First Eggs and Lessons.

February 03, 2017

First Eggs and Lessons.

It was a big day on our farm recently our hens started to lay eggs, you may recall that we got them as chicks from my daughters class and cared for them they are now 7 months old so it takes a while. It was always a standing joke to whether or not they would ever lay. The day we got our first egg we walked up to our neighbors house to share the news they are retired farmers, they smiled and looked for some white pebbles for us to put in their nesting boxes to encourage them to lay there. Our other neighbor also added some wooden eggs to them.

I have learnt a lot about chickens the last few weeks, I found sales on craigslist and facebook groups one caught my eye a little black silkie that the owner didn't want in her breeding program as she had 6 toes. But we took her, she is below named Nikki 6, I didn't realize that Silkies can't fly well so she is unable to roast with the other ones then I bought a few Belgian d'Uccle Bantams in the Millie Fleur color the lady had a rooster and hen pair and I got a couple of other bantams for him. So they were then in two groups the bigger chickens, white rooster and his 4 hens and the little bantams. I felt Nikki needed a friend so we got another black silkie she was weak when we got her and sadly the others pecked her, we kept her separate and then I found mites on her, sadly she didn't make it. The mites didn't seem to spread and we added diatomaceous earth to the coop for them to dust bath in and all is well.

I have learnt to be cautious getting new chickens and to carefully integrate and hope the others accept them. They still don't all lay and not all the time as day light hours are not long enough so selling eggs is hard. I have a couple of times but I don't think I would ever get enough chickens for this to be a good income. Most likely we will enjoy our little chicken pets and eggs for us and friends.

Sargent and Nikki 6

they are small eggs as our chickens are still pullets and the others are bantams.

This rooster is lovely he doesn't flog us like snow drop the big white one. But still I am hoping at least one hen will get broody and we can have chicks.