Hey Reader,

Hoo boy, this has been an interesting month. And mostly due to coop happenings. I'll keep all other updates brief because lots happened with the birds this month.

So let's get into it.

In the Coop

Egg Production was pretty abysmal in July. We were down almost 48% from production in June with only 121 eggs collected in the coop. Crazy.

I track egg production because it's fun and also because it lets me know if there's an issue with the hens. We buy organic feed because what they eat, we eat in their eggs and meat, so if I have a bunch of freeloaders I want to know so we stop wasting feed money.

Now there were quite a few instances that would, understandably, upset egg production in July. And with free ranging, I understand that sometimes they may start laying outside in places where I can't find eggs. That's one of the risks with free ranging.

First hiccup - the insane heat

July is the worst month in our area for humidity and heat. We were consistently in the 100-110s for how it felt outside. And yes, it did feel like the surface of the sun while simultaneously bathing and breathing in swamp water as soon as you stepped outside.

Greenfire Farms, where most all USA Swedish Black flocks originate, states that these birds should be laying 200-250 eggs a year. The math isn't mathing when it comes to the summer months, but it makes sense that cold hardy, winter layers might not do as well in the summer as the winter.

The chickens pant and hold their wings out to the side for cooling air flow during these hot times but it's miserable for everyone. Thankfully they have great shade in the woods but it's still rough.

I do recognize that we are spoiled in the winter when our birds carry on pretty much normally while others stop laying altogether.

Second hiccup - the rat snake came back...

There was one week in July where egg production came to a halt. I'm talking none to one egg a day in the coop so I knew something was up. Then one evening I caught it mid-snack.

Unbelievable.

I had hoped we had come to a mutual understanding, but alas, we were paying to feed a snake, albeit a beneficial one.

The day after dealing with the snake the second time, we had six eggs in the coop.

Third hiccup - the guinea fowl

I've been pondering the egg production issue for a while now and I thought that maybe the guinea fowl were stressing the hens. They certainly were stressing the roosters by pulling their tail feathers out. The male guinea, in particular, would gatekeep the chickens from entering the coop in the evening and from eating the fermented grains I would put out for them. Not a good environment for stress-free egg laying.

So I listed the three guineas (one male, two female) for sale with the thought that I would get guineas again in the future but NOT coop train them. These three knew where the good food was but I'd rather the guineas gorge on ticks and free range than feast on what I feed the chickens.

Sooooo...I had a buyer come out and I put the guineas in a dog kennel covered with a tarp until they arrived.

I have never seen guineas act so crazy with no one around them. They clearly hated containment which is why I put the tarp over it to try to calm them.

This very nice lady who owns chickens and quail came out with her husband and two kids to pick them up. She'd never had guinea fowl before and wanted to try her hand at them.

This handoff didn't go well. And as tragic as this is, if you've had guinea fowl before you'll understand how this happened and why birdbrain makes sense as an insult.

Picture this - All of us are standing a few feet away from the birds chatting about chickens, when I notice one of the females had stuck her long neck and head through one hole in the kennel and back through another into the kennel. A recipe for disaster.

The lady noticed it too and stated she's going to hang herself and that I should pop her head back through. I, however, knew that if I stepped one foot towards her with her neck like that, she would certainly hang herself out of fright and it'd be over. Guinea fowl are not consider domesticated birds like chickens. They're more like game fowl.

Unfortunately she couldn't get her head back through and she started freaking out and flailing without any of us humans moving an inch. If you've seen the death throes of a bird, you know you can usually differentiate it from typical flailing.

I knew it was over.

Once I saw that she'd already hung herself, I popped her head back through the kennel and nature took its course.

It was honestly the craziest thing I've ever witnessed before and I was both shocked and not shocked.

A group of guinea fowl is called a confusion and it's unbelievably accurate. They are, hands down, the dumbest animal I have ever dealt with before and one offing itself in front of an audience is certainly not outside the realm of possibility. Clearly.

I was slightly taken aback, bemused, and slightly amused (don't call PETA) at the ridiculousness of what we had just witnessed. Imagine five humans just watching a bird somehow loop its neck around a kennel enough to hang itself. It's just ridiculous.

However when one of their kids started crying, I felt really bad. So I brought out Pumpkin to entertain and distract them.

