We got four of the ten chickens out of the coop today. All of the chickens have been living solely off what is put in their feed bowl up till now, and the cost of it for animals that are no longer producing eggs for the winter, and unlikely to in the spring due to their age, is too much for this old farmer to pay. The coop was muddy as can be, and very slippery, so we gave up after four, and will get the rest out another time. We also want to see what habits these four start, and maybe it will be easier to guild them than try to deal with all ten at once. Perhaps we can get them into good habits that will guide the rest when they come out. I’ve no idea. I am not a chicken pro! Just someone who has been raising them over a decade now.
Sending these birds outside is cutting them out of the feed budget, and making them to fend for themselves, which is something they are naturally capable of doing, so I have seen. We can supplement them if need be. It is also putting them at risk of being hunted, especially by owls around here. I hope that with fewer trees in the backyard this year, we will have fewer owl visits. Again, this is on a wait and see basis. I think it is a good thing for them to live outside if they can. It frees them to fend for themselves, which means they get to discriminate what they eat, and look for a healthier diet. They are old by egg laying standards, but they are not according to chicken aging norms. They are all fit and young enough to run and to fight as need be.
I am reducing costs here on the farm, kind of desperately. We are going to have to be very budget minded going forward. We have just come to that point now. We have massive medical bills coming in, and so far, the business has not gone as we had hoped it would. It is honestly very depressing. I have cancelled my standing wax order. I’d love to start that up again but won’t till I get through the stockpile I have at hand. I am looking for a job now and will try to keep the business end of the farm open and try to build it up still. I’ll have to take it more seriously than ever, too. I am honestly at a loss here. It’s no lie to say that. It is no lie to say I am not sure how to move forward. But that does not matter. Just keep moving. Move harder than ever. Make it mean something. Surely it can be done.