The Almost Daily Egg Report

I guess this has become the Almost Weekly Egg Report this week. The temperatures and egg production have been slightly warmer and better the last ten days... but not by much. A couple days ago, I noticed that Big Henny Penny was not looking too good. She was listless, her top comb looked anemic, and worst of all she had diarrhea. I brought her into the warm garage to try to revive her a bit. Following the advice in "The Complete Herbal Handbook for Farm and Stable" by Juliette de Bairacli Levy (a GREAT book), I had her fast with only water for the first 24 hours. I decided to add some Five Flower Essence (a biodynamic Rescue Remedy) to the water, and by evening she had perked up considerably.

Yesterday, we had Sullivan, our handyman woodworker, make a chicken hospital to upgrade Big Henny Penny's accommodations from a makeshift cardboard box to a wooden framed box with mesh netting all around. She has a nice bed of hay, and yesterday she ate some pressed garlic and herb tea. Today I gave her some mustard greens, and good herbs like comfrey, nettles and yarrow. I am also giving her some sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and more garlic. Hopefully , she will be able to return to the flock in a few days. The twelve-sided barn is beginning to grow. Tried to post some photos, but there seemed to be some technological problem with the server. Noah the geek, isn't here to fix that problem, so the photos will have to wait until the glitch is gone.

The Almost Daily Egg Report

I could scarcely believe it! I kid you not, there was a big beautiful, brown owl in the duck pen this morning! Haven't been able to find my Audubon book, so I am not sure what type of owl, but there it was, flapping its huge wings trying to get out. All the ducks, goose and turkeys were in quite a tight cluster at the opposite end of the pen. It must have been a very interesting night! Here is my conjecture as to how it got in as there are no discernible holes in the netting and fence. It must have just walked right in sometime the day before to eat the duck food. On these cold days I have left the food out with the door open. Usually I close the ducks, goose and turkeys in around dusk, and that owl must have been in the pen behind the house where I didn't notice him. It was a truly gorgeous bird with huge yellow eyes and big eyelids that blinked one at a time. After finishing my chores this morning, I decided to get my camera to photograph it for this blog site. But just as the duck pen came into view, I could see that the owl finally found the open door and flew off east to his welcome freedom.
That was an exciting morning!
P.S. I just found out that it was a horned owl.

The Almost Daily Egg Report

The numbers have been even worse this week. Since the last report, the daily eggs have been: 8,6,5,7,2 and 8. That day of only two eggs was a major disappointment. It has continued to be cold, although mostly above zero. Another factor may be that my light broke and was out for a few days before I replaced it with a new one. When it is dark, the girls are not so inclined to lay their fine eggs, so I have a light on a timer and it comes on around 6:00 a.m. and turns off at 9:00 p.m. Those are long work days, I know, but believe me there is a lot of loitering, traipsing around the henhouse, snacking, and dustbathing going on during these hours - it's not all just sitting in the nest boxes like good little hens and pushing out the eggs. Anyway, I'll be glad when we get back up to a dozen eggs or so a day. David's counting on that egg money to retire.

The Almost Daily Egg Report

Well, the numbers have been down in the henhouse since my Fabulous Day of Fifteen Eggs. Since then, the hens' daily number of eggs has been: 9, 5 (this was on the fourth day in a row of verrry cold weather), 10, 9 and 10 again today. On Monday and Tuesday this week, we had a balmy respite of 10-20 degree ABOVE temperatures, but today the Arctic Blast is back and the early morning temp was 20 below and mean. The ducks, goose and turkeys have been barely moving at all today - really staying hunkered down. The sheep seem fine if they can have hay every time they see me. Their wooly coats are lovely and long, and I am looking forward to the eventual natural dying, spinning (first I have to learn how...),felting and knitting of their luscious fibers. Work has begun on a large, twelve-sided barn. Concrete pads were poured yesterday, but nobody is working today - it's too cold.

