Full Chicken Coop & Yard

The Barreds and Buffs are getting along just fine.  The Barreds though have the edge.  The Buffs are sweet and laid back about it.  I can now pick up the Buffs without too much fuss.     I'm thankful to have a mixed flock.  Each breed has its own look about it.  The Buffs are just now starting to get some pinkish red in their combs and wattles.  The Buffs at four months will be laying soon.  We are consistently getting upwards of 8 eggs a day now.  There is a difference in egg shape and color between the hens.  There are variations of color also in the egg shell from a creamy light tan to a medium brownish tan. 

Fresh Brown Eggs

It is now official.  Sold our first six dozen organic brown eggs last week.  I have another delivery scheduled for tomorrow. We aren't at full capacity with the hens yet and we can't keep up with consuming the daily output.  Once the word gets out I look for more people to begin approaching me for their fresh eggs delivered to them at work. 



The weather this Summer has been dry with the day temps staying in the mid to high 80's however this Labor Day Weekend has been wet and humid, some of the remnants of Hurricane Isaac..    The hay fields have been baled twice this year however the second cutting wasn't as abundant as the first.  With the drought everyone's hay will be at a premium this Winter.  The angle of the sun is noticeably lower in the sky making for the sharper contrasts in light and color of late Summer and then into the early Autumn with its brilliance.  I look forward to the crispness in the air removing the hot and humid air of the remnants of Summer.  

Finally a Yard Full of Barreds & Buffs!

The day finally arrived when the remaining Buffs could be added to the already established flock of Barreds. This all started the end of February, 2012 and here it is close to six months later and all the chickens are all together. Wow! We have a lot of chickens. 8 Barreds and 9 Buffs.



They seem to all get along as well as a hens can. Pecka, the rather large Barred hen definitely let the newbies know she rules the roost. At two months behind the Barreds, the Buffs are similar in size but still have that juvenile look about them. It appears they are all going to do just fine!

We are getting 7 eggs a day now from the Barreds. One can definitely appreciate the quality of egg they lay. Fresh eggs actually taste like eggs. I didn't realize what I was getting at the store was so tasteless until now.

I like the contrast in coloring between the two breeds and I am very pleased with their development and dispositions.

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Time Flys - Happy Fathers Day

The Barreds are now 4 months old and the Buffs are 7 weeks.


It isn't officially Summer yet but the weather has been hot and muggy as if it were.

The pheasants now seem to be at their peak egg laying season. There was the bator hatch two and a half weeks ago prior to the NY visit, one of the hens started sitting just before we left and she hatched out this week AND now the other hen is sitting!

Other activities on the farm - Hay and more Hay. Grandpa, ran the square baler, Mariah and I bundled on the field and then loaded up one trailer load, and with the help of all the others in the family loaded up another full load as well another small load. We were able to put away 195 bales.

There's health activity in the garden. Summer Squash is blooming! Beets are getting close to being harvested. Transplanted two tomato volunteers. They will offset the loss of two plants Louise gave us. The Starlings are notorious for snipping young starting plants. So I was very happy to see the replacements.