got the roof structure on it (I'm not familiar with buildings, so I'm going to call it wrong thing, please forgive me). There are funky rafters (made of blue-gray beetle wood from the interior), and then a plywood covering. We're still waiting for the actual roof itself, which apparently is going to be a green roof with strawberries.
So the Cube now has a fun hat.
We're starting to talk about what to do about Chicken One. He's going to need to go back to the farm at some point... In the meantime, he definitely "rules the roost".
The Cube is in progress. The Chicken Mom got the roof structure on it (I'm not familiar with buildings, so I'm going to call it wrong thing, please forgive me). There are funky rafters (made of blue-gray beetle wood from the interior), and then a plywood covering. We're still waiting for the actual roof itself, which apparently is going to be a green roof with strawberries.
So the Cube now has a fun hat.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Bigger Chickens
They're growing. They're starting to perch on anything they can get up onto.
The Cube has most of a roof on it now. We'll see if we can get an update from the Chicken Mom about how their house is coming...
Chicken Two perching on my arm.
The Cube has most of a roof on it now. We'll see if we can get an update from the Chicken Mom about how their house is coming...
Chicken Two perching on my arm.
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