3 brown

Thursday 3 brown, 1 small

2 brown, 1 small


Tuesday 5 brown, 3 small. Looks like all the first cohort are producing.

2 brown, 1 small... 1 small cannibalized.

Sunday 4 brown, 2 small. Swam.

3 brown, 2 small.

Old flock is molting heavily. Ameracaunas are completely non productive, brown egg layers are low production. New flock isn't coming on line as fast as I was expecting. No quichee so far.

Friday 2 brown.
Thursday 1 brown, 1 small.

1 brown, small
Tuesday 1 brown, small.

Monday 4 brown 1 small
Sunday 2 brown.

Swam Saturday and Sunday.

3 brown, 1 small.

Out of town for a week.
Friday 2 brown, 1 small.
Thursday - no eggs
Wednesday 3 brown, 2 small.

2 brown.

3 brown (1 small)

Swam routine.

2 of the young hens are laying. 2 more should start in the next week or so. The other 5 sometime in October.

I moved the young birds into the coop to roost on Thursday night. Will check to see if they are roosting in the coop or reverted to roosting on fence. Slaughtering a couple of older hens will make the young birds less stressed in the coop. Young birds aren't really developed enough physically to move up in existing pecking order.. removing a couple of non producing hens will shake up the order and might have the two younger hens that have started to lay move past other old non producers.

It seems pretty clear that there are 3 or 4 older hens producing brown eggs - collecting 2-3 brown eggs daily and regular production is about 1 egg/36 hours... 4 hens laying over 6 days should be 16-20 eggs. So 3-4 older birds are very erratic or not laying. I need to identify which two of the old flock need to be processed for stew soon. Will cull the entire old flock as new hens come into production and their eggs get larger. My guess is the 2 americaunas will stay through next summer, 2 - 3 productive brown egg layers will stay into rainy season, perhaps all the way until spring.

Next year I want to do one order of chicks - 3 americaunas, 2 brown egg layers and 20+ meat birds. Would like to have meat birds finishing in mid June - chicks arrive April 5? that would give 9 weeks until June 7, 11 weeks June 21. Process 4-5 per week. If my feed store wants some 3 day old brooder chicks I may do 2 orders ... 14 layers, 10 meat birds, then 10 layers, 14 meat birds. All the second cohort of layers would go to feed store at 3 days...spread the cohorts by 3 weeks. Which puts some additional meat processing June 28 - July 12.

longer term I think 20 meat birds a year. Keep laying flock at 10-16 hens, with a preference for the low end of the range. so 2010 would be meat production, perhaps brooder chicks to feed store.

1 green, 3 brown (1 small)

3 brown of which one was small. Small egg was near laying/brood box and not on top of the feed can.

Thursday 1 green, 4 brown (1 small)

Wednesday 1 green, 2 brown

Tuesday 1 brown.

3 brown, one of which is small.

3 brown, one of them was small and likely from the 4/20 cohort of hens... for now I'm saying the RI Red I saw acting broody near the first (warm) medium egg on Friday. I think the other 2 RI Reds and the BR from that cohort will be producing very soon. So 4 young hens should be producing by early October. Second cohort is 4 weeks behind, probably will have all 9 young hens producing before election day.

Swam routine.

1 green 1 brown. No small eggs - tomorrow maybe another, although hens can be erratic for their first few ovulations.

1 green, 4 brown.

One of the April RI Reds apparently has laid an egg, at least I found a small brown egg on top of the feed bucket with her sitting there, and the egg was warm, as though fresh from her body.

Thursday 2 brown

Wednesday 1 green, 2 brown, 1 brown cannabalized
swam Wednesday night.

1 brown

Monday 1 brown. Went to a networking event Monday night, didn't swim. May have new work out of the networking, which is good as working for stock in a privately held startup is starting to be untenable.

1 green, 3 brown.
Swam.

Saturday 2 brown.

3 brown

Thursday 1 green 2 brown

Wednesday 1 green, 2 brown.
Swam.

Tuesday 3 brown.

1 green, 2 brown.

1 green, 2 brown.

Swam.

3 brown.

swam routine.

1 green, 3 brown.

