Egg production up by 50%: Well with the oppressive winter weather of a day ago, it if wonderful to find some good news on the food front.. As I have bragged about often, my chickens...

permafrost Loc: Minnesota

Well with the oppressive winter weather of a day ago, it if wonderful to find some good news on the food front..

As I have bragged about often, my chickens love me.. now with the storm they got out and about from the little home of their own..

getting them back, after a day of good food, the egg count rose...

Up by a tremendous 50%..

day ago I go two eggs, but today after all the careful husbandry, I got 3 eggs.. a 50 % increase.. so impressed..

My 5 hens and the boss rooster have made great progress, now my eggs are, with a quick bit of math, house, feed, fencing and chasing around the place..

eggs must be worth about $35 each... Or is that cost.. darn I get so mixed up..

Iliamna1

permafrost wrote:

Well with the oppressive winter weather of a day a... (show quote)

LOL ! ! We have chickens as well. They get a lot of our left-overs, mainly breads and fruits and veggies before they go bad, and also the tortillas from Mexican restaurants, pie crust and other 'goodies' which the greedily gobble down. They also get chicken feed and mash. They're all over 5 years old and beyond egg laying, just a disparate variety of breeds that we also turn out in the garden to feed on bugs. All 5 have names and one old Rhode Island Red likes to ride in the golf cart next to my sister. So they're pets living on 'the fat of the land.' But we love them and none will ever be dinner.
I h**e to think what one of their eggs, if miraculously produced, would be valued at. We're thinking about getting some new, young chicks.

proud republican Loc: RED CALIFORNIA

permafrost wrote:

Well with the oppressive winter weather of a day a... (show quote)

Congrats,Permy...Here is question for you..Who came first: Chicken or Egg???

Michael Rich Loc: Lapine Oregon

permafrost wrote:

Well with the oppressive winter weather of a day a... (show quote)

Good looking Plymouth Rocks...

son of witless

permafrost wrote:

Well with the oppressive winter weather of a day a... (show quote)

The egg business is tough. Happy that you are doing so well. I used to tap my maple trees and make maple syrup. My syrup was more expensive to make than your eggs.

permafrost Loc: Minnesota

Iliamna1 wrote:

LOL ! ! We have chickens as well. They get a lot... (show quote)

gee, that is so fine.. our chickens are only now about one year old, and are 3 different kinds in looks, but I bet they are mix of other kind as well..

I do not know why, but I honestly am pleased to have the 6 of them wondering about the area and going back in the little house as it get dark...

For the storm, they were not really lost, but the sheltered under the porch. i think a little heat seeps into the area.. soon as it got just a little nicer, they go back to the tiny house they live in..

permafrost Loc: Minnesota

son of witless wrote:

The egg business is tough. Happy that you are doing so well. I used to tap my maple trees and make maple syrup. My syrup was more expensive to make than your eggs.

i have heard about the saps needed to do that...LOL

We did some long ago and got some pretty good stuff but then lost most of it to mold by not getting in storage right away..

this year a fellow down the road and a strange he did not know tapped a couple trees and gave us a quart or so of the product.. Looks nice, have not tried it yet.. for pancakes.. the group seemed to have a good time doing it also..

permafrost Loc: Minnesota

byronglimish wrote:

Good looking Plymouth Rocks...

Yes they are, wish they were mine... My 6 birds look some how wild, like neandrathals or something..

They are mostly an assortment, but crossed withany passing bird..

But, an egg is an egg..

Oh, regarding eggs, we have 3 different colors..

White, brown and green/blue... from only 5 hens... strange.

permafrost Loc: Minnesota

proud republican wrote:

Congrats,Permy...Here is question for you..Who came first: Chicken or Egg???

I will have to stay up all night to ponder on that question..LLOL

son of witless

permafrost wrote:

i have heard about the saps needed to do that...LOL

We did some long ago and got some pretty good stuff but then lost most of it to mold by not getting in storage right away..

this year a fellow down the road and a strange he did not know tapped a couple trees and gave us a quart or so of the product.. Looks nice, have not tried it yet.. for pancakes.. the group seemed to have a good time doing it also..

Anyone who makes maple syrup at a profit has my respect. I have a coal stove which I used for supplemental heating and used it as an evaporator. The problem is it takes maybe 40 or 50 quarts of sap to make 1 quart of syrup, plus if you over cook it you get maple sugar, which you can't just dilute with water to get it back to syrup. This last winter I had a new chimney and did not run the stove much and with my new job I decided not to mess with the stuff.

I generally gave away most of what I made. It was satisfying having others enjoy it. One weird thing I found out when I tried to make maple syrup Popsicles is that the stuff does not want to freeze. Something to do with the concentration of sugars. Some frogs are known to use sucrose as an anti freeze in winter.

permafrost Loc: Minnesota

son of witless wrote:

Anyone who makes maple syrup at a profit has my re... (show quote)

I think the same. a good sized operation not so far away has over 40 acres of trees, uses plastic tube to move sap and I see his product on local shelves and sale points.

But have never talked to him about getting it all done so have no idea how it works out for him..

Popsicle? that is an idea i have missed.. i do recall the freezing hassle..

Frogs?? Hope they do not dig in the trees>>.... Now i think I have heard of that in "Nature"... or some program...

Your operation seems much better then when I tried it.. open fire outside... fun for the first few hours..

no propaganda please Loc: moon orbiting the third rock from the sun

permafrost wrote:

gee, that is so fine.. our chickens are only now a... (show quote)

Our neighbors have between 35 and 40 Welsummers, and they lay well, but aren't broody so getting the eggs away from them is not a problem. Right now they have one rooster, but since the hens lay wether or now they have been bred, just the eggs are not fertile. The chickens keep down the tick population on people and goats, so that is a help.

Iliamna1

permafrost wrote:

gee, that is so fine.. our chickens are only now a... (show quote)

We have to be so careful regarding predators! We've got them all from racoons, to bobcats, coyotes and snakes. That chicken coop is a virtual fortress! ! ! The chicken wire goes 6 inches beneath the dirt and then there is also chicken wire buried all around the coop and it's all carefully sewn together with wire at every joint. The main predators are the coons. We have a humane trap and generally trap half a dozen or so each year. Coyotes are shot (when we see them); they also eat cats and dogs!

permafrost Loc: Minnesota

Iliamna1 wrote:

We have to be so careful regarding predators! We'... (show quote)

yes, I think everyone has those predators to deal with... we have not buried wire in the ground but many other measures.. some good, some not so good..

Nothing worst then a Fox in the hen house..

These 6 birds have a little house raised up and on runners very near the back door of our house..

permafrost Loc: Minnesota

no propaganda please wrote:

Our neighbors have between 35 and 40 Welsummers, and they lay well, but aren't broody so getting the eggs away from them is not a problem. Right now they have one rooster, but since the hens lay wether or now they have been bred, just the eggs are not fertile. The chickens keep down the tick population on people and goats, so that is a help.

That tick control is one the best reasons my wife wants birds around...