Tag: hobby farming at its finest

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Did You Know: Chicken Eggs

I am always interested in learning new things and figure that knowledge is the key to…well a lot of things…success, understanding, accomplishing goals, being better equipped to care for my animals. The list can go on. As long as I have been raising chickens, I did not know the entire process of egg formation, so I set out to learn. And learn I did…some very interesting facts, which I’m going to share with you.

two eggs with red flower
Have you ever wondered how an egg is formed?

A female chicken is born, or should I say hatched, with a fully formed, functioning ovary that contains several thousand tiny ova. Two ovaries develop in the chicken embryo, but the right one stops developing and only the left ovary and oviduct mature. The chick grows and somewhere around 6 months of age she begins to reach sexual maturity. That’s when these tiny ova start to develop into yolks, a few at a time. Once a yolk is developed, it is released from the ovary into the oviduct. Occasionally two yolks will be released at the same time. This results in the double yolk eggs we see from time to time in our frying pans. This is also the stage where a blood spot on the yolk might occur, not due to fertilization, just an accident of nature as the yolk is released from the ovary. Once the yolk enters the oviduct, the egg can be fertilized if a rooster has mated with the hen. The hen can store sperm from the rooster for upwards of two to three weeks. After fertilization, a membrane is put around the yolk to basically hold it together. The yolk then passes into the a part of the oviduct called the magnum where the albumen or egg white is put on. Then on to the isthmus where a thin membrane is added, surrounding the entire egg. The final process is when the egg enters the uterus and the outer shell, shell color and the protective coating called bloom are deposited over the egg. This final process of shell making takes about 20 hours. When this is completed, the hen will lay her egg.

hen defending her eggs
The egg formation process takes about 24 hours to complete before the hen can lay her egg.

Some interesting facts about eggs and egg laying:

  • The entire egg laying process from start to finish takes between 24-26 hours.
  • 30 minutes after a hen lays an egg, she will again ovulate and start the process over again.
  • A hen can store a rooster’s sperm for 2-3 weeks.
  • A hen will take a break from egg laying when the days shorten. She may stop laying completely or just significantly reduce the number of eggs she lays. A hen requires 14-16 hours of daylight for high egg production. [Editor’s note: this means that you can artificially increase egg production with UV lamps or other light sources.]
  • The oviduct, which the egg passes through during formation is 25-27 inches long. The egg initially passes through the oviduct small end first. Just before laying, the egg will turn and enter the world large end first.
two eggs in a frying pan
The color of an egg yolk depends on a hen’s diet.
  • The color of the egg yolk is dependent upon the hen’s diet. If she eats a lot of foods with yellow-orange pigments, her eggs will be a darker yellow or almost orange color.
  • An egg that has been fertilized and laid, can remain in a state of suspension, under proper conditions, for approximately 7 days and still remain viable to incubate and hatch. After day 7 the hatch-ability begins to decline. This gives a hen time to accumulate her clutch of eggs, then incubate them so they will all hatch at approximately the same time…within a day or two of one another..
  • The average incubation time for a baby chick is 21 days. During this incubation time, a broody hen will only leave her nest once, maybe twice a day for short periods of time to eat and relieve herself. She will eat about 80% less while setting on her eggs.
  • A hen will quit laying eggs when she begins incubating her clutch of eggs and will not resume laying again until the chicks are about 5 weeks old. This is also about the time she will begin distancing herself from her brood.
  • A hen will lay an average of 265 eggs in a productive year. The first two years are the most productive, with laying tapering off as she gets older. A well cared for hen can provide farm fresh eggs for 5 – 7 years.
two full egg cartons. (top: open, bottom: closed)

Sources:
https://www.incredibleegg.org/eggcyclopedia/c/color/
https://the-chicken-chick.com/hatch-along-with-chicken-chick-part-3/
https://extension.psu.edu/hen-reproduction

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Black Oil Sunflower Seeds

I don’t really know too much about sunflower seeds other than discarded seed hulls generally littered the ground under the stands at baseball games and birds really seemed to like them. They were not a favorite of mine. I enjoyed sucking the salt off of the seed, but breaking into the hull for such a tiny reward didn’t seem worthwhile to me. Just recently I discovered that all sunflower seeds are not created equally. Some have thicker hulls, less oil, different nutritional benefits. Others are a really great source of nutrients for a variety of farm animals. The familiar black seed that is found in wild bird seed is the Black Oil Sunflower Seed, often referred to as B.O.S.S., a very adept acronym for a powerhouse food. No wonder birds love them! They seem to know instinctually the treasures that Mother Nature has supplied for them. Who would have guessed that a common bird feed would also be good for horses, goats, chickens and even rabbits!

bag and scoop of black sunflower seeds
Black oil sunflower seeds or B.O.S.S. are packed with nutrients beneficial to many different farm animals.
Read more about: Black Oil Sunflower Seeds
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Water and Niacin for Ducklings

Are you thinking about adding some ducks to your flock or hobby farm? There are a couple of really important things that are good to know if you plan to take the plunge and try your hand at raising ducks. One has to do with water and the other has to do with Niacin.

ducklings eating with one food in water pan
Water and Niacin are important components in raising ducks.
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Ducks for a Buck or When You Can’t Resist Buying Ducklings

