3 brown (2s,1L)

1 green, 5 brown (3S,2L)
5 green, 33 brown past week (18S,15L)
2 green, 14 brown past 3 days (7S,7L)

1 green, 5 brown (3S,2L)
4 green, 29 brown past week (19S,14L)
2 green, 13 brown past 3 days (7S,6L)
Swam usual.

4 brown (1S,3L)
4 green, 31 brown past week (17S,14L)
1 green, 11 brown past 3 days (6S,5L).

Since I've been tracking size of brown eggs this is the distribution of 3 day production:
(6S,5L) Sa
(8S,5L) F
(8S,7L) Th
(8S,7L) W
(8S,6L) Tu
(8S,4L) M
(8S,4L) Su
(7S,4L) Sa
(5S,4L) F
(5S,4L) Th
(4S,5L) W

Small eggs daily 3 day production totals {4,5,5,7,8,8,8,8,8,8,6}
Large eggs daily 3 day production totals {5,4,4,4,4,4,6,7,7,5,5}

ascending order:
Small eggs {4,5,5,6,7,8,8,8,8,8,8}
Large eggs {4,4,4,4,4,5,5,5,6,7,7}

Small egg production has been increasing over the 11 days for which I have 3 day running totals. Large egg production is noisier, although it does appear to be trending up. Maximum production figures over 3 days suggests that all 4 birds in both cohorts are laying.

1 green, 4 brown (3S,1L)
5 green, 31 brown past week (19S,12L)
2 green, 13 brown past 3 days (8S,5L)

Thursday 3 brown (2S,1L)
4 green, 28 brown past week (18S,12L)
2 green, 15 brown past 3 days (8S,7L)

1 green, 5 brown (3S,2L) + 1 brown cannibalized (1L)
5 green, 31 brown past week (18S,13L)
2 green, 13 brown past 3 days (8S,7L)

1 green, 6 brown (3S,3L)
5 green, 27 brown past week (16S,11L)
2 green, 14 brown past 3 days (8S,6L)

3 brown (2S,1L)
4 green, 24 brown past week (15S,9L)
2 green, 12 brown past 3 days (8S,4L)

1 green, 4 brown (3S,1L) 1 brown cannibalized (1L)
5 green, 25 brown past week (14S,11L)
2 green, 12 brown past 3 days (8S,4L)

swam usual

1 green, 4 brown (3S,1L)
5 green, 23 brown past week
2 green, 11 brown past 3 days (7S,4L)

3 brown (2S,1L)
4 green, 24 brown past week
2 green, 9 brown past 3 days (5S,4L)

1 green, 3 brown (2S,1L), 1 brown cannibalized (L)
5 green, 25 brown past week
2 green, 9 brown past 3 days (5S,4L)


So I decided to track brown eggs by size going forward. I think I'll see that all the old hens are laying, just not at full production.

Earlier I looked at the weekly production data, arbitrarily said the young hens are producing 18 eggs per week (4.5 per hen) so old hen production is 6-10 eggs per week or 1.5-2.5 eggs per hen per week. That would put the older hens laying cycle at 2 days 19 hours to 4 days 16 hours.

1 green, 2 brown (1L,1S)
4 green, 26 brown past week
2 green, 9 brown past 3 days (4S,5L)

Tuesday 3 brown (1L,2S)
4 green, 28 brown past week
2 green, 10 brown past 3 days.

1 green, 4 brown (1 small, 3 large)

4 green, 27 brown past week
2 green, 11 brown past 3 days.

1 green, 3 brown.
4 green, 27 brown past week
2 green, 12 brown past 3 days.

swam usual.

5 brown
3 green, 28 brown past week
1 green, 14 brown past 3 days.

Full production is one hen lays one egg every day and a half. So in 3 days I should expect 2 eggs from half the hens, and 1 egg from the other half. So 12 eggs in a 3 day cycle is close to full production. It looks like all the hens are laying.

