A Year In Eggs

It's official, the year of counting eggs from my 14 layers is finally over! I have completed the chart, at right, so that you can see how things turned out. If you're thinking about getting chickens or are just curious about how many eggs a hen can potentially lay, it will give you an idea of what to expect.

My girls averaged 18 eggs per hen, per month which is a 58% lay rate per month. I have 5 Buff Orpingtons, 6 Black Australorps, 2 Plymouth Barred Rocks, and 1 Buff Plymouth Rock. Four of my hens went broody in May and June which reduced their production dramatically. I went from about a dozen eggs a day down to about 7 on average! When August rolled around, some of my hens began to molt which also slowed production. Hens normally molt for the first time when they reach 18 months of age.

Recently a young woman asked me how many chickens she should get to start her own backyard flock. I told her to buy almost twice as many chicks as she wanted to produce the number of eggs she wanted each day. In other words, if she wants 3 eggs a day, she should buy about 5 chicks. If she wants a dozen eggs a day, some for herself and some to sell, she should buy about 20 to 22 chicks.

Of course, there are a number of other factors that influence production, such as age, breed, number of daylight hours, but I shant go into that here. All that information can be found online, but until now I had never seen any data about rate of lay during a one-year period. So there you have it. I hope it is as interesting to you as it was to me. I'm just glad I don't have to count eggs every day anymore!

Violet's Babies

Violet's babies hatched Sunday. She brought them out to meet everyone today. The little white one is a Silkie, the red one is a Rhode Island Red. The largest black/cream one is an Australorp. The remaining two are Australorp/Barred Rock mixes.

There are no more hens sitting on eggs now. I may let a broody hatch some eggs later this fall, but we're done for now. My back surgery is the 18th and I won't be able to look out for broody hens for a while.

Twelve Acres Maternity Ward

We've got more babies than you can shake a stick at right now. Ollie's been scratching up a storm all day today showing her babies how to forage. I watched her catch a big worm that was obviously too big for the babies and she ate it herself. The little red chick managed to poke through the fencing then poked right back through! They scoot around like little water bugs. In fact, I'm thinking of naming the little black one Scooter.



Daisy's got six fuzzy butt babies to take care of now. I was duck midwife last night. I had to help two ducklings get out of their shells. It was amazing! One of them is the brightest yellow one. I think it's a little hen because the whole time I was removing bits of egg shell for her she was screaming for her mommy as loud as she could. Hen are much louder than drakes, even at a young age. Two of the ducklings had birth defects and I had to euthenize them--not easy, but the right thing to do. I found one dead near the pond's edge this morning. I'm not sure what happened other than an accidental drowning. The remaining six are energetic and the apples of their daddies' eyes! It's heartwarming to watch the ducks' family unit. The drakes accept the ducklings into the flock and are so happy to have Daisy back with them. I can tell that they miss having the hens around.



Macaroni has a nest full of fuzzy yellow puffballs now. I think all 14 of her eggs hatched. There are so many little heads in her nest that I can't count them all! She's not bringing them out just yet, but hopefully tomorrow she will. She's going to have a whole entourage following her around!

Ollie's Firstborn

While we're waiting for Daisy's babies to hatch, here's a video of Ollie and her first chick. Her mama was obviously a barred rock and you can see the telltale spot on top of its head. Are you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'? Girl! I put some feed in the corners of the nest box to make sure the little cutie got some food in her belly.

Ollie's got another baby under her too that hatched this morning. It's a reddish color with some black markings on the wing feathers. Mama must have been one of those Golden Comets that's a cross between a leghorn and a New Hampshire, or whatever cross they use to make those red layer hybrids that are all the rage. The fourth egg doesn't show any signs of hatching yet. I'll give it another day.

If this chick is indeed a girl like I think it is, we're definitely keeping her.

Waiting for Peeps

I don't know which is worse - waiting nine months for a baby to be born or waiting 28 days for ducklings to hatch. Tomorrow is Daisy's hatch date, Saturday is Ollie's and Macaroni's. I'm on pins and needles waiting, something I'm terrible at doing.

