Poultry update

The young chicks are now happily living at Greenmeadow Poultry. The mother hen has joined her fellow flock mates at the yard. For now she is keeping her head down, preferring to lurk around the feed store and roosting on the straw bales. She is in full moult and has yet to reassert her position within the flock. There is no rush she will when she is ready.

Many of the birds are in various stages of moult just now, yet egg production remains fairly high. Another Indian Game hen has gone broody, hopefully she will change her mind in the next few days. It really is too late in the year to raise a young brood.

The growers have suddenly taken on a growth spurt, with several of the young cockerels finding their voice.

The finest of the breeds are beginning to show themselves. I have a couple of nice looking Indian Game pullets I aim to keep as followers. The young cockerel I will try to sell as he looks too good for the pot.
Of the Exchequer Leghorns I think I have chosen a cockerel and three nice looking pullets to make up a breeding flock.
I will keep six Welsummer pullets, 3 Partridge and 3 Gold Duckwing. I am tempted to keep the best of the Gold Duckwing cockerels.
I have 4 cross bred POL who were meant for the table but they are so pretty and so friendly their future is as yet undecided.
The young cockerels from an Indian Game cockerel over an Australorp hen are looking very promising and are growing at a faster rate than the Ixworth crosses, who were fast to begin with but who have now slowed down.

Looking around this year's breeding season appears to have been quite successful. Fertility and hatch rate was very high and many good birds produced. I am now looking forward and planning for next year.