1 green, 4 brown.
4 green, 28 brown past week
2 green, 13 brown past 3 days.

Americauna seems to be producing an egg every other day again. She's consistently laying behind the feed bin along with 2 other hens.

28 brown eggs in a week suggests 3.5 eggs per hen each week. Full production should be 4-5 eggs per hen (americauna has laid 4 eggs in the past week every day this week beginning on Monday).

I'm going to assume the young cohort (4 hens) is laying 4+ eggs per week - call it 18 eggs. That means the other 4 old hens are laying 6-10 eggs between them, or 1.5 - 2.5 eggs per week. Given 7 brown eggs on March 5 there must be at least 3 older hens laying.

It will be interesting to watch production as spring turns to summer. I should do a count of my eggs on hand to get a large/medium breakdown. Will post on this later.

5 brown
4 green, 27 brown past week
1 green, 11 brown past 3 days.

1 green, 4 brown
4 green 25 brown past week
2 green, 10 brown past 3 days.

2 brown
4 green, 24 brown past week
1 green, 10 brown past 3 days.

Monday 1 green, 4 brown
4 green, 26 brown past week
2 green, 13 brown past 3 days.

3 brown, 1 brown cannibalized.
3 green, 26 brown past week
2 green, 12 brown past 3 days.

The juvenile rhode island red was out of the yard again. Still no sign of eggs outside of the yard.

1 green, 5 brown.
3 green, 26 brown past week.
2 green, 11 brown past 3 days.

I'm confused with what the one juvenile rhode island red is doing outside of of the run. She had been laying while she was out. Earlier this week she laid an egg which was cannibalized (or eaten by another animal - rodent, stellar jay). She's been outside the run on days that she would be laying, but I've not found any eggs fro the past two days she's been out (Thursday and today). I've done more than a cursory search for a clutch of eggs, so far I've not found any. Monday I'll try to catch her brooding during the day.

1 green, 3 brown
3 green, 26 brown past week
2 green, 9 brown past 3 days.

Thursday 2 brown, 1 brown cannibalized
2 green, 26 brown past week.
1 green, 10 brown past 3 days.
(suspect 1 brown missing - hen that has been laying out of the chicken run was out, no eggs found)

1 green, 1 brown + 2 brown cannibalized
2 green, 27 brown past week.
1 green, 11 brown past 3 days.

Tuesday
2 brown + 2 brown cannibalized.

2 green, 26 brown past week
12 brown past 3 days.

3 brown + 1 brown cannibalized.
2 green, 27 brown past week.
1 green, 12 brown past 3 days.

4 brown.
2 green, 27 brown past week.
1 green, 12 brown past 3 days.

past few days have been pretty consistent on number of brown eggs in a 3 day period - 12 brown eggs.

Swam usual.

1 green cannibalized, 4 brown
3 green, 26 brown past week
1 green 12 brown past 3 days.

Friday 4 brown
2 green, 25 brown past week
1 green, 12 brown past 3 days.

4 brown
2 green, 26 brown past week
1 green, 11 brown past 3 days.

Wednesday 1 green, 4 brown
2 green 29 brown past week
1 green, 11 brown past 3 days.

3 brown
1 green 28 brown past week
1 green 10 brown past 3 days.

Monday 4 brown
1 green, 31 brown past week
1 green 10 brown past 3 days.

1 green 3 brown.

1 green 30 brown past week.
1 green 11 brown past 3 days.

Swam usual.

3 brown
33 brown past week
15 brown past 3 days.

Found 3 hidden green eggs - americauna has been escaping the chicken yard, laying eggs under a roof in screened in porch area. Sneaky little hen!

Friday 5 brown
31 brown past week
15 brown past 3 days.

7 brown
30 brown past week
19 brown past 3 days.

no eggs from Americauna since Feb 11. That's over 3 weeks since she's laid an egg that I've found, and while she has laid outside the chicken yard before I've not been seeing her outside the yard recently. She probably will be laying again this year, don't know if she'll have regular production again.