I've read that if you listen closely you can hear the chicks peep to their mama's through the egg shells when they're getting ready to hatch. I'm listening closely to all three hens' nests. You should see me, kneeling down above the sidewalk and deck with my ear to the floor like an Indian listening for thunder in the distance. I haven't heard anything yet.

I've moved Violet to the floor beneath the nest boxes. Her hatch date is June 15. Violet is low in the pecking order and not very good at defending her nest. The other hens were getting in there with her and laying eggs in her nest. I don't know how many times I had to haul a hen out of there and put Violet back in! So now she's got a private nest to herself and no one can bother her. She wasn't keen on the box at first but now she's content. Earlier this week Poppy got in Violet's nest and stepped on one of the eggs and broke it. I was so upset. I had that girl's neck in my fingers but didn't do it. She's a good layer. An airhead, but a good layer. The egg that was broke wasn't one of the Silkie eggs.

And now another of my Australorps is broody, this time it's Iris. I don't think I'll indulge her though. My back surgery is June 18 and I won't be able to look after chicks then. I might let a broody hen hatch some eggs after that though. Lily's been plucking her belly feathers lately and she may go broody. She's my biggest girl and could easily cover a dozen eggs. We'll see.

I'm hoping that I'll be posting pictures and videos of baby ducklings tomorrow. In the meantime, Betty and I (and little Scarlet) are just waiting...

Candling Results - Day 12

I took this photo of my ducks last July when they were 3 days old. This is what's in store for us!

We're almost to the mid-point of egg incubation here at Twelve Acres. I was fortunate to be able to candle Ollie's and Macaroni's eggs today. I had no luck at all getting pictures though. Try as we might, we just couldn't get a decent photo. I'm no pro at egg candling but at this stage of the game it's very easy to tell if an egg is good or bad. Good eggs are so filled with chick or duckling that they appear to be solid inside and show a very large, dark shadow along with an air cell on the large end of the egg. Bad eggs show nothing at all and sometimes you can still see the yolk. I removed any bad eggs I found and cracked them just to be sure. I had 100% accuracy! Here are the results so far.

Ollie (Buff Orpington hen): 4 good eggs, 2 bad

Daisy (Cayuga duck): 10 good, she removed 4 bad ones herself

Macaroni (Blue Swedish duck): 15 good, 1 bad

I will candle Violet's eggs in about 10 days and find out how many good ones she's got. She's setting like an old pro.

Violet's Setting

This is Violet* and she's been acting broody for about a week now. She seemed to hem and haw about it at first, which is normal. She developed a 'tude and the characteristic "poofing" that only a broody hen (or a tom turkey) will do. A hen won't get serious about incubating eggs until she's laid a clutch worth her effort. Unfortunately with layers you take the broody's eggs each day when you gather eggs, so they don't get a chance to accumulate. Then when it comes time to start incubating the hen's left with an empty nest. It's easy to find some fertile eggs for her in a pinch though. Around here, there's plenty of chicken owners who are more than willing to share their eggs with my broodies.

I kept removing Violet from the nest box today to see just how serious she was about this whole motherhood thing. Each time I removed her she was back on the nest within a reasonable amount of time. I lifted her up gently and checked her belly--no feathers to speak of, which is normal for a broody hen. She's been plucking them to line her nest which explains why I've been cleaning black Australorp feathers out of this nest box for a long time now.

This batch of 8 eggs came from an Asian lady who lives by my mother-in-law. Jim just happened to be at his mom's when I called him and asked him to stop by and ask for some fertile eggs for Violet to set. He asked his mom for something to put them in since he's not in the habit of keeping egg cartons in his truck. She gave him this basket and put a scrap piece of towel in it to cushion the eggs on the ride home. Jim said he enjoyed talking to the chicken owners and when he told them the eggs were for a broody they refused to accept any money for them, a phenomenon known to bird growers everywhere! They also selected a variety of breeds for Violet: Rhode Island Red, Barred Rock, Silkie, Australorp and another that Jim couldn't remember, possibly New Hampshire Red or Welsummer. When he told me he was bringing me two Silkie eggs (I'm holding one of the little buggers in the photo) I groaned, "What am I gonna do with a pom pom chicken?" I'm not a big fan of the frou-frou breeds. Just give me a sound, reliable egg layer with a nice disposition and I'll be satisfied. When Derek heard about the Silkie eggs he immediately got excited and asked if we could keep them. I said, "Let's just see what Violet can do first." Of course you know if she hatches those darn Silkie eggs (which she will just cuz I don't want 'em) I'm doomed to keep them! *Groan!*

