2013 Egg Laying Flock: Rhode Island Reds.

Got Eggs?

 
It's been a week since we first brought home the new chicken flock of Rhode Island Reds.  Since then we've collected more than 3 dozen eggs.  Yes, they are quite very good. better than store bought eggs.  Right now, the hens are producing for family consumption.  I'll need to breed up the hen flock to get a good number of egg layers to have a sustainable egg selling venture.  

1st Egg for the ranch.

The first egg was collected on Monday, September 9, 2013.  I wasn't expecting any eggs since we just moved the flock the other day.  The stress from moving would have probably played a role in delayed egg laying production.  Finding an egg on the ground just before 0600 was a real treat. 

During afternoon checks, I found a couple more eggs, bringing up the total number of eggs to 7 on our very first day of egg laying production.  I was happy that the flock was off to a good start. 

Throughout the week, we collected different numbers of eggs.  Day 1 was 7 eggs collected.  Since there were 12 hens, I predicted the next day, Day 2, would be 5 eggs.  I felt good to be correct when I collected 5 eggs the next day.  Day 3 was 7 eggs again.  As well as Day 4, was 5 eggs collected.  However things changed on Day 5, we collected 8 eggs.  Then on Day 6, another 6 eggs were collected.  There seemed to be an extra eggs on those days.  Even today, Day 7, we collected 9 total, 2 more than usual.  There maybe a hen that is laying daily, instead of every other day.

7 eggs collected on the 1st day. 

Yes, we've started consuming our ranch fresh eggs.  I'm glad to be eating fresh eggs compared to store bought eggs.  Taste is so much better.  I know what my chickens are eating.  The hens have been given NO Medications since they've moved here. 

My goal is get my eggs, Organic Certified.  There is so much paperwork and standards that I have to follow before I even apply for the inspection.  So I'm going to just claim Farm Fresh, or in our island's case, Ranch Fresh, for the time being.

By going Ranch Fresh, this gives me time to build up to Organic Certification.  Especially, when I move ranch operations to the back property sometime next year.  I'll be able to claim the properties in the back as Organic, since it's raw land.  Lots of room back there to pasture raise the birds to lay, pastured finished eggs, or pastured finish birds.  

For now the hens are housed in a former fly pen, now turned coop.  This is temporary until I the birds get used to me as their new steward.  Also, they have to get accustomed to the new ranch.  I don't want them running all over the place and getting into the neighbor's yards.  They might not come back again.  Then I'll have to walk over to the neighbors and knock 'em out for taking my birds.  Seriously though, it's for the safety of the birds until I can get a bigger coop established for them, and the property fenced off to keep outsiders outside and my birds inside the ranch.

Temporary hen coop. 

I need to cut some grass to throw down in their temporary coop to keep them off the mud.   Rainy season here is going to get the birds sick if I don't do some preventive care.  Putting grass in the pens during the rainy season will help keep the birds from the mud.  It'll also turn into compost with the bird droppings mixing in with the grass cover.  

The other plan is to put the fly pens on skids.  So that I'll be able to move them to grass areas.  The only problem is that the pens are top heavy, and not as stable as they look.  I may have to make an actual chicken tractor for the birds.  Moving them daily to fresh grass will not be a problem. 

Today, I added the hanging feeder inside the pens and adjusted the height accordingly.  This keeps them from stepping and spoiling their grain feed.  The water trough was also moved to the outside of the pen to keep it clean.  I got tired of constantly changing out the muddy water.  It will also be easier for us to clean and add water. 

Hen getting ready to lay an egg. 

One of the hens getting ready to drop her egg.  This one collected today will make 9 for the day.  Not bad for an increase.  I'll need to make better nest boxes.  A little bigger than what is shown in the picture.  A slanted floor so the eggs rolls out to be collected and kept clean after each one is laid. 











ESTA

KEEP SMILING!