Well, it has been just over a week since the chooks arrived, and what a difference they have made to the place.
Big bum Bunty is the boss and owns the big perch in the run. Edwina is the most curious and just loves it when Butch the wonder dog puts his nose through the wire. Ginger is usually the first to lay each day and is the only one eating the pellets in the grain mix. Polly is cute and shy, is the smallest, and has not yet laid, but I reckon she is a few weeks younger than the rest. We love them all, and can’t believe that only a week has passed by. They have really made themselves at home. Butch has settled down around them and only gets flustered if Edwina gives him a peck.
Today was our first 3 egg day, so that takes the grand total since Tuesday (when they came on the lay) to 14 eggs, with most about 45g in weight. Not bad for the girls first week living it large at TGOG’s house. I mucked out their house and run on Saturday morning, and it took me a good hour to finish it. I took it real easy because I haven’t had much shovel action over the last year so didn’t want to upset the back too much. I did the run first before I let them out of their house for the day, and once clean and with the bedding refreshed, I took a 10 minute breather and then cleaned out their house. I put the straw and chook poo on the garden beds as mulch to stop the beds from drying out. The manure will certainly help the vegies grow! The house had too much fresh manure, so I put that lot in the compost bin to rot for a while. If I have to do this every week, like I do, then I am going to have to think of very inventive ways of using the soiled bedding. Maybe I can bag it and sell it as naturally fertilised mulch? What do you think, is there a market for that sort of thing?
Anyway, here is a picture of “The Dirty Dozen”, because Ben ate the first two in an omelette. Ben thinks that the eggs taste fantastic. I think I will have a few soft boiled eggs with soldiers for breakfast tomorrow! Yummy. Click on the photo to enlarge and you will see that we have written the laying date in pencil on each egg. That way we can keep track of them and eat the oldest first. The spotty egg was Bunty’s first effort. The eggs have all come out very clean, and I give them a quick rub with an old tea towel before popping it in the carton.
As Kate from Hills & Plains Seedsavers has often told me, ‘Get there quick, then take it slow!’. Right as ever Kate and sound advice for anyone on a sustainable journey.
Big bum Bunty is the boss and owns the big perch in the run. Edwina is the most curious and just loves it when Butch the wonder dog puts his nose through the wire. Ginger is usually the first to lay each day and is the only one eating the pellets in the grain mix. Polly is cute and shy, is the smallest, and has not yet laid, but I reckon she is a few weeks younger than the rest. We love them all, and can’t believe that only a week has passed by. They have really made themselves at home. Butch has settled down around them and only gets flustered if Edwina gives him a peck.
Today was our first 3 egg day, so that takes the grand total since Tuesday (when they came on the lay) to 14 eggs, with most about 45g in weight. Not bad for the girls first week living it large at TGOG’s house. I mucked out their house and run on Saturday morning, and it took me a good hour to finish it. I took it real easy because I haven’t had much shovel action over the last year so didn’t want to upset the back too much. I did the run first before I let them out of their house for the day, and once clean and with the bedding refreshed, I took a 10 minute breather and then cleaned out their house. I put the straw and chook poo on the garden beds as mulch to stop the beds from drying out. The manure will certainly help the vegies grow! The house had too much fresh manure, so I put that lot in the compost bin to rot for a while. If I have to do this every week, like I do, then I am going to have to think of very inventive ways of using the soiled bedding. Maybe I can bag it and sell it as naturally fertilised mulch? What do you think, is there a market for that sort of thing?
Anyway, here is a picture of “The Dirty Dozen”, because Ben ate the first two in an omelette. Ben thinks that the eggs taste fantastic. I think I will have a few soft boiled eggs with soldiers for breakfast tomorrow! Yummy. Click on the photo to enlarge and you will see that we have written the laying date in pencil on each egg. That way we can keep track of them and eat the oldest first. The spotty egg was Bunty’s first effort. The eggs have all come out very clean, and I give them a quick rub with an old tea towel before popping it in the carton.
As Kate from Hills & Plains Seedsavers has often told me, ‘Get there quick, then take it slow!’. Right as ever Kate and sound advice for anyone on a sustainable journey.
gav, just a note on the chook poo. careful with the fresh stuff, it can burn your vege roots, i think the recommendation is to dry it out before use. Brassicas love chook poo when their roots get to a about 3 inches, so deep trenching with poo before you plant these is a great tip i learnt from a master.
the eggs look great gav . yes dont put too much chook poo on garden when its fresh or it will burn some plants .either compost it or stock pile it and let it break down naturally
Gav, very exciting stuff these chooks…..can never have enough compost heaps thought I reckon. I have 2 now and dont even have chooks yet!
Well done! They certainly look good enough to eat. I used to get such a kick out of just receiving a box from the Greenline which said the eggs were laid that day or the day before! Wish I had some of my own to collect. ONE DAY!
Now Gavin,
I see 11 wholemeal eggs and 1 multigrain egg (the one with that is pigmentally challenged).
Do they taste different ?
Tell the girls to keep up the good work.
Bumnuts and beer on my next visit ?
Onya Mate
Gav the eggs look eggciting and I bet you enjoy every bite especially since you have done a lot of hard work to get them Well done and enjoy Love MUM
“I AM THE EGGMAN
THEY´RE THE EGGMEN
I AM THE WALRUS–GOO GOO GOO JOOB”
Hi Gavin, your post has inspiried me to brake out into song…….sorry.
@ Kel & Dad. Thanks for the tips. I will try and separate the poo from the straw in the house on Saturday and put it to one side. The garden beds I put the chook run bedding on were empty and I will plant my seedlings in a few weeks. The poo should be rotted by then.
@ Teena. Three bins and counting.
@ Moo. Where there is a will there is a way. It took me 12 months to convince Kim that it was a good idea. You might get away with some bantams and a small chook tractor.
@ Phil. They taste fantastic. Had some scrambled eggs this morning and they were so fresh!
@ Mum. Thanks, it was hard work, but well worth it.
@ Sarhn. I got the idea whilst I was watching the movie “Across the Universe” in which Bono sings “I am the Walrus”. The post just flowed from there.
I love fresh eggs. How many chickens do you need to get a dozen a week? We are still working on our city to allow chickens. They count as livestock and are currently forbidden. 🙁
Hi Sylvana. We had 4 chickens initially and we averaged about 3 eggs a day, so 3-4 chickens will give you a dozen a week!
Gav