2011

January 1,2011. Starting off this year with a 1 1/2 yr old Ameracuana rooster, three 6 month old Ameracuana hens,one 6 month old Holland mix hen and two male guinea fowl. The Holland mix has started laying right at the 6 month mark. Full size brown eggs, one per day. Two of the Ameracuana's are laying but only about once every two days. One lays brown the other blue green. We have some re-arranging to do in the housing this spring and have our plans worked out. Its only a matter of weather and when. They originally were all separated into three groups. The rooster and the two older ameracuana hens in one pen. The holland and the younger ameracuana in another and the guinea fowl free ranged but slept in a closed coop at night. I let them all out one afternoon and when the sun went down they decided to all sleep in one house. So I left them there.
January 8,2011. My plan was to move a larger coop to the back yard today using a small trailer and my car but some snow came in and nixed that idea. It will pretty much have to wait until spring now. I have some assorted bantam eggs on order from McMurray hatchery expected to arrive next week. I hope to have them ready to sell by Easter although my wife wants to keep any "frizzles" we get. I would like to get into Sikies at some point.

January 9,2011. Found a silkie rooster on craigslist. A family isn't supposed to have chickens and he started crowing so they need him gone quick. They were in Rhode Island so I waiting until Margie got off work and we drove down to get him. He drank like crazy when I got him home and then he ate his fill. I am guessing the two RI Red Hens that he was penned with might have hen-pecked him a little.
Janurary 11,2011.The silkie was fine this morning. Strutting around his cage. He hasn't crowed yet but he did peck my hand while I was fishing a wood chip out of this feeder. I am guessing he is feeling okay then. Big snow coming so I let everyone out in the yard today. When I got home they were all put to bed. Only one egg today and it was the Holland mix. She left a feather behind to make sure I knew who it was. I emailed a contact on craigslist last night about some silkie hens. She answered today that she had two of them. I responded so its a wait and see now if we can cut a deal. If I get them I am going to put them in a portable coop right off the front porch where the spring flower garden will be. Its a good sunny spot for now
January 12-13,2011 We had a big snowstorm today. I did what I could to make the outside chickens as comfortable as possible. Threw in some extra feed and blocked the door with a board to cut down on the wind. I put an I/O rug on the floor of my office and let the silkie rooster hang out with me all day. He did okay although he's not sure what our relationship is. When I went upstairs for lunch or outside to run the snow blower he tried to follow. When we came in from shoveling he apparently had hopped up onto the laptop table, walked out on a clipboard which fell off the table and dumped him into the recycled paper box. I think he was actually happy to be picked up this time! I let him in again the next day and he was more comfortable walking around and talking to himself. The hens outside gave us three eggs- even with the cold. One either got cold enough to start to freeze or got stepped on with the crowded conditions and was cracked.

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January 14,2011 I guess he's comfortable now! I was standing in the kitchen this morning with Margie and we heard a rooster crow. I immediately looked to the pen out back and thought "What the heck is wrong with my rooster." Then I realized it was the silkie in the garage that finally decided to crow. We went down to visit him and it didn't register why we were there. He strutted around a bit. No office time today though. I had cleaned everything up last night in preparation for the arrival of the assorted bantam fertile eggs from McMurray today. First they have to sit out for 6 to 12 hours to come to room temp then they go into the incubator.