Poor hatch for my chickens

As reported previously, I am anticipating an increase to my homestead poultry flock.  In particular introducing Fred the Rooster to the girls, Penny, Prissy and Pick.  My original flock of red speckled Sussex hens was decimated by  the many predators we have around the house.  Attacks from hawks, dogs, coyotes, racs, and possums left only three fairly street smart hens who now look to the sky and take cover if they see a circling shadow.  Everything likes to eat chicken and the hens were so friendly that they would walk right up to the predator and allow the predator sufficient time to snatch and run.  I understand now the importance of a rooster.  As annoying as roosters can be they are definite plus for my flock's protection.  Having grown up with very territorial roosters who attacked anything moving, I wanted to decrease the likelihood of the rooster attacking humans by getting a more stable breed.  I decided on a double laced barnevelder for its dark brown eggs, for the stability of its roosters and as a declining heritage breed.

I ordered a straight hatch where the number of male to female chickens is a crapshoot.  Out of eight chickens it could be half and half (best outcome), all male (worst outcome) or anything in between.  Because of the order problem encountered, I know exactly what I will be getting now.  I will be getting three roosters and three hen barnevelders and two buckeye hens.  The original hatch date came and went and the company I order from, My Pet Chicken, called me to let me know the hatch for the type of chicken I ordered was not very successful and they could not fulfill all orders for the breed at that time.  Future hatches were a big question mark.  They worked with me to provide substitute hatch dates and other types of chickens.  I have nothing but praise for how they handled the situation.  Buckeyes have always interested me because an Ohio woman developed the breed.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/buckeye_chicken

I wish I could come up with a breed of chickens that are friendly, quiet (including the roosters) but able to better fend for themselves against predators as well as egg productive.  Why hasn't anyone tried to develop a rooster that has a soft, non irritating crow?  Or they use their crow only as a protective device?

http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/barnevelder

I have enjoyed watching my three remaining hens chase bugs in the mornings and afternoons.  They make crazy eights in the yard chasing the winged things launching out of the grass and their craws are full of squirmy things.  Makes me happy knowing that they are happy.

Springtime in North Alabama

North Alabama is outdoing itself for beauty this Spring.  It is unbelievably warm and the pollen count is so high.  Need more days off work to enjoy it like these last two days.  But I work to fund what I enjoy so it's off to work I go, hi-ho-hi-ho.

Digging in Dirt

One of my goals is to plant more fruit trees for fresh produce.  Honey flow is another important consideration - my bees need to eat!  Getting the honey flow started in the springtime requires flowering  trees.  The first trees in our area to flower are the oaks around the end of January, early February and then the elms, maples and finally the dogwood and fruit trees.  I need flowering trees for the bees to last throughout the springtime and early summer until there are sufficient grasses and other plants to provide nectar.  Finally blocking the ugly metal building that my neighbor put in their side yard that faces my bee yard is another reason for my new pear trees.  I'm digging in dirt this weekend.  Care to join me?

Using Chickens as my Pest Control Cops this Year?

Prissy, Penny and Peck are laying an egg a day now that the daylight hours have hit ten or more in the Alabama early springtime.  The weather is warmer that it needs to be.  We had a wet and warm winter with very few days below freezing.  This means that bugs will be in excess since weather is a key controller of insects in our area.  I'm thinking about enclosing the raised beds in the chicken yard.  I have three very hard working and hungry chickens who are about the best bug control I have.  If they peck a ripe tomato trying to get off a ugly worm, so what?  They have just eliminated one of the worse pests to the home garden.  I've heard it works if one is willing to sacrifice some produce in return for their bug hunting abilities.  Serious thought is being given to it.  I think it would work.

Glorious Beautiful Day after Storms

Today is a beautiful day; the bad weather from yesterday is gone.  Our house and animals are fine and the cluck club are safe in their chicken yard.  Other homeowners and farmers in the area are not so fortunate.  There were several tornadoes around us yesterday.  My work dismissed about 10:00 a.m. but I was unable to get on the road because the roads to my house were blocked due to emergency vehicles trying to assess damage.  It was scary; it is always scary when bad weather happens.

On the sunny side today.  I put together the galvanized steel raised vegetable beds and secured both with stakes into the ground before the storms hit.  These are really, really big vegetable beds, 3 ft x 6 ft by 10 in, and I know I do not have enough compost yet to fill both.  This is where ingenuity will help.  I do have an electric mulching lawnmower and I purposely did not rake/burn leaves this fall.  So I will be gathering more organic matter this month along with the overwintered chicken house pine mulch that should be hot and ready for the beds.   The beds will empty my compost pile as well.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll have just enough to fill both beds before I need to plant.

I am sick

I am sick and feel craptastic.  I am staying away from work.  I work to fund what I truly enjoy - farming, gardening, animals and nature.  Unfortunately, I am not a good sick person.  I tend to make everyone around me miserable when I am sick.  So sorry for the lack of posts, I am trying really hard to get well.