In case you aren't familiar with what a Silkie chicken is, you can see some photos here. They are particularly popular as pets because of their sweet nature and they are considered a delicacy in the Asian culture. They have black skin, are small and are not very good layers. But they are excellent broody hens. Just what I need. *Groan!*






















Violet's hatch date is June 15 so keep your fingers crossed for her. She's my smallest Australorp but fortunately most of the eggs she's setting are on the small side and she's covering them well. Those Silkie eggs remind me of the pullet eggs my girls first laid. If you're wondering about the red X's on the ends of the eggs they will prevent any confusion at egg-gathering time. Everyone knows that eggs that are marked are fertile and are to be left under the hen.

*Violet was nicknamed "Violent" when she was a teenager because of her annoying habit of pecking me as hard as she could on my legs. Fortunately, she outgrew it. She has beautiful beetle-green sheen to her feathers in the sun and the largest dark eyes of the Australorps. A real looker!

Ollie's Setting!

The nice lady who was going to send me 6 eggs for Ollie sent me an email today saying she was reluctant to do so because she thinks her flock had a virus this spring. She didn't want to take the chance of sending it to me and infecting my flock. I was grateful she informed me of this and thanked her for her offer. I told her I would look locally for a flock with fertile eggs. Well as luck would have it, there's a lady just down the road who has a flock with a rooster. She also has a sign in her front yard that says "Eggs $1.75". I looked in my purse. I had 2 bucks in it. Hurray! Off I went to buy some fertile eggs for Ollie.

When I arrived I could see their gorgeous rooster. He looked like a brown leghorn except that he had a pea comb. I will have to research what he could be unless you fellow chicken owners would like to make a suggestion. He looked like this rooster but with a pea comb. I saw 4 barred rock hens, a few black australorps and what looked like red stars or red sex-linked hens. I imagine that's where the two ginormous eggs came from.

The eggs were laid today and were taken right from the nest boxes. I paid a dollar for them. I think I got two barred rock eggs. They were speckled and much smaller, just like my barred rocks' eggs. I also got one that reminded me of Violet's eggs. She's an australorp that lays an almost pinkish-violet egg. We're certainly going to have quite a variety of shapes and colors! I marked the ends of each egg with a big cross so that there will be no confusion about which eggs are Ollie's. I marked the calendar with a hatch date of June 6 which, concidentally, is the same day Macaroni's clutch is due to hatch! Daisy is due two days before. Oy! We are gonna have baby birds all over the place that weekend! Derek put one egg at a time in the corner of the nest box and gave Ollie the chance to tuck it underneath her.






















She clucked with delight as she carefully nudged each egg beneath her warm rump. We wished her good luck and left the coop to give her time by herself. Gosh it's a warm fuzzy feeling knowing that big Ollie has a clutch of eggs beneath her and she is content to incubate them. Keep your fingers crossed that we have a good hatch.

Ollie's Broody

Ollie finally decided to get seriously broody yesterday. So she sat all day in the nest box on...nothing. I felt sorry for her today and put two golf balls under her. She seems happy to have something to fidget and fuss with. I gave them to her at the edge of the nest box and she clucked happily as she tucked them underneath her warm bottom.

So in about 21 days I should have a lovely pair of Titleists running around the coop. Unless one of you folks out there would like to send me a couple of fertile eggs to put under this determined gal!

These peeps better watch out or Ollie will teach them a hard lesson. Maude seems intent on staring at her.

The peeps are 7 weeks old on Friday and they are learning to be big girls. They've begun roosting on this pine branch a few days ago. Aren't they cute up there? Don't they look smug and smart?

Peeps Growing Up

Some shots of the month-old peeps acting like big girls. Everyone is getting along well. The little girls have learned to be quick around the big hens. I've put the broilers in general population too. Little Sophia is in the middle, sleeping. She's much smaller than the other chicks but her spunk keeps her on equal terms with them. She's such a cutie and we adore her.

