Well we finally hit 50% lay rate for our flock that was hatched at the first of the year. Six and a half months is not too bad….we had a couple of early layers a month ago but starter eggs are not very marketable. For those of you that have purchased our eggs at the Bend Farmer’s Markets- thanks much and expect a larger eggs going forward. And for those that have wanted eggs after we had sold out for the day – with the current lay rate we should be able to supply everyone at the Wednesday market….we’ll keep our fingers crossed for the Friday Market.
There have been some trials with this batch of layers. When we finally finished the laying schooner….it blew away. Well, almost blew away. Anita was out there in the storm trying to stop it flying into the road with one hand while trying to cut the old billboard tarp to stop any further flight. She was lucky to get the better of the schooner….we could have lost her in some horrible Mary Poppins reenactment. Alas, the schooner was dead….we cobbled a nest trailer together in a pinch. Unfortunately, this is all about the time the hens were hitting thier stride. So it goes on the farm.
Last weekend we put a more stable nest hut together. I tend to overreact a bit…therefore, this one was welded steel and heavy plywood. We were able to salvage all the laying buckets and remounted them in the new hut. The hut is 7′ tall and 6′ wide at the base with about a 10 degree angle to the top to facilitate the front roll out nests. The girls were ecstatic and have rewarded our efforts well. We are still working out a couple of details….when we are happy with the design we will post details (we also, need to post about the ‘doops’- another reaction to the Powell Butte winds!).
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