State of the flock, September 2018

Cookie (black) and two of the cheeps, Sep 2018

I've done some hard thinking, considered different options, but have decided we'll stay with our current flock size over winter.  We now have five adult hens, one juvenile rooster (Australorp/Orpington cross from this Easter's hatch), and three eight week old Leghorn chicks, aka the cheeps.  Two of the cheeps are boys, and will be dinner when they start crowing, probably in less than another eight weeks.  Ultimately, unless we have more unexpected losses, we'll have a flock of seven over winter:  six hens and one rooster.

Everyone--except mother hen Cookie and the cheeps--is working in the chicken tractor at the allotment.  It's not a big space, but they get moved every three days or so, and have been doing some good work clearing weeds and grass, and adding plenty of manure.  Cookie and the cheeps also have their own make-shift tractor here in the garden and are mowing the lawn, strip by strip.

The A/O rooster may have to come back to the garden at some point this winter if he decides he wants to try mating.  We know from experience that the older hens won't tolerate this at first (he's the lowest in the pecking order) and there will be fighting.  As our young rooster is so much bigger than the hens, and their tractor has so little room, there is every chance someone will get hurt.  He can come back and free range with Cookie and any remaining cheeps where's there's plenty of room to escape.

We have a gap in our succession of hens now:  our hens range between two and four years old, but no year old hens--last year's hatch have all died.  And with only one female hatched this year (out of seven chicks) it looks like my plans for self-reliance in eggs are on hold.  We're getting one egg a day: occasionally two, but just as likely none.  At least we're only buying one bag of layers pellets a month;  it's the cheap stuff too (though Cookie and the cheeps are still eating the expensive non-soy/non-GMO chick crumb).

I still want to continue breeding meat birds as well as replacement layers, but that will have to start again next spring.  Hopefully I'll be able to get a hold of another batch of Orpington eggs (for meat breeding), and maybe some more Leghorns or other egg layers.