The Egg Ledger

Bill has just started the girls keeping records on our egg production and sales. We're trying to teach the girls a little lesson in accounting, supply & demand, etc. It'll be interesting to see after a month or so if the chickens are really earning their keep in terms of egg revenues versus feed costs.

I don't know if Bill has a solid number for how much the new coop ended up costing us to build, but if we factored that in, we'd be in the red for years to come yet. I feel like the infrastructure items like fencing and outbuildings are more of an investment in the property than they are in just the animals that they are built for so I don't feel like we're cheating if we don't count them as liabilities against our egg income.

Lately we've been averaging 4-5 eggs per day, with the pullets not yet due to commence laying until August or thereabouts. When those gals are up and running at 100%, we should be getting about 20 eggs per day. We currently get 2 to 2 1/2 dozen eggs per week and have been selling them for $4 dozen, which is a steal for free range organic eggs. After all, the booth I once saw at Pikes Place Market had "heirloom eggs" identical to ours for sale for $8 per dozen! Seventy-five cents per egg - good gravy!

If you live in Thurston County and are interested in some beautiful organic eggs, give us a buzz and we'll put you on our list. livysmom27 at yahoo dot com. ;)

BHF ~ Photo of the Day 5/22/11

Two of the seven Long-Toed Salamanders "rescued" and relocated by Scarlet, just ahead of the plow. I think someone has been watching a few too many reruns of Billy the Exterminator. ;)

This Week's Chore Checklist

Goats-

*Finish stanchion (check! Thanks, Bill)

*Build another new goat pen (double check)

*Try milking Blue

*Soak Chardy's left foot

*Ivermectin (wormer/lice/flea treatment) shots all around, except for the tiny ones

*Forage for evergreen branches to feed goats (Done - brought home almost as much roadside trash as we did branches, but I feel like I did a good deed, and Livy helped.)

Chickens-

*Start new chicken coop (Started on 2/21)

*Set up brooder in anticipation of baby chicks' arrival (Due March 7th)

Bunnies-

*Clean hutch

*Empty poo bin into compost

Parakeets-

*Clean cage

House/Yard-

*Sweep/de-clutter porch

*Start veggie seedlings in hot tub room

*Haul up and stack firewood

*Rearrange Liv's room

All this in addition to dishes and laundry and the rest of the usual stuff. I find that making a list helps purge all of the swirling don't forget's and what was I supposed to do's? from my overwhelmed noodle. Then again, looking at a list like that can be rather daunting, so I'm making the girls pitch in a little more than usual to hustle us through this pre-Spring push. I've bribed them with a possible trip to Great Wolf Lodge (an indoor water park), depending on how well we all work together and get these chores knocked out.

Alright, now I just need to heave my tushie off of this couch and get crackin'. Bleh!

Liv's Egg Label Art

Livy just up and decided to make us an egg carton label for our yummy BHF eggs.



Didn't she do a great job?!?

Unfortunately, we wouldn't actually be allowed to label these as organic (even though they are), since we're not certified. But you have to admire the girl's creativity and commitment to healthful hens & eggs. That's my girl! :)