Sunday, January 17, 2016

Sunday Reading - Chicken Adventures Update





It's been a while since I did a full chicken adventures update so I thought today would be a good day to get it out of the way since it's too cold to go out and do much.

A few announcements though. I recently started a Twitter feed addition to the blog. Not doing a whole lot with it right now but you can find a link to my Twitter page to the right. I plan and doing a daily Tractor Time pic and mostly just links to articles I find interesting. Maybe some other tidbits as I get used to using it. If you are in to that type of thing hit follow over there. Maybe we can get some readers to start Tweeting to it as well.




The chickens appear to be doing well for the most part although attrition lately has been high. We have lost three in about the last month and a half. One Red Sexlink was hit by a truck when she decided for some unknown reason to venture into the road while another just up and died on us for no reason we could detect. One of our prized Rhode Island Reds was killed by the neighbors dog when he showed up as well.

It appears we have successfully managed to convince our own outside protector dog (Named Miles) that yes the chickens belong here, yes they are valuable, and no they are not for sport. I have to give that dog credit once he figured out he was going to get in trouble when he killed a chicken and that the chickens fit in the same category as the sheep, he has shown amazing restraint. Some of the stupid poultry barn Sexlinks have even been seen walking right up to him without fear now. More than likely that is what lead to the one's death when the neighbor dog came visiting however.

We are averaging about 10 to 12 eggs a day even in the dead of Winter, although I must admit it hasn't been all that much of a Winter so far. We have 27 hens left so they are laying on average every other day I guess. Of course I am not convinced all of them are actually laying to be honest as I think a few of them are a bit older than they were advertised as being.

Rocky the rooster is in complete heaven however. He is convinced he is king of the world and the only stress he seems to be under is the annoyance factor he gets about the Poultry Barn Sexlinks. The Sexlinks appear to still prefer to think of humans as the dominant specie and it drives Rocky crazy when they ignore him and follow one of us around. He almost kills himself trying to herd these hens away from me when I am out working on something.

Splitting firewood is a real pain in the butt now however. The hens (especially the sexlinks) figured out real fast that the only reason I am splitting wood is to provide them with bugs. They are not one bit afraid of the engine noise and now mob the splitter whenever I start it up. I split a truckload yesterday in preparation for this in bound Northern Clipper that rolled in last night and I finally had to have the Mrs. just keep the area clear of chickens.

All but two of the remaining ten Sexlinks now use a roost pole. It took them about a month to move from huddling together in the corner to actually jumping up on the low roost. As I said two of them however still won't go into the coop, they huddle together in the dog crate so we just lock them up in there now.

Of the remaining ten sexlinks only about four of them consistently go out into the barn lot yet. The other six are still content to just stay in the barn unless I open up the front door anyway. As long as I open the door and am nearby they will come outside they just don't seem to want to do it on their own for some reason.

So all and all the addition of the chickens has worked out well for us. Plenty of eggs, enough extra to sell some to locals and not a bad survival rate. Only one predator attack in months and that was the neighbor's dog. In fact not one wild predator attack at all so far with only one hawk flyby that could even be considered interest.

Now I just hope one or more of these hens go broody this Spring.

Keep Prepping Everyone!!!!!!!


19 comments:

  1. you will be up to your armpits in fluffy chicks before you know it, ours are laying every other day at the moment once we get into February I expect that will increase greatly :-)

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    1. Dawn - I hope so. We could probably take on another 10 or 20 with the space we got honestly and since I free range we are going to need replacements I imagine :)

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  2. I'm trying to convince DW to let me add chickens this summer but she's doing the wait and see approach becauae we just got rabbits for meat last week and also because of work.
    With the economy sucking bigvtime work has been very slow. Slow enough that I put my name in for a northern contract which i usually leave to the younger guys. It would be 8 months up north working 6 on of 12 hr days and 1 day off. Its too far to drive home on the say off but there would be a 4 day off every other month.

