Mice

We have had a problem with mice this month. Whether it is no students around, or just mice activity, up to this day I have killed 26 mice, with more to go! Yesterday went with two photocopy boxes with two entrees and four glue strips in each.  Tomorrow I will be placing glue sticks underneath the boxes because many mice are congregating under the boxes.  Hopefully, this will mitigate the situation.

Also today sadly we put down four chickens, all roosters.  With the number of hens, we have the appropriate number of roosters is 3, and that, I would consider is still pushing the number. But as of now, we have "The Godfather", "The Godfather 2 (Taylor) , and  "The Rock" ( a barred rock rooster). Mr. Smith and I  skinned and de-feathered the roosters. When done they looked like what you would find in the supermarket.

Collected 28 Eggs on April 25

On April 25 collected 28 eggs an HHS record. It was a warm day in the high eighties.  I also believe some of the late August and September hatched chickens are beginning to lay.

Lost two Roosters to Predators this Month

With the lack of people and cars around campus and the city, predators are becoming more common.  Early in the month in one week's time, we lost two roosters and a hen. We lost PIP the black Maran rooster and Rockstar our Polish rooster.  We also lost one Barred Rock hen. They were attacked by, my best guess a raccoon.

I set up a camera in the coop and try to set it up each night. So far I have caught images of an opossum, a cat (twice), and in the late journey's to the coop a raccoon. One day Mrs. Cavarez had an encounter with a Coyote. At the time all the gates were closed this happened at 8:45 AM.

We lost another hen this week. It did happen on a night when I had not closed up the coop.  I was unable to find any markings on her, nor was there any evidence of a struggle. IE feathers were strewn about.  But based on the video footage from the night before which I looked at after the death, there are many predators visiting the coop each night. This past week we had an opossum, cat, raccoon, and a coyote.

I ordered a new automatic door for the coop to ensure the door gets closed every night!

We lost PIP and Rockstar.

PIP, to date, was the most prolificate rooster we have had. Almost all of our flock carries his genes. He was a black-feathered rooster with black legs. All of his hatchlings were hens. We did not get one black rooster from him.  Unfortunately, I was never able to verify that he was a pure Maran. All of the offspring provide us with light blue and light green eggs, which is a possible genetic outcome, but not verified. At the time we did have some blue laying hens, so it is possible that he did in fact carry the brown egg gene. Brown plus blue would make the green egg outcome. But the Brahma rooster G1, could also have fathered as well, as he was a brown layer too. But since all of the hens in question were black feathered and black legs we feel confident that PIP was the dad.

As far as we can tell Rockstar was not well-loved by the hens. Rockstar was our oldest rooster.  Rockstar came from an employee of the La Verne Heritage Foundation. He was our first main rooster, but when G1 became an adult he took over. G1 left Rockstar alone, it was PIP that constantly fought with Rockstar, to the point I had to put Rockstar in his own pen. Rockstar would stay off to the side and leave everyone alone. Rockstars' image has become the logo of our farm.

 

PIP (RIP)

 

Rockstar (RIP)
 

 

 

April Hatch 15 Eggs

On or around April 12 fifteen eggs hatched. This group was a mixture of all of the eggs. The last few hatching were of dark brown and blue eggs.  The chickens were hatched in an incubator at Mrs. Cavarezs home. The chicks were brought back to school and placed in a pen within the coop on April 21. All are well.

Side note. In the coop, we have an epidemic of mice. Over the past two days I have caught 12, don't know if this even made a dent. I will keep after them. The chickens are catching them as well. Many of the chickens are staying near the storage container where the rats have built homes under it and wait for the mice to come out.

On April 25 our ladies hatched 28 eggs an HHS record!

Egg Update...April 1, 2020......347 Eggs in March collected

For the month of March 2020, We collected 340 eggs. (revised)

When recorded this is the breakdown of egg color

0   Green Eggs
48 Blue Eggs
11 Lavender Eggs (Blue)  Mrs. Haver now has hen at her ranch.
15 Dark Brown Eggs
39 Brown Eggs
86 Tan Eggs
80 White Eggs

2 chickens died. One young adult hen, one 8 weeks old chick.

16 Chickens are given to Mrs. Haver

3 Silkies
2 Lavender
7 six week old chicks
2  young adults
1 Adult Hen (Barred Rock)
1 Red Rooster

Notes:

Godfather is still the alpha male rooster. Rockstar spent time in a cage locked up with a couple hens. If he is out he spends time behind the wall away from the other roosters. Pip ( the black rooster) and Rockstar do not get along. Pip will go out of his way to torment  Rockstar. Beth made an attempt on March 30th to take Henrietta over to her daughter's flock, thinking Henrietta being much larger than the Silkie/Brahma mix. But she brought her back. The Silkies ganged up on Henrietta.

Photo as I leave the Coop on March 31