The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: shetlandpaul on November 12, 2010, 09:12:14 pm
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very odd.
we produce enough eggs for our local country store at the moment 12 dozen closer to 3 dozen in summer. any way today we have had two people wanting eggs one wanting 10 dozen a week and another wanting whatever we had for a food show as there shop has none to show.
its hard to explain to people that our hens are heading into winter and that theres no way we can help. i tried the other local egg producers and there is not one spare egg in the west side of shetland. im hearing that lots of people are giving up because of the cost. this would be a shame if were going back to the mass produced eggs. but i can understand as our feed has just gone up by 50p. yet we can't really increase the price to the shop.
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Are you restricted to feeding pellets because you sell your eggs? Mine get all sorts of foods - bread, buns, veg etc etc. And I remember my Auntie Madge years ago (maybe about 50 years ago......... :-[) mixing up a mash for hers made of porridge oats, veg and goodness knows what else.
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you have to be able to prove what you have fed them. however if your chickens choose to raid the compost/manure pile whos fault is it if you put veg or old bread on it. a bit silly after all we dont list the contents of the worms and other bugs they catch. we had the animal health visit this week and i felt really bad as they had to wade through ankle deep mud to get to the hen house. which was in a mess because of the mud. they were very helpful and even told us about a supplier of cheap gravel.
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I always feel bad if I can't provide (just surplus) - but why does everyone ask me for eggs NOW? All over summer I'm sitting on them :D and nobody wants any! Also had to put up the price by 10 p per 6.... :&>
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i felt really bad as they had to wade through ankle deep mud to get to the hen house. which was in a mess because of the mud. they were very helpful and even told us about a supplier of cheap gravel.
That worried me too, my run is a mess as well - I had got it half cleared when all this rain hit us, so it is just a swamp now. They have dry straw in their shed though - and perches (not that they use them ) so they are cosy.
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All over summer I'm sitting on them :D
OMG...how do you spare the time...and what's your hatch percentage? :D
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;D ;D ;D
I knew that was coming... :&>