It was a quick cervical dislocation so there wasn't any suffering but I felt bad because her kids had never witnessed a bird die as they don't eat or process their birds. I can understand seeing a bird flail around in death throes as traumatic when you're little and you've never seen it before.

I refunded her for that bird...

It got even worse though because they also brought a dog kennel to transport the birds. By the time they made it home, another had offed itself. I refunded her for that one too...

That same dog kennel comfortably and safely transported seven of our Swedish Blacks from Wyoming to Tennessee. All survived. All did great.

Guinea fowl are something else entirely.

Learning about guineas over the past year has shown me that our experience with them isn't unique. Most people say they're dumb and prone to getting themselves killed. I've been told you should get 4x the amount of guineas you want to have because they die off pretty quickly.

Lesson learned - buy keets or hatching eggs. I will never try to transport adult guinea fowl in the future. I honestly don't trust them in a padded cardboard box after what I witnessed.

I truly wish I could have recorded that whole scene because there's no way I can convey in words the ridiculousness and shock of what transpired.

A Huge Update

We left NPIP in July.

NPIP is a voluntary program that allows chicken tenders to legally ship live poultry and hatching eggs across state lines. We participated in this program in both Wyoming and Tennessee.

This was a big decision for us that we've mulled over for quite a few months.

We have no regrets joining NPIP but we also have no regrets leaving. Participating served our needs for a time, introduced us to some great people who cherish Swedish Blacks, and let us experience a new way of sharing our love for this rare breed with others.

And, if you look at the NPIP participants now offering Swedish Blacks in Tennessee, we're proud to say that their stock came from ours. Our goal is to help raise awareness and increase the numbers of these amazing birds. We were the first in Wyoming and Tennessee to offer these birds to our local community through NPIP and we've shipped hatching eggs to more than six states across the country.

If you'd like to read more into why we left (cost-benefit analysis, privacy concerns, etc.), check out the post below that I wrote explaining everything.

Do we still sell chicks and hatching eggs? What's changed with leaving NPIP? Was it difficult to leave? All answered in the post below.

​Why We Joined NPIP – and Why We Chose to Leave​

I also wrote some accompanying posts that help explain NPIP further for those interested in joining the program. It's the kind of post I wanted to read when I was first researching joining.

​What is NPIP? A Beginner’s Guide​

​Preparing for Your First NPIP Inspection: What to Expect​

And NPIP isn't the only factor to consider when buying birds. I wrote this post to help provide some helpful tips when considering breeders to choose from.

​How to Evaluate a Chicken Breeder​

Happy reading!

In the Garden

After the guinea and egg fiascos, at least the garden is doing great with what decided to germinate. My flowers are gorgeous, the cucamelons are prolific, and the luffa are finally showing off.

In the Pasture

Pepper's Banding

The process worked perfectly and I found the fun sack in their night pen. It's also nice to know when this process is over so I don't have to worry about infection, fly strike, or any of the like while he has a wound healing up.

Happy Birthday, Juno!

Juno turned four this month and it feels crazy that she's already this age. I wish we had 40 more years with such an amazing, sweet dog. Honestly the best that's ever been.

In the Kitchen

I found a great freshly milled sourdough einkorn bread recipe that I've been loving. It even works well when baking in bulk! I like to bake four loaves at a time and freeze three to eat later.

Here's the link to the recipe I've been using. I found her accompanying YT video (linked on that page) to be super helpful in understanding how FMF einkorn differs in texture and management from unbleached white bread flour.

I've baked over 20 loaves with this recipe now and I'm probably not changing.

I'm almost through one bag of einkorn berries with one left to go. Should I try spelt next?

I also shared a FMF einkorn chocolate chip cookie recipe with you in June. I'm still making it, but tweaking the recipe to avoid the really flat appearance that seems to be typical of FMF cookies. So far so good and I'll share the final fluffy recipe once I perfect it. I'm basically adjusting the butter and flour ratios to reduce their spread while cooking.

Here's that link again in case you want to make them, as is.

One Small Beautiful Thing

I found this expired butterfly on the ground while walking around the property last year. I've found it to be a beautiful addition to the bouquets I bring from the garden or the pasture.

Ciao for now!

Jamie

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