The gold Campine is named Gingersnap. Derek wanted to try the breed to see what they're like. She's a Belgian breed and will lay medium sized white eggs. To her right is Maude the Welsummer who was named by my mom after the TV show from the 70s. She's a big, gangly girl just like the late Bea Arthur, so the name really fits her.

Last is Dorothy the Speckled Sussex, named after another Bea Arthur character from the show "The Golden Girls". She's very sweet and unimposing. On her right is the bold and funny Prissy who was named after the slave girl in the movie "Gone With The Wind". Her counterpart, Scarlet, is the other Barred Rock chick.

Duck egg update: I can see at least 13 eggs in Daisy's nest. She's still sitting half the day. Macaroni isn't disappearing anymore so I assume she's back to normal. Oy, these ducks!

The Smartest Hen in the Flock

Jim made one final pass with the tiller in the garden before I put up the chicken wire today. Betty, the official mascot of Twelve Acres, quickly learned weeks ago that the worm digger roto-tiller provides plenty of fresh, juicy worms to eat. While the other hens run from the big scary machine, Betty doesn't.

I love Betty for her pluckiness, sass and gumption. Did I mention that Barred Rocks are my favorite breed?

Integrated Flock

Anyone who has chickens will tell you that mature hens will not always accept babies and that you should never put fuzzy peeps in with them because the chances that they'll kill them are pretty high. Introducing new chickens of any age into an established flock is a touchy matter. Such is the nature of chickens.

The peeps are a month old now and have been exposed to the hens for over 2 weeks. The hens have been able to get very close to the peeps and check them out. I've kept them penned safely during the day in an enclosure made of a circle of chicken wire - very cheap and portable! At night they slept in a cage in the chicken coop where both peeps and hens could see and hear each other. I've been watching the two generations interact, waiting for the time when both parties tell me they're ready to be put together. Yesterday was that day. I put the peeps on the floor of the coop in the evening with their heat lamp. The hens came in and got a good look at the peeps in "their" coop but no one attacked. The peeps ventured out into the run (Miss Prissy was first-that's her eyeballing the camera in the first photo) and had a blast running around, flapping their wings and scratching in the dirt. The hens were a bit put off by all their silly shenanigans but no one attacked. Lily did have to establish some boundaries but it only took a few seconds for the peeps to understand what she was not willing to tolerate.

The day has gone very well for the chickens. I kept the gate shut on the run so that they were forced to spend the day together. It's a bit cool today so the peeps stayed inside the coop. Each time I went out to check for eggs they were busy doing something: napping, dust bathing, eating or staring out the hen door.

Dorothy, a Speckled Sussex, watching the hens scratch in the fresh grass clippings.















Peeps dust bathing in the corner. (Two Barred Plymouth Rocks, one Speckled Sussex, one Delaware, one golden Campine and one Welsummer.)



Go ahead, stick your hand in there and check for eggs. I dare ya! What you're missing is the horrible dinosaur-like screech she's making.

Don't let Ollie fool ya. She's just very hormonal right now. She even puffs up and screeches if you walk too closely to her in the yard. I'm expecting her to go broody any day now. Currently she sits on the nest half the day just to lay an egg, which is definitely not normal for her.
When I check under her for eggs I always stroke her back first, then put my hand under her. She never pecks. I don't think Ollie has ever pecked me, as a matter of fact.

Month-Old Broilers

It's hard to believe that a month has gone by since I got these broiler chicks. To see what they looked like on day one, click here. I can't put them out in the yard with the layer peeps anymore because they're so much larger and tend to bully the little girls. I had to come up with a separate pen for the layer peeps today just to keep them safe.

The broilers should be ready to butcher in 2-3 more weeks. I plan to let them get as large as possible before we do because I've only got 9 of them. I am impressed with the health and vigor of these broilers and plan to order more of them from Ideal Hatchery next spring. The red ones are noticeably larger than the black ones. I'd estimate their weight at around a pound right now.

