Harvested some onions (one raised bed ) dug in some horse manure and FB&B I had some runner beans spare so I set some poles up and planted them ......sowed more greyhound cabbage , turnips and lettuce ......I have three bags of onion sets left two brown and one red will them in the ground shortly .......with hang the harvested onions in the workshop to dry .
Had one small egg this morning so they are producing already ! .
I eat a lot of eggs, 2-3 dozen per week. They are a primary protein source for me.
I would love to have some more chickens but my predator situation makes it almost impossible. I had a coyote run across the lawn, snatch a chicken and be gone with me standing 20 feet away once.
I started with a nice sized flock and they were picked off one at a time. Even my own hens sitting on eggs could not keep up.
Around here there is no source for "battery chickens". We do not get birds "ready to lay" on day one. When the birds drop off laying production they are sold in mass to processors and the next time you see them they are swimming in noodles in a soup can.
Ours come in a card board box as day old chicks. You raise them for 6 months before you see an egg, then some critted kills them before they can pay for their upkeep.
Another time I watched a raccoon work the gate latch to let himself into the coop. I shot that one and had to rebuild the latch. My coop had to have wire buried in the ground and complete overhead coverage.
There is also our winter situation here and my mountain type location. Going up and down the hill to feed and gather eggs in the snow and ice was tricky the last year I kept birds, downright dangerous.
I do live in a very rural area where people still keep chickens and I have several sources for fresh eggs. Eggs have always been a primary barter item in homesteading culture. It is not like living in the city where supply chain issues dominate. Here it is weather , life cycle, and laying production that control how many eggs you have.
it is said here that anyone eating an abundance of eggs will become "egg bound" i.e. seriously constipated and fecally challenged.
as my late mother would say " a little of what you fancy does you good but moderation in all things" and she was right!!
I looked it up Paul, only a chicken can become "egg bound".
In humans the condition does not exist, nor will it be a problem.
Your Mum was just reacting to a sudden increase in the price of eggs and looking for an excuse not to buy them.
in a human context "egg bound" means heavy constipation and fecal impaction.
and it wasnt just my mother, its a common reaction over here.
I’ve cleaned out the gutters and downspouts and as our waterbutts (our backup water after the jerrycans) were nearly empty I flushed them out as there was quite a lot of dirt/moss in them from off the roof, they have now filled up nicely.
Gardening and general maintenance is up to date, vehicles are running well.
One thing we have been stocking up on is fertiliser, growmore and fish blood and bone, and we have doubled up on our veggie seed stock.
I was reminded the other day about preserving foods ....salt .....sugar and vinegar being the main must have items and spices plus red and white wine vinegar although I always hold plenty of all these items , I did appreciate the reminder and made perfect sense .....with out any of these items ....any access of veggies would go waste ....unless you have a dehydrator or freezer ......then you need power to run them .....so you can see pickling and jam making or even wine making would not be possible ? How could you preserve eggs ? How could you preserve bacon ? Or most meats ( if you can get hold of it ) I know most on here already know and practice food preservation ....but a good reminder none the less ....check your stock ! ....do it NOW and get what you need while you can .....it’s not going to break the bank it’s still cheap .
Garden wise picking potatoes,onions, turnips , peas , beetroot, radish,lettuce, my first cucumber this morning !
The orchard looks like heading for a bumper crop ! All the berries will be ready in another two weeks ....strawberries still coming on strong .
Chickens are laying well four to six every day ummmmmm egg custard , quiche Lorraine , cake , and dippy eggs ....the odd omelette here and there .......living the dream ! .....the dehydrator is chomping at the bit ! It needs feeding ....anything will do ....just gimme something it whispers .
Planted more onions (second crop) getting ready to plant another potato crop , more turnips seedlings are in ...more carrots will be sown in tubs ......the tomatoes, cucumbers are doing great ...picking cucumbers tomatoes will not be long ...... peas and broad beans are ready to pick .....black and red currants ready to pick ....runner beans about three weeks away .....cabbage and cauliflower the same ......the dehydrator is in full swing as well as some pickling ......jams,jelly and some wine in the coming weeks ......will start logging and splitting firewood ready for winter ......topping up the LPG cylinders next week or so .......having a 4kw solar set up (with battery ) fitted next week , I will use the 300 watt backup system for the big poly tunnel to power up the pumps an lights .
Bought more tarps , pipe and fittings of various types and sizes , more screws , nails and bolts.....files , grinding wheels and blades of all types .......all I need now is to stay alive to use the bastards .
Been away in the camper last few weeks, we’re now well rested. Gas regulator decided to pack up but it was twenty years old, however we always carry a spare (and some gas hose). We have already had the gas bottles refilled.
Solar panel (100w folder) kept both vehicle batteries up to scratch no problem, and all rechargeables, lanterns, head torches, phone, kindle (holds important family info) as well as for prepping.
Now we’re slowly catching up on home maintenance and the garden.
SS what the heck are you buying all the screws and nuts & bolts for are the gremlins still hiding them, that’s what happens here.
I need some new files, the ones i’ve got must be forty years old and worn out, I could always turn them into chisels. I have an old Wolf 4in angle grinder, but discs are not available, l have to get 100mm discs and nibble the edge down or use worn down 9in discs. I was given a stack of new 9in discs but for some jobs the grinder is too big.
Just in case I need to build an ark Pete lol .....seriously I have a few projects in mind for their use coming up ....just getting everything I can while I think of them and while I can get them .