Making Lemonade [Selective Culling Project - very long term]

[U_Stormcrow]

Thank you. I am getting all my chick fixes vicariously this year.

Just delivered three flats of eggs to the neighbors, willl start incubating anotheer batch tommoroww.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

and in terms of advancing my project, unless the bird in front shows some pattern in the next few weeks, its going to freezer camp. I have anotheer whose pattern is black, not brown. Freezer Camp.

The others are varying degrees of "possibly", depending largely on gender. I have eyes on a couple of the most promising, but I'm a poor judge.

 

[Sally PB]

My girls' egg laying is winding down for the season. It's been a good egg season this year, for their ages. I definitely need to get chicks next spring.

The egg skelter will be emptied with tomorrow morning's breakfast. I have 2 dozen in the fridge, and 36-ish waterglassed in the basement. We'll get enough to have bacon and eggs for weekend breakfasts for a while still.

Hubby does not like the waterglassed eggs. Fine. You will get store bought eggs, dear.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

replacing old hens is why I'm hatching.

 

[Sally PB]

I thought I'd lose some of my 5 y/o hens over the winter, but they all made it. Instead, I lost 2 of the 2 y/o hens. My favorite ones, of course.

I have 8, feel like 10 (maybe plus a rooster) is the maximum for my space. They're all confined; too many predators on the ground and in the air for me to feel comfortable to free range them.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I thought I'd lose some of my 5 y/o hens over the winter, but they all made it. Instead, I lost 2 of the 2 y/o hens. My favorite ones, of course.

This is the chicken math no one tells you about before you get chickens. A few years ago I let three broodies hatch and I got ONE pullet out of two dozen eggs. She fell off the roost dead before she could lay a single egg.