1 brown

Wednesday 3 brown, swam.

Went to another doctor for about pain and lack of mobility in my right thumb. I'd seen an orthopedic surgeon attached to my primary doctor's clinic on august 15, got a cortisone shot into my thumb joint. New doctor is a hand specialist, confirmed tendonitus disgnosis, gave me a second cortisone inject when I asked for it and fitted a splint for me to wear the next month. Will have a follow up visit in early October, see how I'm doing. Surgery is something I'd like to avoid, and I'll be asking about alternative treatment modalities (acupuncture, PT) if the current cortisone, ibuprofen and immobilization regimen doesn't help.

1 green, 3 brown

3 brown

1 green, 2 brown

swam normal routine.

1 green, 3 brown.
Swam new routine.

Friday 3 brown.

Thursday 1 green, 1 brown.
Out of town previous week.

1 green, 3 brown.
Swam new routine.

Monday 1 green, 2 brown
Had shot of cortizone in thumb, didn't fix problem, although I do think the diagnosis of tendinitus is probably correct.

Sunday 1 brown - swam new routine

1 green, 2 brown

Friday 1 green 3 brown

Thursday 1 brown

1 green, 3 brown.

Swam new routine.

3 brown,

swam new routine. made appointment to see doctor about wrist/thumb pain, will see if there is any help possible.

1 green.

processed the final 4 meat birds today. My son did the scalding/plucking and didn't get weights.

Sunday 3 brown.

2 green 4 brown. I'm surprised at 2 greens two days in a row - both ameracaunas are producing obviously.

2 green, 1 brown.

Swam new routine.

3 brown

Wednesday 3 brown, 1 green.
Swam new routine.

3 brown, 1 green

processed 4 more meat birds. 4 to go, next Tuesday.

8 lbs 14 oz -> 5 lbs 4 oz
8 lbs 8 oz -> 5 lbs 3 oz
8 lbs 6 oz -> 5 lbs 3 oz
7 lbs 8 oz -> 4 lbs 8 oz

Monday 2 brown

1 green, 2 brown.

Caught skunk in live trap. Footprints of original egg thief were raccoon, no question. So will be re setting trap to catch raccoon.

2 brown, 1 green.

Have a live trap for the raccoon. Will release a few miles away. So no judicious application of a .22 short.

3 brown.

Swam mile. Actually I did change my routine a bit on Wednesday - I previously had been kicking along with arm strokes 1 length of every 3. I'm now kicking the entire first lap, then on the return length of every lap - that is I've upped my workout to kick over half the time.

5 brown, 1 green.

I swam usual Wednesday.

1 brown

Tuesday 3 brown.

Processed 3 meat birds
Live weight quartered weight
8 lb 8 oz 5 lb 5 oz
8 lb 5 lb 1 oz
6 lb 4 oz 4 lb 4 oz

1 brown, 1 green.

Raccoon problems. Probably will require a judicious application of a .22 short.

2 brown.

One of the meat birds is getting pecked on her thighs. This is a worrisome development as it means the birds have tasted blood and may begin cannibalizing her. She should be slaughtered soon and a close eye kept for new pecking by/on the other birds.

Sunday 1 brown egg canibalized

Saturday 3 brown.

2 brown.

One of the three older RI Reds escaped, I put her back in the segregated area. Feed consumption is way down since the slaughter on Tuesday. That 9 pound bird must have been eating a lot of feed, and he's gone as well as 5 other meat birds. I only need to refill feeders once a day... still topping off water twice a day, but water consumption has also dropped a lot, waterers still have some water in them when I top them off.

Current flock is 12 meat birds (Cornish X Rock, Cornish Roaster), 3 RI Red, 1 Barred Rock from early cohort, 2 RI Red, 3 Barred Rock from later cohort. I believe all the meat birds are from the second cohort.

I have yet to slaughter a duck or a stewing hen. It's on the agenda eventually. I'm also meditating on this year's brooding experience and thinking about next year's chicks... 20 meat birds,4 RI Red, 3 Aruacauna + free exotic is likely a single order - arrive end of March (memorial day BBQ chicken!)

5 brown

Wednesday 1 brown, swam usual mile
Tuesday 1 cannibalized brown.

