No eggs today. I know that moving animals from one home to a new home messes with them. Like goats in milk will really slow down in production. Cows will too. But then they pick back up when they get back into a routine. And hens do the same thing.
These hens (or pullets, since some are not laying yet and some have just started laying, and they are less than 5 months old?) are still young. And just starting out their laying careers. And the guy I got them from had fed them a 16% layer pellet. I don't feed mine layer feed. They will be getting the fermented grains with expeller pressed sunflower pellets and kelp. Plus clabbered raw milk and scraps. So it might take them a few weeks to get into a routine here. Plus they can go outside in their yard for sun and grass and bugs and stuff.
I cleaned out the nest boxes and put fresh older hay in them. And put an egg in one nest. I hope that will get them going soon. I'll look for a few wooden eggs.
I was so excited to come home and go check for eggs and find a few. Then nothing there. Oh well. It will happen. I have to just hang in there.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Monday, July 22, 2013
The new girls at Outback Farm
My new chickens! I went tonight to Sand Mt. to get them. 8 Red Star and 6 White Leghorns. They are just starting to lay! Am I crazy for paying $15 each for the RS and $12 each for the Leghorns??? I hope they are worth it. But I had to have my own fresh eggs. I have missed them SO much.
I had to keep them in the cage til I got the run up for them. I had bought a 100" roll of 6" welded wire fence a few weeks ago to make a yard for the Barred Rock pullets I got last month. So I thought I better go ahead and get it up before I let the bigger new hens in with the little ones. That way, the littles can get away if they need to. And they did! Their first time out since I've had them here.
They did ok at first, but then the bigger hens started bullying the littles. Poor girls. But I'm sure they'll all be getting along fine in a few days. There's always that "getting to know each other" stage. I clipped the new girl
s wings before I let them all out.
This is their new yard. There is a little space between the boards on the side of the coop for them to jump in and out into the yard. It's pretty big. But will be all brown in about a month. I hope to be able to let them out some in the evenings soon.
And I butchered 21 more CC meat birds this morning. 12 left to do. I'll get them in the next few days. I am so tired of chickens right now! I just got done putting them all in the freezer.
Also made 14 half pint jars of peppermint jelly for market. So have had another busy productive Monday.
I had to keep them in the cage til I got the run up for them. I had bought a 100" roll of 6" welded wire fence a few weeks ago to make a yard for the Barred Rock pullets I got last month. So I thought I better go ahead and get it up before I let the bigger new hens in with the little ones. That way, the littles can get away if they need to. And they did! Their first time out since I've had them here.
They did ok at first, but then the bigger hens started bullying the littles. Poor girls. But I'm sure they'll all be getting along fine in a few days. There's always that "getting to know each other" stage. I clipped the new girl
s wings before I let them all out.
This is their new yard. There is a little space between the boards on the side of the coop for them to jump in and out into the yard. It's pretty big. But will be all brown in about a month. I hope to be able to let them out some in the evenings soon.
And I butchered 21 more CC meat birds this morning. 12 left to do. I'll get them in the next few days. I am so tired of chickens right now! I just got done putting them all in the freezer.
Also made 14 half pint jars of peppermint jelly for market. So have had another busy productive Monday.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
At market
Yesterday at the farmer's market, these wonderful kids played for us! It was so nice to hear. The weather was nice. The people were out shopping and buying all the goodies at the market. And we had music! The guy in the green shirt is the leader. He has a few kids. Then some neighborhood kids were there too. They just live up the road from the market. Bill, in the blue jeans, is a fellow farmer, joining in with his guitar. It was fun. Music and good food. What could be better than that?
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