Chickens Foraging in the Woods

Chickens Foraging in the Woods
Chickens Foraging in the Woods

Monday, November 25, 2013

I have been very bad about not posting, but my heart was not in it.  We lost so many chickens to predators, coyote, fox, hawks.   There may have been others but did not catch or see other predators.   I didn't want to share that part of farming. We purchased two Great Pyrenees  pups that have been marvelous though not yet turned loose with the hens.  Just there presence took care of the foxes and coyotes.  But dive bombers are another story.  It has now been almost four months since we lost any hens to hawks.  I have no idea how or why that stopped, but the 14  hens that were the most effected give us only one or two eggs, but no more.

We have put up new fencing and have hopes that that will also deter predators.  We have new hens that have begun laying though we have never turned them loose.  To substitute for the grass fed part of our eggs, we feed Standlee alfalfa pellets mixed with Buttermilk and I also sprout grains for them.  It is so easy to do.  I take boards (not any that are treated wood) and put them on top of moistened grain on the ground and let them sit that way until they sprout, just a few days to a week depending on the weather. Once sprouted I turn the board over onto more seed on the ground.  The hens love it and it makes use of feed that would otherwise be wasted.  These hens are laying fairly well, but not as much as I would expect from 25 hens, but of course the days have grown shorter and colder.

A few days ago, I was at Tractor Supply getting chicken feed; our 50 babies that will lay this spring eat a lot! There was this nice gentleman there looking at feed and asked if I had chickens.  We talked and I learned that his wife had begun raising hens inside I-285 and our Tractor Supply is the closest to them.  His wife wants to raise them on feed much like mine, no corn, no soy and as natural whole grain as she can get.  I found such joy in sharing how I feed my hens and realized that even though it gets hard, I do LOVE it.  I shared with him how I feed and that I use the alfalfa pellets with buttermilk and how I sprout my grains.......He had to just walk away before I could stop.  If I knew him, I would call him and thank him for being such an encouragement to me that day.  It was just what I needed.

I gave him a business card and the first thing he commented on was my scripture verse.  I said yes, that is my favorite verse in the whole Bible.  Revelation 1:17-18.  ...I am the first and the last.  I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.  Who else would I yield my life to and serve, but the one who liveth and was dead and lives for evermore.  By the way, Christ gives away the keys to heaven in Matthew.

Saturday, November 2, 2013

I am excited to announce that my eggs are now available at Silver City Marketplace on Bannister Road near Matt, GA, on Wednesdays and Saturdays.  Check out the FaceBook page for SilverCity to learn more about the marketplace.
https://www.facebook.com/SilverCityMarketplace