One of the guys up the hill had to get out of his truck and direct traffic yesterday (trash day) down at the big road. Four cars at one time constitutes a traffic jam on Gray Rock. Great restraint and courtesy were shown, as no one sat beeping the horn or yelling obscenities out the window. It really was pretty funny, as the entrance to Gray Rock is the only place where it's wide enough for two cars to pass; it's just so rare that there are two cars at a time, it obviously resulted in confusion. I had to wait all of a minute to get through the stop-and-go traffic.
I estimate that we've lost an hour of daylight already; a half-hour on each end. Frank (the cat) and I woke up a little before five this morning and it was still dark. He thought it would be nice to just cuddle and since it was dark and Bessie Anne was still snoring (she denies it when she's awake, but it's true), Frank and I snuggled down for another ten minutes or so. I could barely make out Pearl's outline as she sat on the windowsill. I have to go down to the barn by eight at night or it's too dark for the girls to want to go in their rooms. Acorns are starting to drop from the oaks. I think it's way too early for that sign of fall; I don't usually put on a hard hat until September.
The flock has been decimated this year by dogs and coyotes, and I've been gathering four to six eggs a day from the hens instead of the one or two dozen of the past. For whatever reason, there was an egg-splosion yesterday and there were ten! The Araucana who laid green eggs (to go with ham) is getting pretty old and ratty looking, and she is one of the two who did not contribute. I did not chastise her as she has earned her rest. While I do miss seeing all my busy little ladies, it's kind of nice not to have buckets and buckets of eggs going to waste in both refrigerators. Chickens are not like goats, in that they produce potential young on a nearly daily basis without necessity of breeding...more chickens equal more eggs, period.
I'll go down this morning to pick up my empty trash barrel. I wanted to avoid the evening rush hour last night.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
How are the silkies doing? And I need some education...how old do hens have to be before they start producing eggs? One more question...will the silkies become part of the "flock" and get assimilated in with the free-rangers??
Yuki, Satomi, and Keiko are just fine, thanks, and have adapted to their new home well. They get themselves all tucked into their dog crate "coop" every night where I give them their nightie-night bedtime snacks before locking their coop door. These snacks coax the free rangers and pen-bound hens into their house at night, too. Chickens reach puberty between eight and nine months and then ovulate every one to three days...a little slower in the beginning. Technically, the Silkies at this age are termed pullets, not having reached hen status yet; preadolescents, as it were. It is my understanding that Silkies are not assertive enough to withstand being put in with the larger breeds of hens, and so these little girls will stay in their own protected yard. The pen is wire covered...no free ranging for them. Craig will be building the Silkies a "Chicken Taj Mahal" before winter comes again.
Well thank you very much! I didn't expect my answer and education so quickly, but I always love to learn, so I'm glad I checked back here before I tuck myself into my "bigger than a dog crate and smaller than a Taj Mahal" bed for the night! Since it is nearly 11 pm, I would imagine that all your kids are tucked in and that Pearl, Frank, and Bessie Anne are sacked out beside you. Hope you had sweet dreams!! And how nice of Craig!!!
Post a Comment