4 brown, 1 green

Sunday-Saturday 26 brown, 4 green.

4,4,3,4 brown past 4 days.

4 brown

25 brown, 3 green Saturday-Friday. Running total is now over 3 brown eggs per chicken each week. to stay at 25 will require 3 on Saturday, 5 on Sunday... I wouldn't be surprised to see total drop to 23 brown by Sunday... I doubt it will go below 22 until the old cohort stops... 4 young birds should be producing over 18 eggs per week in full production, and that is coming soon.

3 brown, 1 green.

24 brown, 4 green Friday through Thursday.

1 green, 4 brown.

Thursday-Wednesday 25 brown, 3 green.

2 brown

Monday 4 brown.

Weds-Tuesday 22 brown, 3 green.

1 green, 5 brown

Saturday 3 brown.

That's 22 brown eggs from Monday-Sunday, and 4 green eggs in the same period.

8 brown egg layers - 22/8 eggs per week or 2 3/4 brown eggs per hen per week. In truth I have my doubts that all 4 older brown egg layers are producing (this could be 22 eggs over 6 or 7 hens for 3.66 or 3.14 eggs per hen).

4 green eggs from one hen in the same week. I expect brown egg production to increase, green egg production to be 4 or 5 per week, probably a 4,4,5 repeating sequence. Brown eggs should go to 30+ per week over coming months - if the brown layers match the americauna's production that would be at least 32 brown eggs per week.

I'll keep an eye on the 7 day moving production window the next couple of weeks. One thing is clear though - I will be eating a lot of quiche in the coming weeks.

New beer fridge will provide freezer space for quiche. I also will look at custards and flans, I think both will be quite tasty menu additions.

3 brown, 1 green cannibalized.

4 brown.

1 green, 1 brown.

Americauna is back in full production.

17 brown, 4 green in the past week. I suspect coming week will be 19 brown, 5 green.

3 brown.

Weather has been quite warm during the days... I don't know if that has much effect as the photoperiod getting longer.

1 green, 3 brown.

1 green, 3 brown.

Swam usual.

1 brown.

Brew Day! Muir's Birthday Ale

11 pounds Belgian pale ale malt
1.5 pounds 60 degree Lovibond Crystal

3.5 gallons 145 degree water - initial mash temperature 130 degrees.

remove/add hot water/wort, bring to 145 degrees at 45 minutes.

8 gallons 170 degree sparge at 90 minutes.

Boil to 5.2 gallons

16 gm German Hallertau Tradition 2005 6.2% alpha acid 45 minutes
12 gm NZ 2008 Hallertau 7.4% alpha acid 45 minutes

Wyeast 1007 German Ale yeast (Munich ale)

o.g. 1.072 - target 7.5% ABV

Boiled a bit longer than intended. If yeast takes this to the same f.g. as last time I made this beer ABV will be 8.1%.

I've got a strong incentive to learn how to use my counterflow bottling setup. I tried bottling stout for the Sam Adams Longshot contest last year; one of the deficits in the bottles I submitted was lack of carbonation.... Anyway incentive: I talked with my daughter Muir today (her 27th birthday) and she asked me to send her some of her birthday ale.

This beer has undergone some modifications over the years. I made it on Muir's birthday in 1993 as an extract beer - I made 15 gallons then, and was making 15 gallon batches into 1995. What's amazing to me in retrospect is I was bottling, not kegging in those days, thankfully I had a stock of 1/2 gallon bottles that took crown caps. In summer of 1995 I started to develop an all grain version... changed a bit over time due to changing malt availability and decisions regarding hops. Always has been an alt ale, amber colored.

I've brewed since 1978, technically illegally in 1979, then possessing the beer was illegal into 1982. I didn't start keeping records until sometime in 1992 or 1993 - I have a recipe book that survives from those days.

I've got 9 beers in fermenters at present:
pale ale #4 2008 (secondary)
stout #3 2008 (secondary)
tripel 2008 (secondary)
zot d'amour (wit) #2 2008 (secondary)
brown ale 2008 (secondary)
ESB 2008 (primary)
pale ale #1 2009 (primary)
Muir's Birthday Ale (MBA) 2009 (primary)
Inaugurator Bock 2008 (primary)

Will be brewing lagers - experimenting with yeast strains, grain bills. Initially 2 brews with same yeast, same hops. Vary grain - ale malt, pils malt. 2 additional pils batches in February - pils malt, different yeast, vary hops.