Slaughtered 6 meat birds on Tuesday. live weight from 6 # 4 oz to 9# 6 oz. That was one big chicken. I have the dressed weights on the ziplock bags the meat was frozen in.

new flock is down to 12 meat birds + 9 new layers (unless one of the layers turns out to be a cockeral).

3 brown.

Swam usual mile.

3 brown

Saturday 3 brown.

3 brown.

4 brown, 1 green

Swam usual today.

Wednesday 2 brown.

5 brown

Swam usual 36 laps (35 + length underwater, + 1 length)

3 brown

Sunday 3 brown

Didn't record Saturday and Friday.

thursday 3 brown.

Aracauna that had been trapped is back to crossing the road again.

Wednesday 3 brown, 1 green

Tuesday 1 brown

3 brown.

Talked with neighbors, they'll do head count henceforth. proper amount of feed for young birds didn't really get addressed, I told them the run rate was less than half what I expected. As for the confined hen I thin one of the other birds must have knocked the lid on top of her. She's recovering, but the pecking order is definitely upset. i gave her an egg to help her recovery, had to keep other birds away and give her chance to eat it. Bad precedent, but she needs food and fluids to recover her strength and egg is pretty good food.

5 brown on Sunday.

I'd been away from Monday-Saturday. Neighbors were "taking care" of my livestock and cat. They weren't doing well, perhaps by ignorance - one of the Aracauna hens somehow was under the lid of a feed can (I use trashcans to store feed, plastic lid was covering the hen). She smelled bad, had been stuck in what amounts to a sauna for an unknown number of days - 3 eggs there with her (one had been eaten) so I'm guessing 3 or 4 days. Today she appears to be recovering, yesterday the other hens saw a chance to change the pecking order and were challenging her in her weakened state.

the juvenile birds were underfed, and had no water when I got home on Saturday. I've been going through about 80 pounds of feed per week, only 30 pounds had been fed during the time I was gone. In addition one of the Cornish X Rock birds from the first cohort had leg problems - I'd called to check on Wednesday and was told no problems... that bird was not able to easily get to food and water (not that there was enough of either) due to leg weakness - Sunday it was attacked by other birds and died - I don't butcher chickens that I didn't slaughter as I have no good way to tell how freshly dead they are in that case, and salmonella, etc can proliferate in short order.

So I will need to either get the neighbors to learn how to really care for live stock or find a new caretaker for when I travel. thankfully next time I travel my son will be here. He knows how to take care of chickens - his mom had fowl in Alaska when he was in middle school and high school. In addition the flocks will have merged which will make some things easier.

The Buff Cochin (exotic) chick was killed by local fauna and partially eaten. It was not in the chicken yard. I saw a rat eating carcass, but this could just be opportunistic on the rats part, although I do think a rat could kill that a chick that size. I will secure the chicken yard to keep the young chicks from foraging today. I hope that takes care of predators.

Slaughtered 3 chickens today.
Live weight -> dressed weight
8 lbs, 4 oz -> 6 lbs, 3 oz
6 lbs 11 oz -> 4 lbs, 7 oz
6 lbs 5 oz -> 4 lbs , 2 0z

Having 3 fewer large birds should take some pressure off the younger pullets. I think the older cohort of pullets will be going into production in the next month... will be moving them out of segregated area soon.

Saturday 5 brown eggs.

3 brown

Thursday 1 green, 2 brown.

It's been hot. Slaughtering 3-4 meat birds early Saturday so as to be able to stand the scalding water used for plucking. Should see some decrease in feed intake from the other birds... remaining meat birds from the first cohort will be slaughtered next week.

One of the 2nd cohort of meat birds appears to be a runt - growing much slower than its figurative brothers and sisters, in fact it is only slightly larger than the RI and Barred Rock birds, and might be smaller than the buff cochin exotic bird in that cohort. The cochin is supposed to be a poor layer, so it will be slaughtered at 3 months old or so depending on how it gains weight.

4 brown

Haven't posted for a while.
4 brown Tuesday.

Monday 2 brown, 1 green.