Wednesday 2 brown + 1 brown cannibalized
25 brown past week
12 brown past 3 days.

5 brown + 1 brown cannibalized.

27 brown past week
15 brown past 3 days.

3 brown (updated - one egg was laid outside the coop - and subsequently cannabilized)
22 brown past week.
10 brown past 3 days.

Sunday 6 brown
22 brown past week
11 brown past 3 days.

1 brown

20 brown past week
8 brown past 3 days

swam usual.

4 brown.

23 brown past week
11 brown past 3 days.

3 brown.

20 brown past week
8 brown past 3 days.

Interesting coincidence in daily egg counts - this Tuesday - Thursday had the same saliy production as the same days the previous week.

4 brown

20 brown past week
8 brown past 3 days

Tuesday 1 brown
20 brown past week
8 brown past 3 days

another cell video of scratching hens. There's a little pecking order ruckus in this one - about 11 seconds in a silver laced wyandotte lets a juvie barred rock know she should get away from her. A different barred rock gets scolded by a rhode island red in the background a bit later.



3 brown
20 brown past week
10 brown past 3 days.

Last green egg was on feb 11. it's been 12 days since the americauna has laid an egg.

Cell phone video of chickens eating scratch.

4 brown

21 brown past week
9 brown past 3 days

No swim due to rain.

3 brown
20 brown past week (Sunday - Saturday, I'm going to change nomenclature)
8 brown past three days (Thursday - Saturday)

swam usual.

Friday 2 brown
20 brown Saturday - Friday
9 brown Wednesday - Friday

Thursday 3 brown.
22 brown Friday - Thursday
8 brown Tuesday - Thursday

It is pretty clear that several hens have had production fall off. Egg counts are consistent with all young hens laying and possibly an older hen or two in sporadic production. The drop in production came about 2 days into this rainy period, there's a correlation, not sure about causation.

4 brown
19 brown Thursday - Wednesday
9 brown Monday - Wednesday

Tuesday 1 brown
1 green 20 brown Wednesday - Tuesday
8 brown Sunday - Tuesday

Americauna hasn't laid an egg in the past week, although it is possible she's hiding eggs.

4 brown

1 green 21 brown Tuesday - Monday
10 brown Saturday - Monday

3 brown
2 green, 21 brown brown Monday - Sunday
7 brown Friday - Sunday

Saturday 3 brown
2 green, 21 brown Sunday - Saturday
7 brown Thursday - Saturday

Friday 1 brown
3 green, 22 brown Saturday - Friday
1 green 9 brown Wednesday - Friday

It has been raining steadily for about 5 days. This seems to have cut production somewhat - no green eggs (that I've found) for 4 days!

3 brown
3 green, 24 brown Friday - Thursday
1 green, 10 brown Tuesday - Thursday.

1 green, 5 brown
4 green, 26 brown Thursday - Wednesday
2 green, 11 brown Monday - Wednesday

Tuesday 2 brown
3 green, 24 brown Wednesday - Tuesday
1 green, 10 brown Sunday - Tuesday

1 green, 4 brown.

3 green, 26 brown Tuesday - Monday
2 green, 11 brown Saturday - Monday.

4 brown.

Rainy weekend, no swim.

3 green, 26 brown Monday - Sunday
1 green, 10 brown Friday - Sunday

1 green, 3 brown
3 green, 25 brown Sunday - Saturday
2 green, 11 brown Thursday - Saturday.

Friday 3 brown

3 green, 26 brown Saturday - Friday
1 green, 11 brown Wednesday - Friday.

Looks fairly consistent 12+ eggs over each three day period in the past week. Low of 3 brown eggs, no green. High of 5 brown, 1 green.

and 27-30 eggs per week over the same period. 24 brown eggs/8 hens - three brown eggs per hen per week. one egg every other day per hen. Peak production is on the order of
one egg per hen every 36 hours... this is 75% of peak production.