It was a beautiful day here in northwest Ohio and I was able to get my 10 new trees from Arbor Day Foundation planted in the yard. I love to plant trees! I found a few worms as I dug the holes and saved them for the chickens. Gertie got most of them! Violet was posing for the camera so of course i had to take her picture. She's a pretty little Australorp. When she was a teenager her nickname was "Violent" because she would run up to me and peck me hard on the leg for no reason. She outgrew it eventually. Chicks go through weird phases as they mature!

Free Roto-Tilling and Fertilizer Service

After Jim made a few passes with the roto-tiller in the new garden area, the chickens came in and got all the worms and bugs they could get their little beaks on. They've been out there scratching around all day helping to break up the soil and deposit a little free fertilizer as they go. I can't complain, they work for scratch!

The chicks are two weeks old today. I put the peeps and broilers in a playpen made of chicken wire for the day. They are enjoying the warm sun, scratching in the dirt and seeing all the outdoor sights. They fall asleep in the sun and it's cute to watch them. The big chooks don't seem to pay them much attention so I'm hopeful that they won't think twice about it when the time comes to put them together.



Five more weeks and the broilers should be ready to butcher. We aren't letting ourselves get attached to them so it will be easier. I wish I had more of them, 9 is going to go fast.

Little Sophia, the speckled Sussex, is doing well. She is eating like a champ and seems to be coming along. She's the smallest bird and very sweet. The biggest chick of the layer group is by far Maude, the Welsummer. I put bands on the layers today which is always entertaining. They pick at the leg bands at first trying to get them off. Scarlet's is red and I put a bright pink one on Blanche. I think it fits her personality!

Wood Ducks

For the past few days I've been seeing this pair of wood ducks in the pond. We have a fiberglass duck nest box at the far edge and they seem to be checking it out. Yesterday I even got to see the hen standing on top of it. I don't know if she's got a clutch of eggs inside or not but I would love to see her with a brood of ducklings in the pond! This is the first time I've ever seen wood ducks in my life so I'm excited.

At ten days old, the chicks have their wing and tail feathers. Next, the feathers on their backs and necks grow in followed by belly and head feathers. They're very active and energetic at this stage. It's supposed to warm up this weekend and I hope to have them out in the lawn in a temporary enclosure so they can forage and scratch in the dirt. It will also give them a chance to meet the big chooks in a protected environment. Integrating new birds into an established flock should take place over a period of weeks if at all possible.

I'm a bit concerned about the smallest Sussex. She isn't keeping pace with the others in growth. She seems to be very lethargic at times and she's not as vigorous as the others. She's now the smallest chick, even smaller than the Campine (a medium breed). I am keeping watch over her but that's about all I can do for her. Hopefully she'll perk up soon.

Happy Birthday Chooks!

The chooks are officially one year old today. They were hatched on April 13, 2008. They're not pullets anymore, now they're hens.

So much happens in the first year of a chicken's life that it's hard to keep track of all the milestones. They start out as tiny little puffballs of fuzz.

Then they get all their feathers and start looking like big chickens instead of gangly teenagers.


And then come those first little pullet eggs.

Chickens are a fun family project that everyone can get involved in. I never realized how much fun chickens could be. And there's nothing like having your own fresh eggs every day.

Peeps TV Episode 2

Don't be fooled by this seemingly innocent appendage. In a few months this little foot will be capable of unrivaled damage. Chickens are great excavators. I was pulling my hair out last year trying to figure out how to keep them from damaging my landscaping and then I discovered bird netting. Now I don't have to deal with scattered mulch anymore.

The chicks are 4 days old now and their wing feathers are coming in and they are stretching their wings. I've named the bold little Barred Rock chick "Scarlet" after my favorite movie heroine who remained strong in the face of adversity.

The broiler chicks are bulking up pretty quickly. If you're thinking of getting some meat birds I highly recommend the red broilers available from Ideal Hatchery. The black broilers are nice too but they're not keeping up with the red broilers. Next time I'm ordering just the red ones. These chicks are active foragers too and don't just sit around on their rumps like Cornish X's do.

And now, without further ado, I present Episode 2 of Peeps TV. The little Delaware is fighting the urge to nap. Her name is "Blanche" after the character from "The Golden Girls". I'm trying to figure out who Dorothy and Sophia are going to be but I have a feeling it's going to be the two Speckled Sussex. In the video, the Delaware is on the left. Near the end you can see one of the red broilers standing in front of her.

