Buff Orpington/Americauna Cross Breeding

By David Kent

I run all Buff Orpingtons for my main layers.  I have some residual other types but only 3 non BO (Buff Orpington) layers.  I also have one Americauna Rooster that I got as a prize from McMurray Hatcheries. I decided a while back to start hatching my own rather than buying just because it was…

Spring is busier than normal. Or is it?

By David Kent

Wow! So hadn’t paid much attention but the last month has flown by.  I didn’t even realize it had been almost a month since my last post.  Well obviously that means its been busy. For those one or two interested lots has been going on.  DUH! right its spring.  I am finding myself with spring…

Disaster!!

By David Kent

So what a week.  I will be blunt, we lost the entire batch of chicks.  Gone! Gone! Gone!  In talking to the hatchery they suspect that they got to much of a draft on the trip from the hatchery.  I suspect they are correct and then they just couldn’t stay warm from then on in…

How fresh are my eggs?

By David Kent

Firstly, fill a fairly deep bowl with water and carefully lower the egg into the water. A very fresh egg will immediately sink to the bottom and lie flat on its side. This is because the air cell within the egg is very small. The egg should also feel quite heavy. As the egg starts…

New Chick Day!

By David Kent

So received our first batch of babies for 2013 today.  Nice cold morning to be playing outside with the chicks.  Picked them up from the post office and brought then to their new home.  On initial counting we have 26 alive and 1 dead on arrival.  It does happen sometimes but this is the first…

Out of Site but not out of mind

By David Kent

Ok maybe partially out of my mind but hey.  So I have been lax in my updates and journal-ling.  I apologize for that.  Life gets busy around the holidays or I just get tired and don’t feel like thinking.  I have not been lax in my chores though, thing have been busy.  So today will…

Just another day at the office :)

By David Kent

So not alot going on this week.  Mostly just continuing on with projects started last week and doing some adjustments. In the garden I got another load of dirt and filled another bed.  Got two rows butter-crunch lettuce and 1 row cabbage planted and dripped for water.  I will be picking up at least one…

Work Work Work on the chickens

By David Kent

So along with moving cattle, I got several things, accomplished and semi accomplished with the chickens. I have a new batch of meat birds coming in the next couple weeks so I needed to get a securable coup built that would keep the predators out.  It doesn’t look like much other than a wood box…

Butchering the 3

By David Kent

So as I have mentioned before, out of 27 chickens i have three left.  These were not due to be butchers till September 1st at 10 weeks old.  But i didnt think it fair that the foxes get all the meat and I never get to taste it.  So I went ahead and butchered them…

Where the Chicken Came from

By David Kent

In my world the chicken came before the egg.  I know there are those of you out there that would disagree but look at it from my viewpoint.  I had to order the chicken first, then they laid the egg.  Now I am also pretty sure the place i got them had the egg then…