The Almost Daily Egg Report

'BRRRRRR - We are having a serious cold snap. I have definitely been noting the early morning temperature since the last blog - 10 below zero on Thursday, 15 below yesterday and today. The dogs are not wanting to spend much time outside. And the turkeys didn't even budge when I brought the fresh water this morning, For a few moments, I thought one of them might need to be brought in for a while, but when I went closer to them they both moved on. I left the water closer to them, they partook and seemed to be OK, albeit moving rather slowly.

The cold hasn't yet seemed to effect egg production. Yesterday I (and the hens, of course) had our biggest day yet - 15 eggs!!! I attribute this at least partly to the fact that I really loaded up all the nesting boxes with fresh hay, thinking it would help the hens feel a bit more cozy in this cold. They, the hens, did indeed seem to appreciate the extra creature comfort and rewarded me in the way they best know how. The sheep are ploughing through the hay, so shall have to make another trip this weekend to the hay farm for a fresh supply. Always something to do!

The Almost Daily Egg Report

My fine hens have had a pretty good week - Saturday - 10, Sunday - 10, Monday - 12, Tuesday - 11, and today 12 again. Some of them have names: Big Henny Penny, Little Henny Penny, Hickety Pickety, Domeniqua, and Fatty Pants. I think I'm calling the one lone rooster Doodle-Doo, who, by the way, is gradually becoming more aggressive - which doesn't bode well for his long-term future. For the moment I'm able to fend him off with a trash can cover that I use as a shield. But the day that doesn't work any longer is the day he will be a goner.

It was very cold today - not sure how low the temperature was, but the buckets of sheep and duck water were solid frozen when I went to check on them. They are saying twill be colder still for the next few days. But, hey, that's OK. It is January in Maine, after all. We just need a couple more feet of snow, and we'll be all set. Haven't even gotten out on my cross-country skis or snowshoes yet, because the two previous snows disappeared too quickly. Took off all the ornaments of the Christmas tree this evening and out it will go tomorrow. Thus wraps up another Twelve Days. May this season of Epiphany bring blessed revelations to one and all!

The Almost Daily Egg Report

On New Year's Day, the Egg farmer packed 4 dozen eggs into her pickup and delivered Free New Year's Eggs to friends and family in Freeport - the Mahoneys, the Rheas, the Sturtevants and the best mother-in-law-in-the-world Irene. The last stop was the Sturtevants ( Irene happened to be there, too) and we all settled in for a delicious cup of tea and enjoyable New Year chat.

Oh! The latest farm news is that David has spent the last week training the ducks, goose and turkeys to come when they hear our new doorbell (see latest farm photos) ringing. This is a beautiful, big, bronze bell sculpted by talented young artist, Harry Gold who also did our fish hinges on the hobbit door and who painted a gorgeous mural in the potting shed (no photos on website, yet - sorry).

So, back to the ducks. Every day David made the bell gong, shook his can of feed, threw out the feed and after about a week...they got it! Yesterday, as soon as he gonged the bell, the whole band of roving fowl lifted their heads in unison and their webbed feet (except for the turkeys) started marching in a beeline for the bell. So, when you come to our house and ring our doorbell, expect to be greeted by a band of hungry, quacking ducks, et al. Oh yes, the Hens laid thirteen eggs on Thursday and ten on Friday.

The Almost Daily Egg Report

Eight eggs on Wednesday. They, the hens, really laid more eggs, but I have to reveal the darker side of chickens to those of you unfamiliar with farm ways: often they will break and eat one or more of their own eggs. Yesterday, I think they might have nabbed two, because when I collected eggs in the afternoon, one of the nesting boxes was pretty messy with the sticky residue of raw egg innards. Some days I go out three or four times in hopes of getting the eggs before the hens start pecking at them. And some days I succeed...but some days I don't. It's sort of the great story of being a human played out between the hens and me. The sun is shining brilliantly, the sky is lovely blue with puffy cumulus clouds floating about. It's the first day of the new year. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL!!!