How Many Eggs Did You Get Today?

[Paz]

Schijndelaar? I haven't heard of that breed.

I think it pronounced like “chandelier” but I’m not sure, maybe “shindelar”

 

[BDutch]

I think it pronounced like “chandelier” but I’m not sure, maybe “shindelar”

Hard to pronounce if you are not Dutch. It has the hard g-ch like in Scheveningen, a slight grunge. And the ij-ei that is not in your vocabulary either. Ei means egg btw.
The aa is long . As if you open your throat and say aaa for inspection by a doctor.
S-grunge-ndul-aaa-r
Listen to the pronunciation in video below.

Schijndelaar is a village in the Netherlands where this new breed was established. They are beautiful , light-green laying hens , originally white long tailed chickens.
Small crest. Pheasant like build.

If you like to to translate (google or AI) there are plenty Dutch articles online:

https://schijndelaar.jouwweb.nl/
https://nl.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schijndelaar
https://schijndelaar.webnode.nl/

They created other colours in the region/city of Meierij where Schijndel belongs to .
A video in Dutch about the new black ‘Schijndelaar’, called Meierij chicken , which is completely black.

 

[MargieG]

Well, I love talking about my composting system. So, I'll try to outline it briefly and if you have any more specific questions, let me know.

When I first set up my chicken run, it was covered in beautiful green grass. That only lasted a few months before the chickens had all the grass ripped up leaving only bare dirt which turned into a muddy mess after a rain.

I first dumped in a load of wood chips which worked great. But then I decided that I might as well turn the chicken run into a composting system. So, I started adding in grass clippings, weeds from the garden, and then leaves in the fall.

I use dry deep bedding litter in the coop. I clean out the coop twice a year and dump all the used coop bedding into the chicken run to compost in place. I have used many types of coop bedding, but the last few years have mainly stayed with paper shreds I make at home. Paper sheds break down into compost in about 2 months where I live. But any organic coop litter would compost over time.

The chickens are constantly scratching and pecking in the chicken run compost litter, looking for tasty bugs and juicy worms to eat. That really speeds up the composting breakdown process. They are great little workers turning over the compost all the time.

I have more compost in the chicken run than I can use, but that's a good thing. I harvest a lot of compost in the spring, before I plant my raised bed gardens. I top off all my raised beds and get everything ready for the season. In the fall, I will harvest more compost and top off the beds.

I modified a cement mixer with a screened barrel to shift my chicken run compost. In this picture, you will see the black wagon is full of shifted compost and the rejected material dumps into the gray wagon at the end. It only takes me minutes to shift compost with this cement mixer compost sifter that used to take me hours and hours manually with my old wood frame and wire compost shifter on top of my wheelbarrow.

View attachment 4039803

I can put different sized screens in that barrel. I have a 1/4 X 1/4 inch screen for potting soil, a 1/2 X 1/2 inch screen for mixing into and topping off my raised beds, and the barrel screen itself is 1/2 X 1 inch for less fine compost or mulch. I mainly use the 1/2 X 1/2 inch screen, but I do have other options as well.

Every spring, I shift out about $200 - $300 dollars of compost if I had to buy it at the big box store. So, truly, my chickens bring/save more money in finished compost than I get from the eggs.

Hope that helps.

Good morning. Production is ramping up. on a good day I get 2 eggs if not I get at least one. Yesterday finally one of my Welsummers laid the first egg in months (all my brown eggers stopped sometimes in September) Can you elaborate on your bedding? What paper do you use and how do you shred it?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

@MARGIE, my DH works in a bank. He brings home big trash bags of shredded paper. It's wonderful! Unlike hay, it is clean and easy to transport in the car - and it is completely free! It does not harbor bugs of any kind. It wicks moisture from the chickens' droppings, and it stays clean and dry so there is no odor. Under the paper on the floor there remains just a dry, fine dust that can be swept up easily. Most any large office would be happy to give you their shredded paper waste if you asked for it, making it virtually labor-free as well. @gtaus has a whole thread on the subject and it is fascinating.

 

[fuzzi]

Whoa, is that a really big spoon, or really tiny eggs?

It's a spoon rest!

The eggs are bantam, same size as grocery store small.

 

[fuzzi]

The shijndelaar is a crested breed from the Netherlands. They're pretty new and were recently imported by Greenfire Farms. Of course, their crest is supposed to be pretty docile, but mine almost looks like a polish with how much fluff she has on her head. We named her 'Mindblown' because of it

The deathlayer is a really beautiful landrace breed from Germany. I have one silver pullet, but the golden variety are absolutely gorgeous, too.

Deathlayer would be a pretty rad name for an Easter egger, though.

Pictures?

 

[Chicken_overlord]

Pictures?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Beautiful!

 

[SkyAJK]

Why such beautiful chicken named Deathlayer?

 

[SkyAJK]

5 eggs yesterday.
I had a talk to my 2 professional broody Wyandottes that they are tiresome with their continuous broodiness and that I am so over them.
Now I have them out in the general garden with water&feed. They can just sit there all day long until they are out of it. I am not letting them back in the run until I see an egg from them so that it proves that they are completely out of their broodiness. They still get to sleep with the flock at night. Now they just sit in the garden and not moving. I am really over these two.
I am thinking of putting them up online advertising professional broody hens for hire, just need eggs to sit on, food and water.