2 brown (1S,1L)

3 brown (1S,2L)

3 brown (1S,2L) + 1 brown cannibalized (1S)
trap caught a cat Friday night, it was released. Caught raccoon Saturday night, it will not return.

swam usual.

2 brown (2L)

Friday 3 brown (1S,2L) + 1 brown cannibalized (1S)

2 brown (1S,1L) + 1 brown cannibalized (1L)

Water heater is installed. Nice to finally get a shower.

4 brown (2S,2L)

9 chicks are thriving. 3 RI Red, 3 Silver Laced Wyandotte, 3 Americauna.

these chicks should be laying sporadically starting in January. By May they should be reaching full production.

2 chickens will be 2 years old then. Their eggs will be getting larger throughout the coming year.

I don't know if any of the 7-8 year old hens will be turned into stew. At this point their production is still quite good. I think possibly cull 2 hens in January... a flock of 15 is manageable in the space available though, and I may see how production continues with 8-9 year old birds next year.

Current Flock
2 SL Wyandotte (7 years)
1 RI Red (7-8) years
1 Americauna (7 years)
1 Barred Rock (1 year)
1 RI Red (1 year)
...
9 chicks.

Summer 2010:
5 SL Wyandotte (3 1 year, 2 8 years)
5 RI Reds (3 1 year, 1 2 years, 1 8-9 years)
4 Americauna (3 1 year, 1 8 years)
1 Barred Rock (2 years)

15 chickens... possible losses to maruading predators, possible roosters among chicks...

Realistically 12-14 chickens in summer 2010. I'd like 4 more Barred Rock hens in a young flock (3-4 year old or less) of about 15 hens in 2011-2012. 12 brown egg layers, 3 green egg layers.

3 brown (1S,2L)

Monday 2 brown (1S,1L)


Sunday 1 brown (1S)

Spent most of the day removing old water heater and cleaning up garage where it leaked.

2 brown.

No raccoon problems since the egg eating incident. Trap is being set nightly.

1 brown (1L)

2 brown (1S,1L)

Raccoon ate some eggs last night - tracks are clear. These eggs were stored about 10 feet from the chicks. trap will be moved and raccoon will have an encounter with destiny.

1 brown (1S)

4 brown (1S,3L)

2 brown (1S,1L)

Chicks arrived today. 3 RI Red, 3 Silver laced wyandottes, 3 americauna, 1 exotic.

Swam usual.

Sunday 2 brown (1S,1L) + 1 brown cannibalized (1L)

3 brown (1S,2L)

2 brown (1S,1L) 1 brown cannibalized (1L)

3 brown (1S,2L)

Rooster has been in the yard all day today. Hens seem to be OK with him, he has been attempting to cover them, haven't seen him have any success, they have an aversion due to ducks raping them in the past. I'll know if he has success if I start getting fertile eggs.

3 brown (1S,2L)

3 brown (1S,2L)

Brew day
Beyond the Pale Ale (Belgian Tripel)
17.5 pounds belgian pale ale malt
4 gallons 130 degree water - replace with 150 degree water after 45 minutes from sparge water being heated)
9 gallons 170 degree sparge after another 40 minutes of mash time.

Boil to 5.5 gallons.
22 grams Vanguard hops 7.0% alpha at 45 minutes.
O.G. 1.072

pitch Wyeast 1214 (Belgian abbey)

2 brown (1S,1L).

Rooster was not in coop overnight. Rooster was in chicken yard in morning, I tossed him over the fence and he hasn't been back all day.

3 brown (1S,2L)

Rooster was in the coop last night when I closed it up. He was still roosting when I opened it this morning, I promptly tossed him out of the chicken yard. He's been scratching outside the yard since then, crowing a few times an hour.

I'm going to list him on craigslist as available for free. Someone should want him for stew or because they like roosters. He's not in the coop Sunday night, so he may meet his fate from a marauder.

I may have a few fertile eggs the next couple of weeks. Will try to eat them within a week of laying. Eggs won't be brooded or incubated so there shouldn't be significant embryo development.

I'm half tempted to confine the rooster with the barred rock hen, as I'd like to have more than one barred rock laying hen - incubating 3-4 fertile barred rock eggs wold give me a couple more barred rock layers before spring.

2 brown (2L)

A rooster visited today - not sure where he came from, suspicion is that he is escaping from a neighbor's flock about a quarter mile away. Another neighbor "helpfully" put him in the chicken yard thinking he was an escapee from my flock - they also knocked on my door to ask about it and we both concluded he was probably from the distant flock.

I wonder if I'll have some fertile eggs. I didn't see him covering any of the hens and he was only present for a couple of minutes. Hens were quite unhappy with his presence and were pecking at him. He seemed to be healthy. His breed is barred rock. I will be on guard for his return - he may be excited about additional hens and come for a visit.

3 brown (1S,2L)

Thursday 2 brown (1S,1L)

3 brown (2S,1L) + 1 brown cannibalized (1L)

2 brown (1S,1L)

Monday 3 brown (1S,2L)