SURPRISE!

I had every intention of sleeping in this morning. Then Jim came into the bedroom and asked me if I was expecting the new chicks today. I said no, they were due to arrive next Wednesday. Then he informed me that the post office called and said there was a peeping package waiting for me.

What?!?

I had planned to get the brooder cage ready on Monday, plenty of time to get things set up. I was completely unprepared for the arrival of baby chicks today! I had 7 new layers and 9 broilers waiting for me at the post office. Gack!

As I leapt out of bed, I barked orders at Jim to go get the brooder cage then run to town, pick up a bag of chick starter, then to the post office to get the chicks and hurry up about it! I got dressed and ran to get the feeder and water font prepped. I still hadn't cleaned them from when the ducks used them last July.

By the time Jim got back with the feed and chicks I had the brooder set up and ready for them. I ran out to meet him in the driveway and grabbed the box of chicks and ran inside with them. I quickly put them in the brooder and they all got a drink. In a few minutes they found the feeder and then they crashed. They'd had a long trip from Ideal Hatchery in Texas and they needed a good nap. Hatching day for chicks is very stressful.

I'm happy to report that the two Barred Rocks are full of personality. One is rather shy, the other is brave and bold. I got the bold one out for a while and let her explore the computer desk. She is fearless and I can tell she's going to rival Betty in personality. I'm going to have to think long and hard about an appropriate name for such a funny little chick.

I am pleased with all the chicks. They all seem to be full of character and there's only a few shy ones. It's been my experience that sometimes the shy ones turn around and become quite friendly when they reach maturity.

For those who will not be indulging in spring chicks this year I give you Peep TV. Enjoy!























Speckled Sussex, sleepy on hatching day

Welsummer chick

Red and black broilers

Delaware

Sleepy little Delware

Nice variety of chicks

Cute little chipmunk stripes on the Welsummer (and she's wearing eyeliner!)

Spunky Barred Plymouth Rock explores the keyboard



Sweet little Delaware chick

"What's going on in there?" asks Fern. The big chooks lurked on the front porch today, listening to the peeping babies.

Egg Laying Record!

They finally did it! All of my chooks laid an egg today for a grand total of 14!





















Good job girls! You deserve a hug.

Glorious Day!

It's been such a glorious day...it's warm and sunny, my birds are foraging in the lawn, I baked, and I feel great. Macaroni laid her egg in the nest box this morning. On the right are the duck eggs and on the left are two chicken eggs.

Since I had read about the benefits of baking with duck eggs I wanted to try them out in a cake recipe. I cracked them into a bowl alongside two chicken eggs. I could immediately see a difference in the whites. The chicken egg whites (on right) are a pale yellow next to the clear whites of the duck eggs! The yolks appear to be similar in color, however. I could also see that Macaroni's eggs were fertile, as evidenced by the pale "bulls-eye" on each yolk. The shells were incredibly thick and actually difficult to crack.

Lanny reminded me last night that duck eggs are also more nutritious than chicken eggs. If you'd like to read a comparison of chicken and ducks eggs, click here. After reading that, I'm thinking I might not sell any of my duck eggs after all. In fact, I'm considering hatching some out under a broody hen so that I can increase my number of laying ducks! I just have to wait for one of my hens to go broody. If you've ever hatched duck eggs under a hen, please share your experience in the comments.

Whenever I fire up the oven to bake, I try to get the most out of it. Alongside the "Vanilla Rich Chip Cake" (recipe here), I baked this weeks' worth of honey oatmeal bread. I love baking days. The smells coming from the oven are heavenly.

After the baking was done I went outside to enjoy the wonderful weather. I sat on the deck steps and watched the chooks foraging in the lawn. Betty came and sat on my lap for a long time and even dozed off briefly in the warm sunshine. The Australorps became very sleepy and fell asleep in a pile next to the foundation. Don't they look like they've died?


The ducks are also enjoying this beautiful day. They've been switching between napping on the lawn and swimming around in the pond. They stop occasionally to feed along the edge of the pond.