CntryBoy777 - The Lazy A** Acres Adventures

[CntryBoy777]

I appreciate that y'all and I'm sure she will, it does seem that shorter periods of light and being cloudy during the shortened hours, does tend to increase the "Cycles" and she is a bit perturbed because her wrist is bothering her in the damp and cold. It is nothing that I haven't dealt with for 17yrs now.
About the eggs, most around either has chickens or family that does so many already have what they need or want. Those we have given to already still have some, or decided against ours for what ever the reason and just won't say. There is a farmers market in town and I have to check to see what I need to do to sell them there. But, was just wanting to be nice and give them out to others, but will get rid of them anyway. If I had confidence in the Shipping would send y'all some...

 

[Bruce]

Sounds like Joyce has SAD. If you haven't checked into them there are lights of a particular spectrum that are used to counteract that. The upside is it getting lighter earlier and staying lighter later

Up here you have to pay for a spot at the Farmer's Market. I don't know how much and I'm sure it depends on the market's size and location. With lots of people in your area having layers, I guess the price you can charge won't be high. Thus it may not be worth your time but it can't hurt to check into it. Angel Food cake takes 11 whites, chocolate truffles use yolks

Eos, our "peach" colored 1.5 Y/O EE laid a 60g 4 days ago and a 68g 2 days ago. I'm pretty surprised since neither of the 2 EE's I have had through a second winter ever laid between fall moult and late February. I better go check if she's laid one today given it has made it up to a whacking +2F. Not that I WANT to go outside!

 

[Bruce]

Update Yep she did! This time 70 (cold) grams.

 

[CntryBoy777]

The market spot in town isn't that big and consists of local farmers selling their veggies in the summer and fall. I think the permit is like $5/yr or season and they have to be locally grown. Tho, most of the farmers live in the county the town wants their "Piece" of your "Pie"...
Joyce being a manic/depressive has cycles all yr, but they are more frequent in winter. She has lights she sits under at times, but she can't sit still very long to absorb much, she has ADHD being inside drives her nuts. That's why I got the Birds for her to have activity she likes and forces her outside to tend to them. That is why she is 5'9" and 110lbs. Age certainly isn't her "Friend", because as the body breaks down, the inner "Self" becomes trapped and limited, and is held "Captive and a Prisoner", but the mind still races and wants to do what the body is unwilling or capable of doing anymore. Thus, the cycle begins again. You reach a point that it is no longer a "Mind over Matter" issue, and this is where we both are at this point.
I don't blame ya for not wanting to get out in those Temps for sure, but if ya wait too long ya could have another Frozen egg for the freezer...

 

[CntryBoy777]

Oh, forgot about the price of eggs here....the going rate is either $1.50-2.00 a dz, otherwise people just get them from WallyWorld. Unless one understands "Country Eggs" they don't want any Poo marks on their eggs, discoloration, or difference in sizes. The only time prices rise is when they go up at WallyWorld....

 

[NH homesteader]

Wow. Eggs are $3.50-4.00/dozen here. It's cheaper than buying free range eggs at Wally world, and I think we all know what "free range" is compared to the chickens in our backyard.

 

[Bruce]

Clearly Joyce needs to make Angel Food cake and truffles with those eggs, put some weight on that frame Maybe she could sell those alongside the eggs at the market. Lots may have access to eggs but don't want to put in the effort to make cake or truffles. Those "value added" products sell for a better price as well.

I'm sorry she has such problems but I'm glad you thought to get her some outside animals. The girls and I were talking about therapy animals yesterday after DD1 said that you can't have pets in the dorms and DD2 said you can if they are therapy animals. Seems one girl has a gecko (because the lady in charge of deciding if a particular animal is allowed doesn't like snakes) and another has a cat. The comment that relates to Joyce is that some people won't get out of bed to take care of themselves but will to take care of an animal and once up, will do for themselves as well.

 

[CntryBoy777]

Yeh, and selling veggies isn't any better either, because just about everyone has a garden, or city dwellers grow tomatoes in 5gal buckets or hay bales in their backyards. There is really no money to be made considering time, labor, and sweat that goes into it. This is also the reason there isn't a goat vet around here, because there isn't any money in it, most don't test or vaccinate, and goats are Cheap so if one dies there isn't a big Loss, so they just go get another one. There are just a few big breeders here...Egypt Creek Ranch is one with Kikos, but most won't pay those prices, and certainly can't travel to Indiana and other states for shows. Those that are close by are a Joke, and all you will see there are Boers. There are some dairies over on the east side of the state close to the Alabama line, but not around here. The closest quality goats around are in W Tn, if ya don't want to pay pedigree prices. All of this was found out After we got the goats, but I am still Glad we got them and got lucky they were Healthy. The people moved to Fl so I lost contact with them.

 

[Bruce]

Wow. Eggs are $3.50-4.00/dozen here. It's cheaper than buying free range eggs at Wally world, and I think we all know what "free range" is compared to the chickens in our backyard.

Yep. Not many "free range" eggs from suppliers big enough to consistently supply the grocery stores have them out foraging all day long. The USDA 'requirement' to call something "free range" is pretty minimal compared to what people ASSUME it means.

Oh, forgot about the price of eggs here....the going rate is either $1.50-2.00 a dz, otherwise people just get them from WallyWorld. Unless one understands "Country Eggs" they don't want any Poo marks on their eggs, discoloration, or difference in sizes. The only time prices rise is when they go up at WallyWorld....

I would be losing money at those prices. My calculations say each egg my girls lay costs me about $0.19 and includes ONLY the cost of the birds, shavings for the coop and what they eat that I have to buy. I could cut the cost a little by not giving them BOSS in the morning and scratch in the evening but even those costs are pretty minimal. I buy not much more than 100# of scratch a year at < $11/50 pounds and 50 pounds of BOSS at ~$20 is good for 9 months.

Not that I would EVER hope for such a thing to happen again, but the prices were probably really high after the avian flu took out so many midwest egg farms as a 'precaution'. As those who raise hens know, you can't just clean out and restart production in a week.

Yep, gotta find those people who understand milk isn't produced by plastic bottles and hens that have real lives don't lay the same size egg every time, nor every day and sometimes get a dirty foot in the nest before they lay. And they understand that a yolk this color isn't the mark of a bird with a varied diet.

 

[NH homesteader]

Ughhhh cheap eggs are so awful! I was until recently a member of the APPPA... American Pastured Poultry Producers Association... People should read some of the stuff that comes up.

The USDA and all those nonsensical people want birds to have NO outside access because of avian influenza... Uh I'll take my chances thanks.