A Journey Through a Different Way - Funny Story Pg. 69

[redhen]

Ruth! I love those olive eggs!
Are you selling them? Will the hens hatched from them lay olive eggs as well??

 

[ruth]

Quote:
Thanks - yes I do sell them. I have a short waiting list - well until late March actually unless they really pick up steam on laying. They've been slow starting back after their winter break. I sell them for $35 per dozen plus $10 for shipping. Paypal is [email protected] I put people's names on The List in order of payment and then try my best to accomodate when they want them delivered. Some want next available, some want April or later. Just let me know.

I can't guarantee that all will lay olive eggs but so far the percentage is pretty high. I've just recently put them in a pen with only olive egg roosters so that they can be bred back to the green gene (lol). Up until now I had all olive egg laying hens bred back to a pure BCM roo but then I got that small very dark brown egg seen in one of the pictures I posted as a first egg from one of my fourth generation olive eggers so I realized I needed to change my tactic. But, hey, it's a gorgeous egg either way.

The large egg was laid by a pure BCM - the small egg was a first egg from one of my "olive eggers":

Now I've removed the BCM roos from the pen and only have roos that hatched from olive eggs so this generation should be pure olive eggers.

Monique

 

[redhen]

Thanks! I'll send the money in the next week or so...
And anytime you can in March OR after is fine! (its too cold here right now to ship eggs or brood chicks anyways)
Thanks!

 

[ruth]

Quote:
Thanks. I'd be happy to have you raise some of these birds because then I could keep tabs on how they do.

 

[brandislee]

I just have to jump onto this thread and say that you are living my dream! Eventually I want essentially what you have- a large house (although there is a distinct shortage of plantation houses here in the midwest, my dream instead is a 2.5 story American foursquare farmhouse... and there is a perfect example .5 mile down the road from me that teases me daily!) on a property that is essentially in the middle of nowhere (a few neighbors would be nice, though) with free ranging chickens and a horse and a dairy cow or two- I was raised with cows and I understand them. In a pinch goats will do, and I understand there are a lot of advantages to goats vs. cows. And I have to say your baby goats are absolutely PRECIOUS.... anyway, you're an inspiration.

Right now I'm "practicing" on my little three acre farm. And I can finally call it a farm because I will have chickens here in the next month I just ordered 10 Buff Orphs, 10 Wyandottes, and a few silkies and ameraucanas... although your Marans are beautiful and I adore the color of their eggs... I don't think they would do very well here with our sub zero winters with that big single comb. I also plan on planting cherry and apricot trees and blueberry bushes this year, as well as propagating the existing grape vine in hopes of making a mini-vineyard... not to mention expanding my little garden to 40x40 (I know that's not big by some people's standards- my MIL gardens almost 4 acres by herself... but it's almost double what I had last year). Then next year I plan to add a few more fruit trees (the variety of which I will probably change my mind about a hundred times between now and then), a few more chicks, and a bee hive (or two). And if I can talk my husband into allowing me to tear up a portion of the yard, I would also like to plant me some wheat (right now is the point where my parents start to call me insane...).

Thanks for this post, the pictures, and the stories you share. They are proof that we can do whatever we put our mind to... no matter how crazy those around us think we are

 

[ruth]

Quote:
Thank you for your kind and encouraging words. For almost four years I've been updating on this Journey Thread and a few other BYC threads. This week I've started my own Bethel Farms Blog:

http://bethelfarms.wordpress.com

I'm slowing getting four years worth of postings and pictures and trying to consolidate them into one Blog beause it has indeed been a journey. This endeavor of retrieving all posts and photos has really sent me down Memory Lane. I too, laughed some, cried some, and couldn't believe how far I've come since those first four baby chicks four years ago. I hope all of you will follow my blog. It's all of the wonderful BYC folks who followed by posts and encouraged me that kept me going and still do. I need you all - thanks for being there for me.

Monique "Ruth"

 

[ruth]

Quote:
The Olive Eggers have finally begun laying again and yes the birds hatched from olive eggs should also lay olive eggs. Over on the Olive Egger Thread AbellChicken just posted pictures of the birds she hatched from my olive eggs and the beautiful olive eggs they just started laying. I've also just listed an auction for an olive egg/BCM combo pack.

 

[Bubbles_erin]

WOW. I just spent days reading all the 70 pages here and the 15 of the thread about how you got your home. I feel I truely know your home, your animals, your family...etc. I am so jealous of the house and the animals. I know it must be a lot of work, but I have never had the farm life, been a city girl for my entire 26 years, but I so want to up root and start a farm too. My husband and I are moving into a rental on some property, but the owner is only okay with my chickens and turkeys, said no other animals...ugh!! I mean its the country, but hey what can I do. The rent is half what we currently pay and I hope to save to buy property, farmland, that either has a home to fix up or no home at all and we can get a trailer home to put on it...then we can just have a blast doing what we want and I can get all the animals my crazy heart desires

I will continue following this thread...just love it...I couldn't imagine 200+ chickens, oh my food must cost a fortune!! And to not use any for meat! WOW!

 

[ruth]

Quote:
I'm glad you found the thread and enjoyed it. I've enjoyed writing about my experiences. I posted that I've now started a blog and will probably update it instead of here because I can keep tabs on it easier. I'm still in the process of sorting through almost 4 years worth of posting here on BYC and putting it into my blog. I want to be able to keep an on-line "journal" of my Journey - which, by the way, is far from over so stay tuned - there's always another journey right around the corner of every new day.

 

[cyw iar]

Thank you for this wonderful thread. You have inspired us to be brave and take all the good and bad in balance and raise our small flock at liberty.