I am a planner. Spontaneity is not my strong suit. It stresses me out. During the winter months I plan out my schedule to include spring cleaning, planting the garden and animal acquisitions. I allow room for change, because you never know what might come up, but I try to stick to my schedule. This year I had planned to add some baby ducks to my flock, as my ducks are getting up there in years and no longer lay eggs. They just hang out in the pasture, enjoying life. I had decided that late spring would be a good time add the ducklings, when the weather was a little warmer and some coop changes had been completed. Well…you know what they say about the best laid plans… Earlier this week I needed to make a trip to the feed store. With this being baby chick season, it is impossible to walk down the aisle of any feed store and not have the opportunity to ogle at the sweet little balls of fluff. As I walked by the tanks filled with little peepers, I noticed the one with the ducklings and a big sign advertising “Ducks, $1.00 with the purchase of feed”. Well, I was already buying feed and $1.00 a duck was a price that was hard to beat. To top it off, these ducklings appeared to be between two and three weeks old, so chances are they were a little hardier than fresh hatches. The situation wasn’t ideal, but a buck a duck was difficult to pass up! So…I went home with five yellow, fluffy, peeping ducklings! I enjoyed watching my daughter-in-law pick them out and I think she did a superb job. My ducklings are adorable!

Ducks in transportation box
Ducks for a buck!
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Keeping Roosters

Keeping a rooster with your flock of hens is something that requires serious consideration before doing so. Many cities, and even some rural towns, do not allow farm animals to be kept in residential neighborhoods. It appears that zoning laws have become more lenient in recent years with regards to keeping backyard hens, but it is important to check the animal zoning laws before acquiring any chickens. Roosters are often not allowed in many urban locations because they are considered a nuisance with all their boisterous crowing. I, for one, love nature and farm life and all the sounds that go with it! But, before you decide that letting a rooster hang out with your girls is a good thing, check your town or city’s animal zoning laws.

Rooster flapping while crowing
This guy is getting his crow on!
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St. Patrick’s Day Popcorn

Yesterday I needed to make some little “thank you” gifts and since almost everyone likes popcorn AND chocolate, I opted for the chocolate drizzled popcorn that has become so popular. When you put chocolate and popcorn together and achieve that perfect blend of sweet with a little salty…mmm, I’m good! In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I went with a green and gold theme. I bagged the finished popcorn in serving size treat bags, found a cute little St. Paddy’s Day wish that I copied and made into a little card and voila! Some cute, yummy looking “thank you” treats! It tasted pretty good too!

Packaged goodie bags
Read more of how to make: St. Patrick’s Day Popcorn
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Helping Our Hens Be Better Egg Layers

Winter is waning and spring is on the horizon. The days are getting longer and eggs are once again beginning to appear in nesting boxes. Such a welcome sight! What are some of the things that we, as chicken farmers, can do to help our hens be the best layers that they can be?

Eggs in a carton
Full egg cartons! A glorious sight!
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Caring for Christmas Cactus

I love it when I do something right without even really knowing what or how! I recently posted pictures of my Christmas Cactus that I started many years ago from a 100 year old plant. That brought about some questions about what I do to make it bloom. Uhhh, water it occasionally, let it sit comfortably in the window sill and give it a little fertilizer in the spring. That’s about it! Seemed like kind of a lame explanation and evidence of my total lack of understanding, so I decided to educate myself a little better on Christmas Cactus…after all I have two plants.

Christmas Cactus Flower
The vibrant blossoms will generally last from 6 to 9 days.
Read the rest of: Caring for Christmas Cactus
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How Much Water Does My Animal Need?

The human body is made up of approximately 55%-60% water. Water is a major component is cells, blood, and body tissue. The same applies to animals. Their bodies are made up of water as well. We are told that we can live without food for several weeks, but we can only live a few days without water. The same thing is true with animals. Animals need fresh water for their bodies to function. Water is vital for bodily functions such as regulation of body temperature, lubricating joints, nutrient absorption, removing wastes, body weight, and overall health. When water is withheld or unavailable, dehydration occurs. Dehydration of more than 10% of the body’s water is considered a medical emergency, and the water needs to be replaced ASAP! If the water is not replaced, blood volume begins to drop, temperatures begin to rise, and organs begin to shut down. Animals get the water they need not only through the action of drinking but also from the food they eat. Fresh grasses, fruits and vegetables all contain water. Animals prefer fresh, clean water. Some animals will only drink stagnant water, even if it looks clean, as a last resort. I dump out and refill water pans and buckets every day. When I go away for a few days I always try to make sure my animals have enough feed and more importantly, enough water. I put out extra tubs, buckets and bowls and detailed instructions for my substitute caregiver on what to do about watering. It gives me peace of mind.

Rooster near water bowl
All animals need a source of fresh, clean water .
Read more about; How Much Water Does My Animal Need?
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Container Gardening

Along with my regular in-the-ground garden, I also include some container gardens. There are many reasons to include containers in your gardening efforts. They allow you to grow plants in small urban areas where an in-ground garden is not possible. There is less chance for spreading disease. Some plants that spread quickly, do well in containers where they can be controlled, like mint. They can be less labor intensive, there are generally not as many weeds in container gardening, and they conserve water. Containers can also be moved about if you want to change locations, and often the soil in a container garden can be worked before in-ground gardens. I’m sure you can think of other reasons that a container garden could work for you.

I have many container gardens and some are larger than others. I have two containers in my chicken run where I plant herbs, which the chickens keep beautifully trimmed for me. I have another herb garden in an old metal water trough and I have several large containers lining the edge of my in-ground garden fence. You can grow almost anything in a container: vegetables, flowers, herbs, and even trees and bushes. I happen to grow mostly vegetables, chicken friendly flowers and herbs.

Metal trough garden
A variety of herbs planted in an old water trough.
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