Last month, I did a report about how our local egg factory here on the farm went back into production. I keep notes on the production, so I thought I would do a monthly report on the output.
February was the beginning of their cycle. We have twenty-eight chickens; seven of them are large hens, fifteen are bantam hens, one is a small Cochin hen, and five are bantam roosters. We have ducks and Guinea fowls too, but they haven't started laying yet, so I'm leaving them out for now.
Last month on the first of March, I counted the total eggs for February, and we had 82 bantam eggs, and 67 pullet eggs, for a total of 149 eggs.
In March, we had 132 bantam eggs, and 107 pullet eggs, for a total of 239 eggs.
Total for the year so far: 388 eggs. Not bad. One of the large hen's is not laying, because she's been ill. Not eating, wasting away. We got some antibiotics from the local feed store that we've been giving her twice a day. At first she perked up quite a bit. But she's still weak, and she's not eating. I'm not sure there is anything more we can do for her if she won't eat.
Below in the center of the photo is a leafy green plant which we call "Dinosaur Food", because the leaves and the plant grow to be quite large. In the Botanical Garden in San Francisco's Golden Gate park, they grow so huge, that they look like props from a movie set.
The plant in this photo is only just beginning to grow. Perhaps appropriately, it's surrounded by the contemporary versions of the Saber Tooth Tiger, and assorted Velociraptors. A farm yard full of fowls is a bit like having your own Jurassic Park, in miniature.
The more you get to know them, the more thankful you are that they are... small.
Related Link:
Jurassic Park comes true: How scientists are bringing dinosaurs back to life with the help of the humble chicken
2 comments:
Love it Chas!
I've been 'consumed with fire', you might say, for the last three months, but we are back in our house and one of these days I'm going to have a chance to read blogs again.
Hope that chicken recovers!
Walker,
Welcome back! So glad to hear you are back in your own house again. I can only imagine what an ordeal it has been for you.
The chicken went to meet it's maker this morning. We had to give it an express ticket.
We'd been feeding it antibiotics and water with an eyedropper, which perked it up initially, but it failed to improve further. It wouldn't eat, and was growing thinner and weaker; the eyedropper treatments were just keeping it alive and prolonging it's illness.
Andy offered to end it's suffering at the chopping block this morning, and I took the easy way out and let him do it. If I was a real farmer I would have done it myself, but it's hard to do when you've been trying to nurse an animal back to health.
On a happier note, the first chick of the year was born on Sunday. It's a Cochin-Bantam hybrid, very cute. Hopefully there will be a few more. Will have to take some pics for the blog soon.
Post a Comment