Brewing another bock - maibock, using the helles yeast strain.

brewing an abbey ale, another tripel. probably a fruit or gueze using 2 yeasts - wit and abbey...

I love making beer.

1 green, 3 brown

3 brown

Brew day! Pale Ale

10.5 pounds belgian pale ale malt
3.5 gallons 140 degree water (Mash temp 128-132)
45 minutes infuse 3 gallons 160 degree water (mash temp 140-144)
100 minutes sparge

Sparge 8 gallons 170 degree water.

1 hour 30 minutes 15 gm NZ pacific gem (2007) 15.9 alpha acid

Boil to 5.5 gallons.
30 minutes 12 gm 2006 cascade 7.7 alpha acid
dry hop 10 gm saaz 2.5 alpha acid
1056 american ale yeast
o.g. 1.052

Brewing MBA Saturday - a Munich Alt ale, ~6.5% ABV german amber. Picking up 25 kg new malt on Tuesday... brewing plans for spring:
pils experiements (pils malt, ale malt) x (2 pils lager yeast strains) (Jan/Feb)
Maibock (Feb)
Trippel (March)
Abbey (March)
Pale (March, sooner if stock drops)
Stout (March)

Beer fridge should get refrigerant this weekend. 3 zones - freezer zone 5-15 degrees, serving and carbonating zone 35-40 degrees, and lager zone 45-55 degrees.
Active cooling and air circulation for the freezer and serving zones (fan will blow air off evaporator into freezer zone, and from freezer zone to serving zone. Lagering zone will have vent open from freezer zone if temp is above 50 degrees letting cold air enter). Serving zone will hold 16+ 5 gallon Cornelius kegs, 9 on tap, 7+ storage and getting forced carbonation.

1 green, 2 brown

Americauna laid her first egg of 2009. Going to be interesting to see how her production runs this year.

2 brown

Monday 3 brown

4 brown.

Looking at egg stock pile I notice that there are about 2 larger eggs in every dozen.

I suspect that the 4 young hens are producing a bit below full production, and one of the old hens is producing an egg every 2-3 days.

1 brown

Well that post earlier today ... Chickens before they hatch/eggs before they're laid. The two escapee hens aren't escaping after I secured some additional fencing high on the fence poles. There's a possibility that they've found a new place out of the coop to lay, tomorrow will tell.

Swam usual mile today.

which hens are laying?

Flock is
2 wyandotte lacewings (old)
1 RI red (old)
1 americauna (old)
1 golden sexlink (old)
2 barred rock (young)
2 RI red (young)

I know at least 1 young RI and BR is laying as they've been ranging outside the chicken yard and laying outside the coop. Some days there are 4 eggs - 2 outside, 2 in coop. I think that the other 2 young hens are also laying... which accounts for all of the production - 4 hens should lay 6 eggs every 36 hours, 12 eggs every 3 days when in full prodcution. 4 hens would have laid 36 eggs in 9 days. None of the older hens is laying, all are eating and taking up space. I suspect as the diurnal cycle gives more light that the lacewings will begin laying again.

Spring chick order (currently) planned as: (RI Red and BR should be majority of flock)
3 RI Red
2 silver laced wyandottes
3 americuana
1 gold laced wyandotte
1 Barred Rock

(5 RI Red, 3 BR, 3 Americauna, 2 S.L. Wyandotte, 1 G.L Wyandotte - 14 hens)

culling of 2-3 older brown egg layers will happen by the equinox - will determine which hens are laying and decide then. I think the americauna will be a light producer this year, but occasionally blue eggs will show up. I've got a soft spot for that hen - sentimental attachment to the chicken that crosses the road.

Winter 2009-2010 should have 4 18 month old hens, and 10 young (9 month old) hens. Production of about 4 eggs every 3 days from the 18 month hens, about 16 eggs from the younger hens - or a bit over 3 dozen eggs per week. Summer 2010 has 14 hens at peak production - should be over 2.5 dozen eggs every 3 days, over 6 dozen per week. No chick order in 2010 or 2011 - let flock drop to new chicks in 2012 or 2013 to begin replacing 4 young bird - 3 RI Red, 3 BR in 2012 or '13.

3 brown.

21 eggs in 9 days. a bit over 2 per day average. Would like to be up to 4 per day by end of February.

4 brown

Wednesday 0.

4 brown

2 brown

electric fence killed a rat last night.

2 brown

Saturday 2 brown

Friday 2 brown

2 brown

Wednesday 2 brown.