Cocka-doodle do this

Turns out, this upcoming week has a full chick list of ta-da things to get done, esp after the mini-snowvid last week. Yeah, seems that I would have fur-filled most of my tasks last week, but no, it's a fluid place here on The Graves Farm.

My favorite color is chicken eggs

Life in the barn is much fuller than it used to be. Roosting time at dusk becomes a time of constant cackling and zoombini noise. It takes some time for everyone to find "their place" even though there's many places to roost. 

Besides this particular fencing in the barn, the girlz love
to roost up on their coop among many other places in the barn.

This is also a great way to keep warm in this cold weather.

It's just that they all want to roost in a spot someone else is already in. Why, I don't know. But on my chick-off list this week, is to make sure and monitor each evening that we really do have all the room needed to keep everyone comfortable. I think we do.....but do they think they do. 

The good news is that my egg production is improving. With the colder weather and cloudy skies of late, it does affect the laying of eggs. I've had a number of people ask me about all the conspiracy theories about why there's a shortage of chicken eggs right now. I'll just say that under normal conditions (in my experience) that this is a season where my chickens lay less, and the egg production will continue to pick up as Spring rolls around. Why does the world have less chicken eggs available? My experience tells me it could be economics and remaining supply chain issues from covid. The chicken feed prices have increased greatly, and along with the varied chicken diseases floating around, and add in the scarcity reaction of human beings when something becomes in short supply, and probably many other reasons I have left out, then we run into a shortage situation. I wouldn't fret about it. It'll likely fix itself eventually, just like everything else does…..gas prices, toilet paper, etc. Just my opinion .

As you can imagine, I cannot keep eggs in the Egg Fridge (out front of our property). As soon as I place the fresh eggs in the fridge and take the Sold Out sign down, someone stops and buys them. They are also buying David's yummy homemade buttermilk biscuits. Even though my egg prices are low ($2.50/dozen) I enjoy the idea of combining profit and purpose. My purpose: serving the community in which I live. Profit may be a strong word to utilize in my egg business, but I am able to better sustain and mitigate my chicken feed costs. I have no loss of product, as it's sold out daily. Everyone is happy to pay for our eggs. And likely, the egg shortage that is happening now will turn around - and all the conspiracy theories will float away. And I'll be here, still selling eggs to local folks who deserve access to fresh food. Egg production reminds me of the stock market, it's up and then it's down. It's a long haul product with highs and lows. Variance is part of the chicken egg game. 

Not this day, Jack

Since I actually won't be completing the blog today, instead, I'd like to do so after the week concludes with my following chick list items pending:

Maybe will be seeing the Vet on Wednesday. She's not feeling well. She's 12, that's like being 84 years old. I can understand why she might not be feeling her best. Yet, we feel the need to have her checked out. 

Maybe woke up Friday not wanting to get out
of bed. Me, too. But she’s usually up and at’m
hence my concern.

Except she has a snooty nose. We'll get you
to the doctor, sweetie.

There's a possibility of mini cows arriving on Tuesday and a lease to sign for the 20 acres next door to us. 

Just a snipet of the land next door that we are likely
going to lease as of March 1. In progress.....

In other news for this week, I have a cancer treatment on Tuesday, and am still waiting on a final decision from insurance on whether this will continue as a in-office or at-home treatment. 

Oh yeah, there's a plumber coming tomorrow to fix some things needing fixing around here. That's always exciting. 

And Belle's udders are filling. Even though I thought she wasn't due for lambing until March, I'm now on Lamb Watch.

Oh, and we are even looking into getting bees so that we, ourselves, can get an ag exemption. And I actually talked to Ag-Daddy (Mike) at the Grayson County Appraisal District about what we need to do to get that going. His answering machine at the county actually says that as his name. It's in Sherman, what can I say. 

I feel certain there's other things happening this week, but I'm going to stop here and wait and see what the week brings. 

Then I'll fill in all the blanks,

Cyndi