Day 347
Luckily, we are enjoying being chicken farmers. It’s not as glamorous as some may think it is. There is daily maintenance and care that has direct implications on the behavior and productivity of the birds. We have laying chickens, not meat birds. We have opted against including a rooster or multiple roosters in our flock. Our focus has been on having birds for their eggs.
With so many different breeds of chickens, we have many different eggs. From big to small, green to brown, we tend to get a nice collection of eggs on a regular basis.
At least we did.
We have around fifty chickens. We are well aware that we aren't going to get fifty eggs a day, nor do we really want that many. However, the dip in egg production we have seen is disconcerting.
Most of our chickens are old. With age comes a decrease in productivity. However, we also have younger birds who are also struggling to be as productive as we thought they would be. Considering their molting appears to be finished and the temperatures are quite mild, we expected to see a bounce back from the egg production downfall we experienced six weeks back. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case so far. As a few people with more chicken experience have mentioned to us, when we start feeding the birds and they stop feeding us, heads will roll.
Literally.
Only time will tell, but I still thoroughly enjoy checking on the chickens. It is oddly simultaneously soothing and exhausting. It provides purpose and keeps me busy, which is great for a busybody like me. There is still excitement when eggs are collected. While mundane and monotonous, getting the daily chicky chores completed is quite an accomplishment. Keeping on top of the watering, feeding, and cleanup is actually kind of fun.
I love staying busy. With teaching kindergarten, two adjunct instructor gigs, and the responsibilities of father and husband, itn is only going to get busier. Even though chicky chores might seem to make life even more crazy, they do somewhat keep me grounded and more focused because those chickens are reliant on us to take care of them.
