Winter on the Farm

While the calendar shows that it's January 27th - the weather is like spring!  So far this winter, there have only been maybe 3 or 4 days that the temperature has been cold enough to freeze the water in the chicken barn. 

Right now all three pens are full.  One of the "pullets" in the large pen has turned out to be a cockerel instead.  So I now have two roosters - and I believe that makes 21 pullets.  Leroy - the EE rooster is a great crow-er and is quite actively doing his best to procreate with as many hens as possible.  Last week I took some eggs and put them in the incubator - and yes, Leroy is accomplishing his task.  So in another couple weeks, I'll have some home grown chicks.

I've got an ad on Craigslist to sell Leroy and Red (the other rooster).

The middle pen has 14 chicks in it.  These are the ones I hatched the first of December - plus the few I bought to keep them company.

Then my brooder pen has 10 Swedish Flower Hens and 3 Black Copper Marans.  It looks like two of the marans are cockerels - so they'll be sold.

I also have eggs in the incubator - some from my own flock - and some Araucana and Exchequer Leghorn eggs that I bought.  I see growth in almost all of mine, but none of the Araucana eggs seem to be growing.  All the Leghorn eggs show growth, however, when I candle them.   It'll be interesting to see what I end up with.

New Chicken Breeds

I've decided to nix the idea of raising chocolate orpingtons. I've read that they're so big and fluffy, they sometimes have problems.  I have two chocolate orpington "project" chicks that are about 5 weeks old now.  I will keep any pullets - especially if they are brown (instead of black) - but I will sell any cockerels.

I now have my long-term plan for chickens.  I will keep a layer flock of approximately 20 hens.  I'll make a little money for Lily's Garden selling eggs.  Then I will raise the following breeds to sell hatching eggs and chicks: Swedish Flower Hens, Crested Cream Legbars, Isbars, Rhodebars - and possibly Araucanas.

I will get eleven Swedish Flower Hen chicks tomorrow.  Then in March I will get Legbar, Isbar and Rhodebar chicks.

Right now I have 7 hens that are laying.  3 Araucanas who are 21 weeks old - should be laying anytime now.  They're already "squatting" - and the EE rooster is mating them.  Then there are 3 other pullets that are 18 weeks old (an EE, a light brown leghorn and a welsummer) that should be laying soon, too.  Add to that the eight 14-week olds - and that give us a laying flock (once they're all laying) of 22 - which will be plenty.