Chickeny decisions, problem solved and competition won!!

Pose for a picture........not bl**dy likely!!

I've been doing quite a bit of thinking over the past couple of days, we were due to get some more chickens, we originally thought of bringing our chicken numbers back up to the fifty bird mark.  Selling the eggs both at car boot sales throughout the Summer, to colleagues and to family and friends as well as keeping ourselves supplied.

Looking carefully at the figures, cost per point of lay bird, cost of food, cost of boxes means it's not THAT profitable a little business.  Factor in that having around 50 birds means the houses need cleaning on a daily basis and then there's the medication for Red Mites, virtually guaranteed with lots of birds and hot weather, the price of bedding, the time involved.....lots to think about.

"You want me to pose for a picture.......

....oh go on then!! "

The thing that swung it for me was with 50 birds you don't get to know them!

Last night one of the Hylines, the one in the picture at the top (taken only last week) keeled over and died, simple heart failure I think, she was a big girl for a layer, lovely and healthy, full feathered and cheeky, but she had never been given a name, I came in and told Lovely Hubby that she was dead and I realised although I had fed her, looked after her and cuddled her on occasion, I had never named her.  She had arrived when we already had over 35 other hens and simply fitted into the flock.  Now we are down to a few birds I am seeing them start to be more individual.  More sure of themselves and their place in the flock and I like that.

So last night we made the monumental decision that instead of buying 18 girls this year we will buy just 6.  They will be named and they will join our flock of 7 Hylines, 1 Light Sussex (Lofty) and our 4 little Lavender Pekin Bantams.

So the eggs they lay will be mainly for us with the excess being sold to purely fund their lifestyle and pay their keep.  With just 6 new layers that will bring our egg numbers up to around 3- 4 dozen a week for the first year or so, that will be plenty.

LH is ringing a local chicken supplier this morning to see if they have the point of lay birds we have decided on in stock.  I always know when I have made the right decision, it rests lightly, this does.

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After yesterday Blog post I took 'The Squirrel Family's' advice and Googled 'Milk & more' and I've got us a milkman. 

He delivers in this area three days a week (our milkman is called Ricky), Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.  It's all SO easy you literally set up your regular order on-line, add anything extra you need right up until 9pm the night before delivery and it's all left on your doorstep on delivery days.  You pay either by Direct Debit or regular credit card payments once a month.  How easy was that!!

Thanks Squirrel Family (sorry I don't know your real name).

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I've WON a competition, see The Smallest Smallholding on my sidebar to see how I won.  I'm SO excited, at last some lovely good news and something to look forward to for this Friday.  The prize is tickets for two (now who should I take.......) to listen to a talk given by my gardening hero and a guided tour of the Yeo Valley Organic Gardens, oh and did I mention that there's a two course lunch as well.  NOW you can see why I'm excited.  Thanks Lucy, thanks, thanks, thanks.

Sue xx