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.