Do you keep a log of eggs/molting/broody, etc??

[nuchickontheblock]

Hi folks,
I just started keeping a log in the past 4 months re: number of eggs, who's broody, who's molting, new feed, special chicken happenings.
It is really helpful for me and I wish I'd started it when I first got my girls.

I only have 3 so it's easy, but wondered if others do this as well.
What other info do you keep track of??

 

[Cadjien_De_Louisiane]

With my domestic chickens I keeped a record of how many eggs total I got each day. I did that for a few month then quit, with my gamefowl I keep very detailed record like which hen lays an egg which day and any changes I do or any changes they have anything different that I see. I think if you dont mind the extra work that keeping records is an excellent thing. Give you someting to look back on in years to come.

 

[they'reHISchickens]

You can search for Steve's Chickentracker-- free software that Steve's wife made for him. ( Bless you dear!)
It's an Excel spreadsheet that we have customized with columns to identify particular chickens laying etc. Easy to use. Even had my honeybun learning Excel so he could track his egg production. ( They really ARE his chickens!)

 

[mystang89]

I keep an excel sheet telling me how many eggs I got for the day and any other necessary info. I.E When I applied Sevin Dust etc. Not real hard to keep up to date, mainly its 1 egg a day........from 5 chickens...../sigh

 

[ChicKat]

Quote:
Daily, I write the eggs by hen on a calendar, and I put the egg weight down. I put events on the calendar such as worming and I x-off the days the egg discard is required (that was for Wazine-17.)
Monthly, I weigh the chickesn and write down the preventative activity I take for them....eye drops and coating their shanks w/Vet Rx. Half yearly, I will be worming them..... I need to put up a post and ask how chicken experts weigh their birds....but that's a different subject isn't it?

Also, I enter eggs, and a rough monthly expense on www.Eggzy.net and it computes cost per egg, cost per dozen, eggs per month, average eggs per week, graph (pie chart) of your flock make up, and graph (bar chart) of your monthly egg production.

I also write expenses in a note book, DE, coop, toys, treats etc.. Someday, I think I am going to write a book called the $899.00 egg. I have kept log since April. Like you I have 3 so it isn't a lot of work.

Love the idea of the spreadsheet -- but couldn't down load.

 

[ChicKat]

they'reHISchickens :

You can search for Steve's Chickentracker-- free software that Steve's wife made for him. ( Bless you dear!)
It's an Excel spreadsheet that we have customized with columns to identify particular chickens laying etc. Easy to use. Even had my honeybun learning Excel so he could track his egg production. ( They really ARE his chickens!)

Sad, sad, sad--- AnnMarie and Steve, searched the web and found the download link for Excel 2003 and got a 404 Page Not Found error

I would love to have a copy of your spreadsheet....... is the link broken?​

 

[nuchickontheblock]

Thanks for the input. I've got my log on scrap paper -- should probably at least put it into a notebook or calendar -- not sure I could keep it up with a spreadsheet if it was on the computer, but maybe if it was printed out to write on.

Mystang89, I just got my first egg in in the coop in 3 weeks yesterday from 3 bantam hens. (I don't count the 8 in the hidden nest that we just kept to cook up for the girls). They are lousy layers -- sweet girls, but always broody, molting or hidden nest thing.

Chickat, my husband thinks that our eggs now are down to about $1,000.00/egg!

 

[Mark & Nique]

Howdy,

We do this with egg count here on BYC. You can see it as a link (labeled egg table) through our BYC page. Hope it's helpful!

 

[HHandbasket]

My better-half is downright OCD about writing down EVERYTHING. Each of our pens has a folder, and in each folder, there is a sheet for each bird in that pen. When they were hatched or bought, where we got them, their age at acquisition (if not hatched), dates of first egg, any significant notes of their progress or health, and EVEN the weight of their eggs (yes, we weigh them on a kitchen scale) for the first month of laying to make sure they're increasing in size appropriately (as if we can't tell by looking at them). There is also a general folder that lists all our breeds, how many cockerels and roosters, how many pullets and hens, how many unknowns, and even a folder for the ones that have been culled or died this year.

Sometimes, there's such a thing as too much of a good thing.

But it's kinda cute, and we do have excellent records in case we ever decide to make this a real business.

 

[33yardbirds]

I started back with chickens for my Grandchildren and relaxation, not to keep a bunch of records. When my brother and I were in business he took care of the paper and I took care of the customers and the work. Even now my wife takes care of all the household paperwork. I know I will get eggs, hens will go broody, roosters will fight, and they will go through their molt. The only paper I handle is the egg money.