The Post That Shouldn't Have Been
This isn't what I was planning on posting about tonight.
I was planning on telling you about the fabulous day I had in Grande Prairie, choosing curriculum for next year, which I had an amazing brainwave about last night--it could be my most prepared (and fun) school year yet.
But that plan all changed when I drove into the yard and saw little chicken carcasses strewn hither and yon, and an almost-empty coop, relaying the sad tale of mayhem so recently enacted there.
There was a hole in the chicken wire on the side of my small chicken tractor--the one housing nearly 50 almost-two-month old chicks--most of which were destined for the freezer, but there were still five remaining dark brown leghorns which were to be our laying stock for this winter and beyond--a prolific laying breed, and an endangered species, to boot. None of the leghorns survived. In all, we only found nine live chicks, four of which were females which are now going to have to be saved for laying hens. That means that, between the five remaining meat stock and the two older roosters from my first batch that were heading for the table, we will have a total of seven birds in our freezer this winter--assuming these remaining birds survive that long.
I am still so upset I can barely type this. Such a waste of time, and money, and energy.
At this rate, Koda will be lucky if HE survives until winter.
I was planning on telling you about the fabulous day I had in Grande Prairie, choosing curriculum for next year, which I had an amazing brainwave about last night--it could be my most prepared (and fun) school year yet.
But that plan all changed when I drove into the yard and saw little chicken carcasses strewn hither and yon, and an almost-empty coop, relaying the sad tale of mayhem so recently enacted there.
There was a hole in the chicken wire on the side of my small chicken tractor--the one housing nearly 50 almost-two-month old chicks--most of which were destined for the freezer, but there were still five remaining dark brown leghorns which were to be our laying stock for this winter and beyond--a prolific laying breed, and an endangered species, to boot. None of the leghorns survived. In all, we only found nine live chicks, four of which were females which are now going to have to be saved for laying hens. That means that, between the five remaining meat stock and the two older roosters from my first batch that were heading for the table, we will have a total of seven birds in our freezer this winter--assuming these remaining birds survive that long.
I am still so upset I can barely type this. Such a waste of time, and money, and energy.
At this rate, Koda will be lucky if HE survives until winter.