1 green, 5 brown

3 green, 27 brown Friday - Thursday - 30 eggs over past 7 days
1 green, 12 brown Tuesday - Thursday - 13 eggs over past 3 days

3 brown

25 brown + 3 green Thursday - Wednesday.

I went back a few days and am keeping a 3 day running total as well as a 7 day.

Monday - Wednesday 11 brown, 1 green

3 brown + 1 brown cannibalized.

26 brown, 4 green Wednesday - Tuesday.

cannibalized egg was laid by the escapee RI Red. it had been pecked a little, mostly intact. Not sure if she's cannibalized her own egg or some other animal did, possible a Stellar jay or a rat got at the egg.

11 brown + 1 green Sunday - Tuesday

4 brown, 1 green

24 brown, 4 green Tuesday-Monday.

11 brown + 2 green Saturday-Monday

3 brown

Swam usual

24 brown, 3 green Monday-Sunday

11 brown, 1 green Friday-Sunday

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.

4 brown

Monday 1 brown, 1 brown cannibalized.

Imperial Oatmeal Stout (Solomon's Oatmeal Stout - first made on my son's birthday)

15 pounds belgian pale ale malt
1 pound steel cut oats
1 pound roasted barley
1 pound chocolate malt (british 400 degrees L)

mash 4 gallons 140 degree water
Sparge 8 gallons 170 degree water

Boil to 6 gallons
Hop with 35 gm Chinook 12.1 alpha acid 45 minutes
Boil to 5.5 gallons

1056 american ale yeast

o.g. 1.082

2 brown

Saturday 2 brown

2 brown

Thursday 2 brown.
Caught another skunk. Small scavengers/omnivorous mammals seem to have had a good year for population expansion. Unfortunately they also get some increased mortality due to predation on my flock. If their range did not impinge on humans and livestock I'd be happy for their increase in numbers. As it is they are a pernicious nuisance.

1 brown

Tuesday 2 brown

Monday 2 brown

2 brown

Saturday 1 brown. Have a cold, will not be swimming outdoors in 40-50 degree rain.
Friday 4 brown.

Imperial oat stout Saturday or Sunday - depends on when I can get the beer cooler.

Inaugurator Bock beer.

13.5 pounds belgian pils malt. 2 pounds great western Munich malt (organic).
4 gallons 140 degree water - mash for 45 minutes, add 2 gallons 160 degree water, remove 1.5 gallon of initial mash water, to raise mash temperature to 150+ degrees. Continue mash for 45 minutes.

Sparge with 7.5 gallons 170 degree water.

Boil to 6.5 gallons. 42 gm Hallertau 75 minutes
Boil to 5.5 gallons. 14 gm saaz 20 minutes.

Wyeast 2487 Helles bock
o.g. 1.072 f.g 1.015 (estimations)

Ferment in old beer refrigerator initially. New beer cooler for secondary fermentation.

new 6 foot 1 inch poultry wire fence put up on Thursday, may keep birds in their yard.

electric fence on coop has lower circuit strung, need to place insulators for return to fence charge, and for the initial run from the charger. I've been reluctant to fool with it much due to rain.

1 brown Thursday
1 brown Wednesday.

Pale Ale

10.5 pounds belgian pale ale malt
3 gallons 140 degree water
sparge 8 gallons 170 degree water.
1 hour 30 minutes 21 gm chinook (2001) 13.1 alpha acid
25 minutes 13 gm cascade 5.0 alpha acid
dry hop 10 gm saaz 3.4 alpha acid
1056 american ale yeast
o.g. 1.052

I think my new mash tun and sparge system difficulties were due to not boiling wort down long enough. I racked zot d'amour wit beer today and I ended up with a bit over a gallon of extra beer. Boiled a bit longer on today's beer. I may cut back a little on the amount of sparge water next time, although my next 2 beers will be big alcohol contect - Inaugurator bock (target 8.5% ABV) and Imperial Oat stout (9.5% ABV). Grain bill is 14 pounds pils malt (+ crystal and black patent adjuncts) for the bock, 16 pounds pale malt (+ chocolate, roasted barley and groat adjuncts) for the stout.

