Eggs (week ending 1/29): 32A perfect 35 in collected eggs last week. The hens laid five eggs a day, every day for seven days. Perfect 35 is not an official term - having it happen was so unusual that I thought I'd not it here. As things warm up, the production will no doubt go up.
Eggs (through 1/31) 10
Eggs in January: 201
Eggs (week ending 2/5): 35
Eggs (year to date): 236
There are also some weird cat goings- on around here. Biscuit is still missing, and at this point I don't expect to see him/er alive again. But the volunteer cat, a fluffy brown and white mix, hasn't been seen either... but there's a new young cat in the area.
I first caught a glimpse of this one the other night when I was walking to close up the coop for the night. Something small scampered off into the dark. I thought it might be Biscuit since it was small. Then my daughter reported that she had seen a black cat with two calico socks on its feet. This morning as I was doing my usual routine, I heard an odd, monotone wail. I looked in the tack room, where Cleo was eating. It was unlit and dark, but I could see a dark spot moving toward Cleo and the food bowl. Oddly enough, Cleo wasn't terrified of this apparition like she was of Biscuit. Anyway, at that point I saw two points of light color - the two socks on the cat's feet. In a normal tone of voice I said, "What's going on here?" Cleo didn't miss a bite, but the Two Socks cat vanished.
Hope this one doesn't take an interest in the chickens. If it does, it'll learn all to quickly to stay out of their way.
In the meantime, I've got some Saturday projects lining up for the furture. First, I plan to put a new, high roost in the coop. With spring coming, my thoughts are turning to Chick Days at Tractor Supply or a big order from McMurray Hatchery - and I'll eventually need more roosting space. Floor space wise, the coop as it stands now can comfortably hold 24 full grown chickens. I can probably push it a little since I let them free range (which is how I apparently get away with having "too many" roosters), but my plans are to buy straight runs wherever possible and cull the roos for the dinner table. There'll also be a large order of meat birds, too.
Speaking of meat birds, that brings me to my next Satuday project - actually, a multiple-Saturday project. This year I want to build a chicken tractor. Specifically, I want to keep the meat birds in it so they get outside a bit more. The Rosses from last year didn't do much more than hang around in the coop and occasionally go out into the barnyard. With a chicken tractor, they'll be exposed to more healthy elements like fresh greens and insects. Although I'm not going to try and collect Rosses at the fair this year. I'll probably just buy up a batch of Cornish Roasters.
And in 2006... I'm thinking perhaps I should build a coop and run dedicated to a single breed of bird - as yet to be determined.
It's also looking more and more like this site will be redesigned for my HTML project. I'm getting ideas for some new pages to add - a Chicken FAQ, a glossary of poultry terms, and a section of notes on my experiences with different breeds. More chicken 'n egg fun ahead, I'm sure.
