Chickens Have Invaded the Farm
This has been the year for chickens. I am now the proud owner of 80 chickens. We have White Leghorns, Buff Orpingtons, Bantys, Rhode Island Reds, Americanas and Sexlinks. I, also, had 24 broilers in early spring which now occupy a home in the deep freeze. I enjoy watching them and being witness to all their crazy antics. I do have a couple that I am pretty fond of and on is Charlie, my Buff Orpington rooster. He is quite the gentleman with the ladies and has defended himself against Whitey, the White Leghorn rooster, that he no longer has tail feathers; he is unique looking, I must say.
Around the middle of July until the middle of September, the hens had took a break and we were getting only enough eggs to supply our personal use and a couple of customers, but now that the “spring babies” have matured, we are gathering up to, if not more, 3 dozen per day. The first Americana eggs that I found were green and I was ecstatic. It was the first I had ever seen and now I get pink and a few blue. I have one of my feed customers say the other day that he didn’t believe that they would lay a pink egg because he has Americanas and his never have. I told him I would have to prove him wrong because I get the pink quite often. I take it he won’t believe me either until I actually show him one.
It is an all day event when I get orders for eggs; since living in the country and all my customers are in town, to make the rounds takes up a lot of time, but it is worth it just because I meet all kinds of interesting people. I especially like the real “city” people like from Chicago or St. Louis, or even the ones from the Coasts because they are so funny. I take for granted the fact that there are those that have never seen a real chicken let alone a colored egg.
My coup is full and thriving and time is coming for its fall coup cleaning and getting ready for winter. My girls and guys like their time outdoors, so I am pretty sure I will need to do it soon before it gets nasty out so they can spend the day outside.