Chicks have been thriving... but yesterday one of the RI Reds (2nd cohort) was killed - something removed most of its head - it was under a tote in the chick segregation yard. Thinking about how I found it might have been a rodent.

2 brown, 1 green.

New chicks are thriving. Think some of the older meat birds will be ready to slaughter June 8-12. Still haven't slaughtered a duck, but no new birds killed by duck rape. Will slaughter a duck same time the first few chickens get slaughtered (will also slaughter 1 stewing hen).

1 brown, 1 green so far today. 1 more brown and 1 brown cannibalized.

2 brown Monday. Helped friend move until late on Monday, so no swim.
Got home and RC went out to play, came back with a juvenile rat in his mouth, which he paraded in front of me, then took outside to play with some more. RC Gizmo is living up to his name!

2 brown

Saturday 1 brown, 1 green.

I've been moving the younger meat birds into the Segregated area about 3 per day. No problems. I've put a second 1 gallon waterer out for them. Going to get a second feeder and should have all the meat birds out by mid week. The remaining layers probably can move too.

2 brown, 1 green.

Moved 2 larger second hatching meat birds to the segregated area. They're not much smaller than the RI and Blackplumed birds, much much smaller than the first hatching meat birds. This is something of an experiment, if they thrive I'll be moving 2-3 birds every couple of days.

2 brown

Wednesday 1 brown

1 brown, 1 green.

Everything is copacetic.

2 brown

split the younger chicks into two groups today. Will need a third brood area before they're ready to go into the segregated area.

Older chicks are thriving.

No new deaths.

3 brown Saturday.

1 brown Sunday.

Swam usual mile Sunday.

3 of the new chicks died, not sure why, but the heat may have had something to do with it. 2 meat birds, 1 barred rock.

The older chicks are doing fine.

1 brown.

Chicks are settled in to their yard.

I think I'm going to enjoy eating the meat birds. They're looking pretty tasty already... Hatchery says 6-8 weeks for males to reach weight (3-4 pound dressed) and 1 1/2 weeks more for females. So slaughter 3 birds June 8, and the other 3 around the solstice.

New order of birds has some of a another meat variety - reaches 3-4 pounds in 8-9 weeks, and 6-8 pounds in 12 weeks. So slaughter date is July 19 - August 3.

Swam last night usual mile +.

1 brown today.

Chicks are very happy in their yard.

Current hens are getting fresh straw this may bring them out of their laying funk. I think the shock of 3 hens dying from being raped by ducks put them off ... But the low production is not appreciated.

1 brown egg Monday.

made a segregated area for the new chicks. 6 CX, 3 RI, 1 Black chick in new area. Cat was interested, I gave him a bit of a talking to - told him that the chicks are off limits.

No eggs for past few days. Or possibly eggs are being cannibalized.

Reposting chick stats:
So there are 6 Cornish X, 3 RI Red, and 1 black plumed chick of unknown provenance still.

New order came in today:
11 Cornish Roasters (CR)
7 Cornish X Rock (CX)
4 Barred Rock (BR)
3 Rhode Island Red (RI)
Unknown exotic.

6 cornish X will be out in segregated area of chicken yard with a 1 gallon waterer and a 6 pound feeder. The 3 RI and 1 black chick will go out next week - they're substantially smaller than the meat birds.

Will be having the 2 new chicks in one brooder (30 gallon tote) for 2 weeks, will segregate meat birds May 25 - perhaps they will go out with the other meat birds and the new hens at that time.

1 brown

yesterday 1 brown.

So the remaining flock has had a major production drop. I think the duck slaughter on Sunday may help. I talked with my former stepson about it another time - he gave clearance back in November, but his mother had moved back since then, and if she had been living in the house she bought I thought it was possible she'd want the ducks. Nope, she's living in a town.

So one of the ducks is being slaughtered on Sunday. An enclosure for the young chickens is going to be made - they'll have separate food and water and a place to roost early next week. The next 26 baby chicks come in next week.

I need to get storage for chick starter and a new 12 pound feeder, plus a waterer for young chicken area.

Going to be some yummy chickens in June and July.

Back in California.

2 dozen eggs collected, no idea what day they were laid.

