Eggs Eggs Eggs

Right e oh in my last post which I wrote about five minutes ago I mentioned my partner Siteri delivering eggs into town and that I would post more on that later.Well being the sort of person who likes to think that he doe's what he says he is going to do (sort of maybe sometimes)here it is.

We currently have 36 hens laying eggs and another 96 pullets,pullets are chickens that have yet to start laying eggs they will begin to lay eggs in early April.So at the moment we produce on average 32 eggs a day which Siteri sells for 40 cents an egg usually in trays of 30 for $12.Demand for our eggs well and truly exceeds our ability to supply hence forth the 96 pullets.

That's what I do on a daily basis I look after chickens.

Take this morning for instance as a fairly typical morning apart from the rain.

The birds wake me up around 5.30 am what with the roosters(2) a crowing and the hens chortling to be let out of there shed it is pretty hard for me to sleep even though by nature I am an early riser.Fortunately here in Fiji it is never cold so it ain't that hard.I get up and put the kettle on while I fill the feed buckets,the feed area is in an enclosed, attached to the house carport.Once that is done the kettle has boiled and I make a cup of tea today we are having lemon and honey because that's what I feel like.

Now while the tea cools I head down to the sheds which are about 20-30 meters from the house.I feed the hens first and open there door so that they will stop the racket that they are making.They all head outside only to figure out that it is raining so back in they come to have there breakfast which is for them 2kg of layer mash.I then go into the pullet shed and feed them but don't let them out as the older hens will come in and chase them outside and steal there food (5 kg layer crumble).As I go on and write this blog I will try and give some details that may be of help to any budding free range poultry farmers out there henceforth the feed quantity's mentioned.Not that I am any expert but I have learn't some things the hard way that may be of some help to others.

Anyway where was I that's right I have just feed the pullets now usually I would open the door and sit down on a stool that I have in the shed and act as sort of bouncer at a night club thereby stopping the hens from gaining admittance which I do with a length of bamboo.Most of them have got the message now and don't even bother to try and get in but there is always one of two that just can't resist.

So that's all taken care of for the moment so back up to the house in the rain for my cup of tea and a cigarette.That's when this blog thing came to mind and I thought if not why not and why not now!

But first duty called me back out into the rain as I had yet to feed the meatbirds(broilers)we have 36 of them at present they are 4 weeks old today and eating 5 kg of broiler grower per day.(More on them later).I also needed to top up the water for all the birds inside there sheds which I did without to much trouble.

Now back to the house for some more tea and cigarettes and start bloging but first I had to fill out my profile which I do without much hand wringing as I really don't like to write about myself that much.Can you believe that!

Sort of lost track of time in the doing thereof and wake Siteri a bit later than usual (7.30 am)fortunately she is a true Fijian and does't really place that much importance on time,close enough is good enough.

I then set about making breakfast for both of us which today is you guessed it, eggs on toast and more tea.While I am doing that she gets ready for work,she works in town as a personal assistant for a lawyer,5 days a week from 8.30 am to 4 pm.I usually take her to work and pick her up on our motorbike.Today because it is hissing down rain we decide it would be best if we wait on the road for a lift,be it neighbour  friend  family,bus,taxi,carrier or wheelbarrow.In the end it is a carrier(ute/pick-up truck with a canopy on the back)that stops.The fare to town is 70 cents as town is only about 4 km away.

Now it is 11 am and I am home alone with the chickens and just about bloged out for now.

Cheerio till later on.