Eggs. 11.22.16

The hens had stopped producing, so we fired up the light timer in their hen house.  Now they are on 14 hours days again, and producing eggs.  The white egg is from a leghorn.  Small hen, big eggs. I bet that one hurt.  The smallest is from an Ameraucana.  This is her first egg.  Most of the rest are Rhode Island Red or mixed heritage hens.

Plans for 2016. Growing for hen food. 12.3.15

Chicken food can be costly.  You don't always know what you are getting.  We have room on our 2 acres to experiement with additional crops.   I don't know the art and science of chicken feed.  I read there needs to be a balance of protein, and amino acid type.  Some feed plants contain anti-growth substances such as saponins that need to be cooked out.  Some plants are eaten by deer.  They ate all of our buckwheat this year.  This web page contains a list of various seed protein content.

Amaranth.   Long history as a crop, thousands of years.  High in protein but also saponins. Keep untreated under 20% of chicken diet, treated - cooked - under 40%.  Dried leaves can also be used.  Protein 14% to 18%.

Broom Corn or Sorghum.  Not good as a main component of feed, poor quality protein and contains anti-nutritive tannin.  Probably a little is OK, as a minor part of the feed, but not much.

Whole grain corn - It's possible to add some whole grain corn to supplement part of the hen diet.  Corn is the main grain used in poultry feeds in the USA.  Corn grain is 10% protein.    Corn has no intrinsic toxins.  Corn grain is 72% starch and high in lipids.  Some of the pigments may carry over into the egg yolks (xanthophylls).  From OSU extension, "corn grain is deficient in lysine, methionine, and tryptophan; all of which are essential amino acids. The major protein in corn is zein. Zein is a poor quality protein; both in terms of a poor amino acid profile and low solubility. As stated, the lipid content in corn is relatively high. The lipids in corn increase energy content and palatability. In addition, the lipids provide essential fatty acids. In terms of minerals, corn grain is very deficient in calcium and moderately high in phosphorus."  I was thinking about growing Indian corn, preferably a northern strain that would be harvestable here.  Deer and rabbits don't seem to eat our corn plants.  We would have to keep them separated from sweet corn, because of detrimental cross pollination.

Legumes.  There are concerns about soy, and about GMO soy.   Soy is shipped long distances.  Soy is a high quality protein and oil seed.  Other legumes are possible, but need processing.  I don't jave a good substitute in mind.  During summer, our free range hens forage all types of plants, weeds, and bugs, so get various protein sources.  Keeping deer out of legume plants would be challenging.  Deer love eating bean and pea plants.  Soy contains anti-nutritive saponins which apparently  can be inactivated by heat processing.

Sunflower seeds.  Apparently, can be partially substituted for soy.  Not clear, less than 15% or 30% of feed.  Protein content is about 26%.  The sunflower seed heads can be left in the chicken yard or chicken house for them to peck out the seeds.  They don't need any other processing.  This site states they can be no more than 30% of the hen feed, which is a lot.

This is an incomplete post, to be edited as I read more and learn more.

(All images via public domain, vintageprintable.com)

Kitchen Garden. 8.8.15

Bean Bed, 2 Weeks after Sowing.  8.8.15

 It looks like about 1/2 of the beans germinated.  If they reach maturity before frost, that's plenty.  The big thing I want from the Chinese pole beans is enough seeds for next year.  With 15 plants, if there are only 2 beans each, 4 seeds per bean, I'll have 120 seeds.  If those germinate, it's more than enough.  The big question is time.

There are about 15 Romas growing.  I filled in with soaked bean seeds, in between.  Regardless, if they bear, they are enough for one or 2 meals, for the 2 of us.  Zero cost, since the seeds were old packets.

I'm letting the 1st bean patch go to seed.   There is nothing to that other than watering the plants so they don't dry out and die too soon.

From the Kitchen Garden.  8.8.15

Elusive Pullets.  8.8.15

 Lots of squash, zucchinis and summer squash.  I'm less enthusiastic about the zucchinis than the other summer squash.  They grow too big, too fast.  The historic  varieties are less like something steroid-induced.

The new pullets have been here a month.  They are starting to look like hens now.  I forget the age.  They hang around together.  Rooster is very protective.  Won't let me near the pullets.  When I feed them, he calls them to the food, then stands back while they eat.  Which is his role.  If they make baby chickens, they will be some kind of off-breed, which is fine.

Elusive Pullet.  8.8.15

Protective Rooster.  8.8.15

Ning's Chickens

This was a week ago.  I pulled out the marigolds and sweet alyssum.  They were too rank and taking over the bearded iris bed.  The hens ate them but not with enthusiasm.  They liked the sweet alyssum plants much more than the marigolds.

Chicken Tractor

Chicken Tractor

Ning and his Chickens

The sex-linked pullets are growing fast. I'm convinced they'll be bigger than Turkeys. Maybe ostriches.

The Hen Fortress

Done for the winter.  The upstairs window openings are covered with plastic sheeting, to keep the cold wind out and keep rain from coming in.  The hens are moved in.  They have 2 new pullet friends - sex-linked.  They won't be laying for 3 months.  There was some initial role assertion by the normally placid Leghorns, but now they are cooing like pigeons.

The dogs won't be there to keep guard all of the time, but it's looking secure.

I still need to paint the door frame.  The upstairs section will need work next Spring.  I'm thinking they will have a balcony to view their realm.

View through the front door. They have a roost, a private laying booth made from recycle bins, and a screened-off food storage area. There is a little door-within-the-door for summer coming and going.

They enjoy the dandelion greens, which make for orange yolks and more flavorful eggs.  Dandelions are growing like crazy now.

The view from the other entrance, showing the doors into the laying booths. Below the laying booth, there is a plastic bin for chicken feed.  To the right, screen doors to access the feeder and waterer.

Chicken Fortress Progress

This view looks into the chicken fortress. I've built a shelf for the nesting boxes. The nesting boxes are old plastic recycle bins. So I'm recycling, or repurposing, the recycle bin. That idea was from a website about what to use for nesting boxes. The dowel work is re-purposed from odds and ends from the garage. The wire cage material is from an old chicken cage kit that's been sitting around for a decade. About half of the wood is reused. Next, the door, window doors, and some doors for access to the egg nests, then straw and it's ready for the hens.

New Chicken House

The hens will be quite happy with their new house. It's a children's play fortress. There are no children around, so it's a liability. Clever construction, didn't want to waste it. The fortress has a 2nd level, built as a deck. It did not have a roof. The floor was plain dirt. I've added joists and a floor. That will be warmer and easier to clean and keep clean.

Last weekend I added a roof. Nothing elaborate, it's just chickens. We've joked that we may build a ladder inside for the chickens to go to the 2nd level and look over their realm. For this fall we will concentrate on the more practical lower level.

Next comes windows. I have old bathroom cabinet doors left over from a remodel, the right size. Some chicken wire screen, framing, and paint remains to be applied. And a door, with a chicken door. Maybe 2 weekends of work.

Scene of the Crime

Murder most fowl in the hen house. I've discovered that instead of the usual 3 hens, we now have 2 hens and a pile of feathers. No calls yet from CSI-Vancouver.

There's not even a corpse to draw a chalk outline around. I suspect raccoons. Possum or rat wouldn't carry the body away. I think. The survivors are traumatized. One has witnessed a similar crime before. If only she could talk.