MJ's little flock

[MaryJanet]

They are darling! How adorable!

The lavender one has had a good drink now.

I needn't keep watching. But who am I kidding? I'll be watching for a while yet

 

[MaryJanet]

I like how pip and grow provide important info on the box.

 

[MaryJanet]

One's sister makes a v nice pillow.

 

[RoyalChick]

View attachment 4276399

One's sister makes a v nice pillow.

Adorable.

 

[MaryJanet]

Adorable.

I have the quarantine protocol established. Hopefully it'll be enough to keep them safe.

 

[MaryJanet]

The 2024 Egg Count is in.

Katie 173
Ivy 143
Mary 51
Edie 7
Peggy 0

Total 374

That's 83 fewer than last year's tally, which included 52 eggs from Janet, Joyce, and Christa, and 105 more eggs from Edie.

Mary is going very well and steadily tapering off her laying, and Peggy has survived being a laying hen, bless her black heart

It's very interesting to look back and see my plan for hatching, which was carried out once a broody was ready (Mary). I continue to wait for Ivy to go broody and will source half a dozen eggs for her when the time comes. Maybe I'll try a different provider as the ones from Pip n Grow seemed to have thin shells. Recent progress on that project is that the youngsters vacated the little coop last night and went to roost (uncomfortably) on its roof. I relocated them to the branch in the hens' roost. It'll be interesting to see what they choose tonight. If they neglect the coop for a week, I'll deep clean it and prep it for laying and setting.

The 2025 egg tally, from oldest to youngest, is

Mary 15
Ivy 20
Peggy 0
Katie 59
Melissa 157
Sarah 42

293 which is 81 fewer than the year before.

Mary and Ivy have since died and they each leave a big empty space in the flock.

That makes 2 years of no eggs from Peggy! It seems she has outlived the risk of dying from reproductive disorders. Fingers crossed Katie will also be safe.

Sarah's low count for her age reflects her commitment to being broody. I worry about Melissa who seems to have laid too many eggs. She has only recently transitioned from 6 to 3 eggs a week.

 

[RoyalChick]

The 2025 egg tally, from oldest to youngest, is

Mary 15
Ivy 20
Peggy 0
Katie 59
Melissa 157
Sarah 42

293 which is 81 fewer than the year before.

Mary and Ivy have since died and they each leave a big empty space in the flock.

That makes 2 years of no eggs from Peggy! It seems she has outlived the risk of dying from reproductive disorders. Fingers crossed Katie will also be safe.

Sarah's low count for her age reflects her commitment to being broody. I worry about Melissa who seems to have laid too many eggs. She has only recently transitioned from 6 to 3 eggs a week.

Every time you do this I kick myself for lacking the discipline to do likewise.
Maybe this is the year to try.

 

[MaryJanet]

Every time you do this I kick myself for lacking the discipline to do likewise.
Maybe this is the year to try.

I like to look back at each hen's data. My memory is no longer reliable. I couldn't have told you how long Peggy had not laid for - I would have estimated 1 year, but it's 2.

At the same time, I can't guarantee the data is 100% precise as I was away in Lisbon for 10 days and it can be hard to tell Sarah and Melissa's eggs apart.

But for me, it's better than no data.