April Egg Tally

April started out strong, but ended pretty dismally. Take a look:

1 - 27 eggs
2 - 27 eggs
3 - 29 eggs
4 - 25 eggs
5 - 55 eggs
6 - 30 eggs
7 - 32 eggs
8 - 29 eggs
9 - forgot to count
10 - 33 eggs
11 - 31 eggs
12 - forgot to count
13 - 32 eggs
14 - 31 eggs
15 - 36 eggs
16 - 31 eggs
17 - 25 eggs
18 - 22 eggs
19 - 19 eggs
20 - 7 eggs
21 - 12 eggs
22 - 14 eggs
23 - 15 eggs
24 - 11 eggs
25 - 10 eggs
26 - 13 eggs
27 - 13 eggs
28 - forgot to count
29 - 18 eggs
30 - 13 eggs

Total count - 577
Estimated total with missed days - 651

About mid-month, we moved our chickens over to their movable coop out in the pasture. It is a perfect coop. There is plenty of room for roosting, 9 luxurious nest boxes, a good amount of ventilation coupled with ample protection against the elements. It has only one drawback. The chickens don't seem to like it.

Ever since we moved them, the egg production has taken a nosedive. Oh, I'm sure they are still laying. They are just hiding the eggs in the long grass. We have no idea where they are. Don suspects that some snake is very, very happy out there.

They have also taken to pooping in the nest boxes which is highly irregular. But that means that the eggs we do get are usually filthy. It's all very frustrating.

There has also been a hawk issue of late. The chickens usually run for cover, but on cloudy days, they can't tell that the hawks are out (no shadows on the ground) and so they get snatched. The hawks are unable to fly off with those big chickens so they just sit there and eat while all the other chickens huddle in the coop and look on helplessly.

Oh, and one last thing. Three of the hens have decided things were better back home and returned. They have continued to just walk back to the house and we've given up hauling them back out there. They are hanging out in the old coop, which is where we've stuck the young fryers. When those boys get a bit older, though, I'd think the hens would get sick of the shinanigans and move on back to the field where there are only 5 roosters.

So, back to the ole drawing board. We've been working on a solution and I'll post details and pictures of that later.

Still, over 600 eggs in a month isn't too shabby.