Brown eggs

A little over a week ago I gave away the extra roosters that I had in my small flock. My flock's feed consumption has been cut in half because of this move. Since I had eleven chickens and seven of them were roosters this is not surprising. I kept two of the roosters, one because he is so cute and the other because I like his appearance and his temperament. The cute rooster is actually a Black Tailed Japanese Bantam and he was a bonus that I got in a trade. I had two drakes that I traded for some hens and the man threw in the Bantam rooster as a plus.

Jacqueline would like for us to get ducks again this spring, but I've told her no. If we had a pond I might consider it, especially if I had a separate enclosure to house the ducks. Having ducks in with my chickens was not an ideal situation. I am however looking to get some more chicks this spring. Currently I have four hens, although to date only three are laying. Two of the hens lay white eggs and my oldest hen, a Buff Orpington, lays brown eggs. The other pullet hasn't begun laying yet, so I'm not sure what her eggs will look like. I got an egg from the Buff yesterday, the first one in months. I am considering several options for acquiring my new chicks, but will probably purchase a few from the local Co-Op. If I order from the hatchery I have to order more than what I really need. I can purchase just a few at a time when I buy from the Co-Op. How I buy will depend upon several factors, including what type of chicks the Co-Op is going to have this spring. I would love to have 6 more Buff Orpington hens, but there are other breeds that would be acceptable.

I like being able to have fresh eggs. There are so many benefits that come from growing or raising your own food. It is a shame that we, as a whole, have gotten so far away from producing our own food. I know people who couldn't identify a tomato plant, or that don't know you can raise your own eggs or make your own jelly or sauerkraut. This generation coming up is so far removed from the land that they believe the only way to get food is to go to the grocery store and purchase something that has already been processed for them. Unfortunately they would starve to death if placed in a garden full of ripe vegetables or an orchard laden with fruits ready to be picked. If it didn't come out of a box or a package, often complete with cooking instructions they would be lost. I hope I have managed to teach my children differently. They at least know some rudiments of raising a garden.