    She thinks rabbits and iur children are enough along with the garden if i'm away.

    Exile1981

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    1. Exile - I was amazed at how little work they seem to be but then of course we let ours just kinda roam where ever during the day. The first week or so was a pain herding them into the coop/stall each night but after they got used to that being their night time home it was pretty easy.

      I clean out the stall about twice a week but it really doesn't take much time.

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  3. I think hikes really stack up if you can keep predators away. Your dog probably help with that but be warned when thy strike I've lot a whole flock in minutes after twelve months of calm, still it's a risk worth taking and better to get these things set up now rather than when you really need to!

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    1. Not sure why it says hikes it's meant to say chickens!

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    2. Kev - Ya I dread the night a coon does finally come calling. I haven't seen one in a very long time because the dog chases them away. Last time I saw one near the place the dog had one treed up a telephone pole in the front yard and that's been almost three years ago.

      I am sure at some point a fox is going to figure out the chickens wander a fair distance from the barn though or an eagle.

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  4. Chickens give unending entertainment.

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    1. Sf - Yes they do. My mother loves that rooster let me tell you. She can watch him strut around for hours and just laugh.

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  5. You are splitting firewood just before use?

    No wonder last year you had issues keeping warm.

    Part of the reason to split and stack firewood is so it will dry out better.....And burn hotter, as you don't have to deal with moisture boiling off. Takes about a month to get split wood decently dry for burning.....

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    1. B - I don't believe I had any issues keeping warm last year. Two years ago when we had all those polar vortex things I had issues going through about 10 times more wood than I usually use but not keeping warm. The cold North winds play hell with my outside wood furnace temperature control making it not want to kick the blower on if it gets too cold.

      Now all that being said you do not need to split wood to let it cure. Anything I burn with the exception of the green stuff I put in too keep some coals longer has been dead usually for years. When I do cut something live it goes into the live stack that must cure for a minimum of two years before I burn it. That way I can wait to split when I need it rather than split green wood and stack it. Much more time efficient and works great for weight when they are predicting a Winter storm coming in too!!!!

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    2. Not talking cured wood, but the moisture level. Takes a lot of heat to dry wood out.

      Split wood stays drier than rounds....more surface area.

      Try it next year, see how much USEABLE heat you get out a rick of wood that has been split for at least 2 months vs your freshly split wood.

      You'll say I was right.

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    3. B - I think you are confusing what happens when you cut live wood and cure it v. cutting standing dead wood. Pretty much everything I cut is standing dead and there is pretty much zero moisture left in it. What might remain has already ran waaaay down into the bottom of the main trunk.

      Besides cut to length and stacked having it split before hand doesn't add much surface area really and I don't want it paper dry either. Nice coal levels is what I am shooting for.

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    4. As you say...

      I've been heating with wood for over 20 years, and I fire a boiler for a steamshow some weekends with wood.

      Split stacked and aged (gotta have all three) will produce more heat. Moisture levels ARE higher in any rounds vs split and left to dry for a month or so. Takes heat to drive the moisture out of the wood before it can burn, and to move the water vapor up the chimney.

      Hey, do it your way. if you want to work harder....

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  6. I love reading your chicken adventure. Chickens are a hoot! Rocky is a star for entertainment value.

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    1. Leigh - Rocky is something else. I never thought a chicken could have so much personality to be honest. I end up shaking my head in amazement whenever I am out and watching him.

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  7. What do you do with a dozen eggs every day? Do you eat that many or use some to feed animals? That is a great amount for this time of year. We are getting ready to reduce our number of chickens... We have too many roosters so it will be chicken for dinner!

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    1. Lisa - We sell em. There is actually no end to the people who come out and pick up eggs. My step sister was down from Ohio two weeks ago and my dad fixed em some eggs we gave him and she demanded we give her 2 dozen to take back home with em she liked em so much. Apparently people can tell a difference although honestly I don't myself :)

      I am happy unloading them right now but when TSHTF well believe me we will use every egg I imagine.

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