2 brown.

americauna was on the roof of my house late in the day.

13 brown. I've not posted a count for some days - was out of town, and the continuing massacre of my flock has been big news.

The masked marauder was terminated with extreme prejudice last night via a low noise projectile. He had come around at 7:50 PM, I was preparing a meal for myself and heard the hens distress cries, went to the window and saw him attempting to enter the coop from the roof. THe first projectile convinced him to go elsewhere, second one dropped him from the top of the fence, whence he ran a short distance wimpering and expired. I think that the raccoon is responsible for the major portion of the massacre of my flock.

I got up this morning and a skunk was in the live trap. It also got the low noise projectile treatment. I hope this ends the problem. Coop will be electrified regardless, but this could be the end of the predation crisis.

Flock has 9 hens - I'd been counting them in the coop when I closed it up in the evening, one enterprising hen saw the continuing murder of her coop mates and effectively said, "screw this noise I'm outta here" - she's been roosting in a tree.

Flock is
2 wyandotte lacewings
1 americauna
1 golden sexlink
2 barred rock (young)
3 RI red... if I counted accurately, minimum of 2 of which are young hens.

Flock is down to 8 chickens, 1 duck. Less than half as many birds as I had at the beginning of November (actually it was right before Thanksgiving that the marauder began its predation).

electric fencing is a necessity for the long term, and will be purchased and installed in the next 2 days.

lost an americauna last night. I'm sad, I think she was the chicken that crossed the road.

2 brown

(Masked) marauder has been in and out of the trap. I put the last killed bird's carcass in for bait, it's been outside the trap in the morning every day. Interesting thing today trap was sprung with bait out of trap. I'm not sure how it is managing that one.

Flock has been closed up in coop at night since last bird killed on Friday morning. So far this has worked to keep marauder from getting another bird. I'm out of town for a couple of days, have a friend staying in guest bedroom which is right next to coop. He'll hear the marauder if it is molesting the flock.

3 brown on Sunday.

1 brown

Swam usual.

I was up in the chicken yard during the period I got the call Friday morning (3:30 AM until 4:30 AM). No sign of marauder.

Did a count of my flock this morning:
2 juvenile RI Red
3 Juvenile BR
1 old BR
2 old Wyandotte lace wing
2 americauna
1 golden sexlink
1 old RI Red

12 hens. 1 duck.

This puts next year's chick order at:
3 RI Red
2 silver laced wyandottes
3 americuana
2 gold laced wyandotte
2 buttercups

adding 13 hens, retiring 7. flock would have 18 birds if no losses.
Unless I share chicks at feed store this is a single order, 13 laying chicks, 12 meat birds.

Just over a week ago I had it as:
2 americauna
2? barred rock juveniles
1 old barred rock
5 Rhode Island Red juveniles
2 old RI Red
2 lace wing wyandotte
1 golden sexlink

I must have double counted a RI Red (Minnesota election anyone ?) and not counted a juvenile BR. since then the RI reds have had 2 lost... and 1 old RI Red.

I secured the chicken coop in the evening. 2 hens were out in the yard in the morning anyway. I'm not going to fool myself that closing up the coop is going to end predation, but it will give a bit more time to catch the culprit.

Was kind of cool sitting and listening to the highway 100 yards away, watching a pair of mule deer run up the road at 4:00 AM. Chilly out.

3 brown

lost an older bird overnight. neighbors called about ruckus in chicken yard, i went out and culprit was gone. 4 or 5 chickens were not roosting, saw blood on ground where chicken was likely caught. Carcass was warm when I found it. I'm going to stay up, will terminate with extreme prejudice when the culprit comes around.