3 hens were killed by duck rape. The ducks have to be slaughtered soon. New chicks coming next week, existing chicks are about old enough to be out in the yard, but not with the ducks killing full grown hens.

Tuesday: 6 brown, 1 green.

Swam usual Monday night. Weds-Tues traveling.

5 brown.

new chicks are eating about a quart of food each day.

1 green, 3 brown.

Swam usual.

chicks are in big growth stage.

6 brown, 1 green.

Pool closed for event today, so no swim. probably will do some dancing at Gogol Bordello show tonight.

chicks are thriving finally. Now if the RI and the black plumed are all hens I'll be happy. Hatchery makes no promise on the "free exotic" chick, and 90% accuracy guarantee on the sexed chicks. so minimum of 2 RI hens.

5 brown.

No chick death.

1 green, 5 brown as of 2:00 PM.

No more chick loss.

1 green, 3 brown as of 2 PM. + 1 brown.

The RI Red that was looking poorly died. So there are 6 Cornish X, 3 RI Red, and 1 black plumed chick of unknown provenance still.

Order for week of May 12:
11 Cornish Roasters (CR)
7 Cornish X Rock (CX)
4 Barred Rock (BR)
3 Rhode Island Red (RI)

If all of the next order survives the flock will be:
13 CX, 11 CR (meat birds for slaughter starting 6/22, then July 13, and July 27 for the roasters)
6 RI, 4 BR (+ 2 araucaunas from existing flock).

New flock will be segregated from existing flock until full grown. And existing flock will still be getting slaughtered during May/June (down to 7 birds week of 6/22, 5 birds 7/13, and 3 7/27)

5 brown

Lost more chicks overnight - the new waterer didn't stay level and more chicks got wet and hence cold. Down to 11 chicks, 3 rhode island reds (actually 4, but 1 of them is looking poorly), 1 with black plumage (barred rock or exotic) and 6 meat birds. Will do another order as this is fewer replacement birds than I want and also fewer meat birds. New order would be 3 rhode island red, 4 barred rock, 11 Cornish Roasters and 7 Cornish X.

Looks like delivery week of May 12 is available for these. Would end up with a flock of 7 RI Red, 4-5 barred Rock and 2 Araucanas. 13-14 hens, 2 from old flock.

Slaughter schedule -
2 old hens in May,
4 in late June (and 4 Cornish X in late June)
4 in July ( 2 + 8 Cornish X in July)
10 Roasters in August.

Lost 2 chicks overnight - they got into bowl of water and took a chill. Both had dark coloration - One was definitely a barred rock, other could be the exotic or could be another barred rock. I have a proper waterer now, so this shouldn't happen again.

Had another brown egg yesterday.

Monday: 5 brown, 1 green.

Picked up chicks at airport. Gravity feed water bottle isn't doing the siphon lock thing properly, will be checking with supplier in morning.

8 RI reds, 4 Barred Rock, 13 (+1 bonus) Jumbo Cornish Rock X (meat birds), 1 exotic of unknown provenance.

Duck slaughter countdown is beginning.

4 more brown, 1 green by end of day.

Out of town Monday through Saturday night.

Collected 10 brown and 1 green Sunday morning.

Had call that the chicks are at the airport.

Didn't collect eggs Saturday.

By noon Sunday: 2 green, 8 brown.

+ 2 brown by end of Sunday. No new entries until Sunday, traveling.

7 brown.

2 green, 3 brown.

2 green, 6 brown.

Going swimming in a few.

1 green, 5 brown. I hate doing taxes. Getting a fair bit back... but getting all the damn documents and forms together is torture for me.

1 green, 6 brown.

Not swimming tonight. Working on taxes - blech.

4 brown. + 2 brown.

Swam usual.

5 brown, 1 green. 2 quiches last night - broccoli cheddar and Italian sausage, swiss chard, fontina. Yum!

Swam usual 35 laps, 1 length on a breath, then back freestyle. Will swim Sunday and Wednesday next week.

4 brown.

3 brown, 1 green. + 1 brown

Time to change straw in coop. hen party tomorrow!

3 brown, 1 green, 1 brown cannibalized.

No swim tonight - raining.

5 brown.