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| These were some of the original hatchlings eleven years ago. |
The majority of the chickens on the farm are the children and the grandchildren of a mix of speedy small Bantam hens who were bred with a singular and very handsome Rhode Island Red rooster. Bantams have a lifespan of about 5-7 and Rhode Island Reds can live as long as 10-12 years. Since it's been almost 11 years since many of these were hatched, we are losing them almost daily. We should be grateful for the fact that many of them have lived beyond reasonable expectations of lifespan, and yet losing any animal, even at end of life, is sad.
This week Flitter, a granddaughter of the original flock was caught and killed by a fox. Gertrude, who was found on her side twice this week, died quietly in her sleep this morning. She still looked fantastic.
Rather than replacing these birds, I think we will take a break. We still have really elderly ducks, and some really elderly roosters and a couple of hens. I still have not replaced our guineas who died over the Winter courtesy of a particularly large family of red foxes, who are now eating the chickens of our neighboring farms. Once all of them have gone, we will toss their older housing, clean the areas around their housing, build new chicken housing and fencing, and get a few just for eggs, and the enjoyment of having them. I would love to have more guineas, but I am concerned about the foxes. Perhaps I can invest in the extra large guineas I saw advertised just recently.
Thank you birds, for all the eggs, all the enjoyment, and for making our farm a busy and joyous place.
Update: Regarding the "end of a poultry era", in 2020 when we found ourselves confined to the farm for almost months on end, we decided to get hatchlings again. So we are enjoying some very fast growing chicks called Asian black hens, not an actual breed but a hybrid. These are very healthy, strong and said to be tolerant of heat and of cold. The hens will lay brown eggs when they mature.
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