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It's been two years since we stopped selling eggs and our chickens officially retired. The farm is now living a quiet life while Nobuo and I are trying to figure out how to revive the chicken business.
It's been two years since we stopped selling eggs and our chickens officially retired. The farm is now living a quiet life while Nobuo and I are trying to figure out how to revive the chicken business.
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| Breakfast time! October 2019 |
Meanwhile, here's what the farm looks like now.
Farm inhabitants
As of October 2019, the population of Chickens' Playground was four chickens and three goats. Unofficial population includes a nation of frogs, spiders and other independent creatures of various sizes and (usually) many legs.
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| All members of the current flock are in the picture. Four chickens - four feed trays. October 2019 |
Now that there's only one rooster and three hens, they can enjoy the luxury of having each a personal feed tray. Four chickens - four trays. This way, if a lower-ranked hen is chased off a tray by a higher-ranked hen (or a mean rooster), there's still one unoccupied tray to go and eat from. In other words, all hens can eat as much as they want and when they want regardless of their social status. This keeps them all healthy and happy. What a fair society it is. (And made possible solely by the change of design - providing four small trays instead of a single big one.)
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| After breakfast, siesta in chickens' favorite retreat. October 2019 |
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| Siesta time, zoomed-in. October 2019 |
Persimmons
This year, for the first time in the farm's five year history we were able to protect persimmon trees from the goats well enough to be able to harvest some fruit. Isn't it beautiful!
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| Persimmons: Our very first harvest! October 2019 |
However, photo from the other side shows that one fruit was half-eaten by crows.
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| One fruit was half-eaten by crows October 2019 |
Never mind, two perfect ones are still left! Actually I was surprised that crows were polite enough to leave the two untouched. I suspect it's because unharvested persimmons are now in every garden all over the region. Crows must be feeding themselves elsewhere.
I harvested all three pieces, took the two pretty ones home and gave the half-eaten one to the chickens. They happily finished it.
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| The half-eaten fruit was happily finished by chickens. October 2019 |
Tea time
In our chickens' and goats' world, tradition dictates that a morning siesta and a nap are followed by an afternoon siesta and a nap. But sometimes, when the weather is pleasant and everyone is in good mood, afternoon siesta is combined with a tea time when chickens join goats in Grand Goat Shed for a cup of tea and a chat. |
| Tea time: Chickens and goats in Grand Goat Shed October 2019 |
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| Tea time, somewhat zoomed-in. October 2019 |
Yup, that's the life on the farm now.