It looks like next year's order for laying hens will be bigger than I'd planned. 3 aracauna, probably some rhode island red and/or barred rock (want a minimum of 3 BR, 5 RI Red) and possibly a more exotic brown egg layer. Flock should be 14 strong laying hens for spring 2010, which may be a year with no chick order. Ultimately I'd like to have 5 year old hens being culled as replacements reach 1 year old. Vagaries of predation, etc may mean flock drops as low as 6 hens over a winter... I also need to give consideration predator control - maybe build a new coop that is unfriendly to predators. Electric fence is probably a good idea.

5 brown.

One of the ducks succumbed to a predator overnight. In addition the bait was missing from the trap. New bait in trap tonight. I'm pretty unhappy about the predation that has happened in the past week. 3 birds lost.

I will edit the first post when I have the true o.g. for the ESB. My recipe gave estimated o.g. - not from a recipe book... there is some learning to do as I've changed my mash set up - I had been using a 5 gallon pot for a mashtun, then duming the hot mash into a 5 gallon bay marie pan that I had hundreds of 1/8 inch holes drilled in the bottom. Bay marie pan sat in a 7 gallon plastic tub with a spigot. New mashtun is a 10 gallon water cooler with a perforated false bottom and a ball lock valve fed from below the false bottom. My estimations of sugar conversion are going to need some revision... I appear to not be getting as good a conversion as previous method. Some of that may be that the malt was crushed back in June, but I've used old malt before with the previous setup and don't see a strong correlation with conversion efficiency.

Will also give the hops alpha acid level. I generally do not calculate IBU or HBU from this info, but there are certainly calculators out there for those interested... I just go with experience and an idea of what I'm after. Since I've been brewing over 30 years, all grain for over 14 years... well I've got some idea what I'm doing.

Racking the wit beer (Zot d'Amour wit) Saturday. Will keg ginger porter and imperial stout then as well.

Brewing ESB
10.5 pounds belgian pale ale malt, 1# 40 degree L Crystal malt.
3.5 gallons 145 degree F water - mash 1.5 hours
sparge with 8 gallons 170 degree F water.

Boil to 6+ gallons
14 grams hallertau tradition 6.2 % alpha acid whole hops 1 hour
21 grams fuggles 3.2% alpha acid whole hops 15 minutes.

estimated o.g. 1.056 actual 1.050
Thames valley ale Wyeast # 1275

Another chicken lost to predation Tuesday, found late Tuesday after hearing a ruckus in the chicken yard after dark... went out to find a juvenile barred rock on the ground acting injured (scared?) I picked her up, found no obvios wounds or missing plumage, put her in a perch. Then discovered the remains of a juvenile rhode island red. I disposed of the carcass (it was cold, I probably missed it when I checked for eggs and had bee killed Monday night). I reset the trap for a raccoon, was attentive to noise from the chicken yard the remainder of the evening.

Haven't caught anything.

Wednesday 3 brown. Found outside of chicken yard. New fencing to keep birds in coming by end of day Friday.

3 brown

Found clutch of 14 eggs of unknown age - from juvenile hens that have been getting out of hen yard. I'm in process of clearing brush prior to getting a beer serving and lagering cooler which will need to be brought in via back door.

I think I will begin doing brewing blogging here too. Made a wit beer last week, ESB and pale ale planned this week. Lagers coming when new cooler is operational - 2 pils, one bock. Will be experimenting with recipes for lagers. Cooler is going to be awesome, room for 16 5 gallon kegs, 4 fermentation vessels from dimensions I was given. Will have 3 tap towers each with 3 taps - 2 nitrogen mix taps, 7 CO2 taps. 7 taps for beers, 2 for home made soft drinks - 1 root based, 1 fruit based soft drink. Going to be interesting experimenting on this as well. Will be getting sassafras from Indiana for some of the root based drinks. Possibly some Indiana ginseng as well. I think initially I'll be doing 3 gallon batches of soft drinks.

Monday no eggs

Sunday 1 brown