I added roofing to both sides of the original hutch and hung four new cages from it. Two of the cages are mine and two are friends of mine. (I am bunnysitting his rabbits while he's on vacation.) Eventually I will have 2 of my own cages there for a total of 8 cages. Bunny burgers forever! The six bunnies pictured here are almost ready for harvesting. I will process them at around 11 weeks old, just after the 4th of July.
The silver Sebright bantam are roosters. I will be selling them ASAP.
This silver Sebright seems to be developing a food label. Or a nice sized comb. Whateva you want to call it. I have 6 Sebright and 3 of them are developing these combs way faster than the others. This might be nothing. But then again it might mean, that due to the rules of Gulfport, they are fated to be dinner. There are several other bantam in the coop that will be roosters or chicken tenders...Whateva you want to call'em.
Updates:
24 healthy bantam chicks including 6 Silver Sebrights.
We get around 3 eggs a day from the adult chickens (layers)
As I said saturday; funny bunny had her first litter. At least 6 babies have been counted. But they are deep in the nest and hard to see.
And as if the farm is not enough to take care of along with a dog and a 7 year old daughter we have been doing foster care training. So we're about to take on another child. Girl. Eva's age.
God has been good to us. We want to give back. Please pray for 5th ave farm.
So I don't have to go to Wal-Mart as often. So I know where my eggs are coming from. Because the eggs are fresh. They aren't any trouble. Not any more than any other pet. You can let them" free range" or put up a easy coop from Sam's or build your own from recycled materials. Using the Deep Litter Method (DLM) you only have to clean the coop 3 times a year. You throw some food at them everyday (just like you would a dog) and you get a dozen eggs a week from 2 or 3 chickens. If you breed and raise them, then roosters make great fried chicken. If everyone had their own we could potentially put the chicken factories out of business. Not to mention the educational possibilities for my daughter (and all children). Consider getting your own.
I keep them fed; they keep me fed. Satuday, the 4 of 6 chickens laid 4 eggs together. They took a Sabbath then on Monday laid 4 more. If they lay four more today and tomorrow another four I am gonna invest in an egg basket. Espcially since I got a phone call yesterday from cacklehatchery.com, the shipment of 25 chicks should be here on Friday. Woot woot.
I bought 25 chickens. No guarantee that they will be hens, no guarantee the eggs will even be large enough to bother cracking open. They are called" bantam" and best I can tell so far they are just meant to look purdy. But I ordered them so they are coming. So I built a brooder into the coop. You can see it in the pictures. It is 33 x 26 inches by 14 inches tall. I built it with a hole for the heat lamp and two windows for peeking and ventilation. I hope the other hens like them. Any way. That's what I did today. Oh, and by the way, if it crows it be comes that evenings dinner.
Give chickens some leisure time and a place to play and they'll produce more eggs....maybe. maybe they'll just swing all day.
I made this chicken feeder. It is made out of 1 piece of 3 inch pipe 2 end caps and one 90° elbow. I cut a 1.5 foot piece off one end and drilled 1.75 inch holes with a door knob style hole cutter. I fit them together and stuck it through the hole in the chicken wire resting it on the bottom. I attached it to the 2"x4" with a metal strap with a piece of 1"x3"x 4" spacer made of scrap wood. I put a handle on the top of the top end cap.for easy removal and easy filling. Chickens are already eating from it.
I am 41 years old. Lack of consistency has kicked my butt for years. It is a battle I am ever fighting. But it is necessary. You can not live life properly and inconsistently. Not that you can't be spontaneous, but some parts of my life have to be consistent. Same God. Same wife. Same family. Same home. And this sounds like it goes without saying to some of you. But look at people who's life is a wreck. What are they inconsistent with? Family and God. Now I have been blessed with these as constants in my life. Praise be to the Lord. But other areas in my life are rocked by inconsistency but need it just as much. School/work disciplines, exercise, time alone in God's word. The list goes on. Being consistent doesn't mean simplifying your life but that can help. A lot! But also adding to your life the things that are important. For me homesteading has been very helpful. Daily chores like feeding chickens and rabbits; home maintenance, etc. A schedule. The" do-it-now" philosophy. All these things have been helpful. I recommend consistency even if you have to fight for it.
Granny's laying green. She laid yesterday. I hope she lays today. Six chickens, One egg a day is bad math.
This is the new homestead dog. We got her yesterday afternoon. She will provide protection for the urban farm, companionship to our daughter Eva, and motivation to exercise for me. Her name is Shadow and she is our new baby girl.
I am anxious for my chickens to be settled in and each of them laying an egg a day. Is that's much to ask?
I know that I do not keep this blog up and going much, but perhaps that will change...
I have jumped on the homesteading band wagon. I didn't know there was one till I started taking an interested in this stuff. Then, while researching, I came across a ton of it. Anyhow I am in, and i am hooked.
Let me summarize. We have 6 hens, 3 rabbits, several raised beds for veggies, about 8 blueberry bushes, 4 rain barrels, brew beer, can food, and bake breads.
Now let me give you some details. This didn't happen all at once. My memory is horrible so I cannot tell you the order it happened in. All I know is 4 or five years ago none of this was true. Now I have an urban farm. my favorite part this far is the chickens.
