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Good Sunday Morning to you all. We are kicking off High Tech Week here at OPOD with this picture of a woman listening to an old radio. The picture is from the 1910's. It is probably hard for any of us to imagine just how cool this was back then. If you want a challenge, you can try to identify the woman in the picture, and why she was famous.Domestic Update:
I am pleased to report that things are going very well out in Chickie Town. I have been working on tracking egg production, and am pleased to be able to issue the following report. Below, we have a chart that shows daily egg production for the last week. The bars show eggs produced by day, and the red line shows cumulative production (read off the right axis). You can see that things are moving along very well.
In addition to tracking overall production, I am monitoring the production of each chickie. Below, you can see how each of the chickies is doing. As you can see, Miss Lilly, who was featured on the blog last week is a veritable egg laying machine. We have highlighted in red areas where improvement is needed. I have found that chickens are a lot like people . . . you have a few of them carrying the load for the entire group.
Below we are tracking the overall cost per egg of the operation. You can see that the cost per egg is dropping dramatically as the number of overall eggs produced increases.
I have decided that it is very important to encourage the chickens that are not performing to improve their output, so I have created posters which I have posted around Chickie Town. You can see in the picture below one of the posters posted inside the coup. This way, the chickies can check their production numbers as they leave the coup. Below, you can see Miss Lucy reviewing the chart. Miss Lucy has produced some eggs, but is one of the chickies in need of improvement, so I was happy to see her taking note of her production numbers.
Besides posting production numbers and motivational posters around Chickie Town, I also decided to try and encourage increased performance by featuring a Chick of the Week on the blog. We start today.
Chick of the Week: Miss Nelly
Name: Miss Nelly
Birth date: September 28, 2009
Likes: Hanging out with friends, Worms, Scratching the Dirt, and chasing bugs.
Turnoffs: Peacocks, mean chickens, dogs, and rainy days.
Her Ideal Rooster: The ideal rooster would be a good crower, and one who really knows how to strut his stuff around the barnyard. Big red comb a plus.
Best Friend: Ivy June.
So, hopefully with these new procedures put in place, we will be able to further increase egg production.
Good morning!
ReplyDeleteHaven't read the domestic update yet, just jumping right into today's challenge.
It's the lady in the picture at http://old-photos.blogspot.com/2007/05/woman-listening-to-old-recording-device.html and she's famous for still using the same batteries 10 years later.
Anon,
ReplyDeleteYep same lady, but I was looking for a name.
PJM
I am surprised to see headphones on that radio. I wonder if she ever considered slipping that radio into her pocket and going for a run.
ReplyDeleteI am very impressed by your egg-tracking efforts. I would suggest adding some pictures of fried chicken in your coop, too, if certain members of the flock continue to ride the others' tailfeathers.
Flartus,
ReplyDeleteA good suggestion of pictures of fried chicken. I will probably start with the more subtle encouragement before revealing to them what having their name in RED really means. We will give them a little time, and then escalate the production measures.
PJM
PJM: High Tech Week shows a lot of promise. And now for a peacock question. Are they laying eggs and do you eat them?
ReplyDeleteGeezer,
ReplyDeleteThe peacocks are not like chickens. The peacocks do not lay eggs year round, and appear to lay eggs when they are ready to have a family. We have not seen any peacock eggs yet. We do notice that Handsome is spending lots of time with his feathers fanned out, apparently trying to make a good impression on Lovie. When he starts that business, Lovie walks over and pecks him on the head. So, for now, she wants no part of it.
PJM
Good morning. This is Ethel Leginska. She is famous because she is one of the few mystery persons to appear on a day other than Saturday. She was also the first woman to regularly appear as a conductor of the world's top orchestras, such as the New York Metropolitan Opera House
ReplyDeleteThe Evil Nate Maas is correct again. I had hoped to trip him up by sneaking this in on a Sunday Morning.
ReplyDeletePJM
I absolutely love the poster in the chicken coop! It's very vintage WWII in it's feel.
ReplyDeleteBack in the 1930's, my grandparents didn't have electricity in their house. They used a car battery to power their radio. They didn't play it all day like we do now. My grand mother listened to a couple of soap operas and then the evening news.
ReplyDeleteYou need to get a rooster. I love too hear a rooster crowing in the morning.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I got a huge kick out of the chicken update. I just hope he's not inspired to start his own chicken palace.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the Sunday smiles.
Sheila,
ReplyDeleteI think everyone needs chickens. Even in town, several backyard chickens would be perfect. The hens dont make much noise at all . . . much less than a dog. They keep the landscaping trimmed, and would produce eggs for breakfast. I dont know how people get along without a few chickies.
PJM
Oh, so relieved to see that your per egg cost is dropping from $8,000
ReplyDeleteAnonymous is nuts recommending that you get a rooster. Those dummies don't just crow in the morning.
ReplyDeleteI find you will get more accomplished by encouragement rather than threats. However, I have a slammin' BBQ chicken recipe when the time comes.
Mabelline,
ReplyDeletePerhaps after some time if the lower performers do not improve I could post your BBQ chicken recipe in the chickie coup as gentle remeinder.
PJM
I love your engineering chart for egg production. I haven't seen its equal since I retired. LOL!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI think if they achieve 10 eggs a day (just 1 per chickie), you may soon get very tired of eating eggs.
ReplyDeleteBeing older than Miss Nelly, my mothers name in fact, and exactly 69 years older than her as we have the same birthday, I can say that I am quite proud of her production. I must admit that I have never laid even one egg in all that extra time. Lets have no posters with pictures of fried chicken and traumatize the poor dear.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the afternoon guffaw over the Chick of the Week - her likes and turn-oofs.
ReplyDeleteHysterical!
~Mad(elyn) in Alabama
Wow! If you get up to 10 eggs a day, you could become a big butter and egg man. Except for the butter part. That requires a cow. I guess you have an obvious next step in front of you.
ReplyDeleteWhen you eat the non-producing chickens will you post pictures of your chicken dinner? Thus proving your ambition to be a "gentleman farmer"?
ReplyDeleteChicken trivia: a standard size chicken eats four pounds of grain to produce a dozen eggs. A non egg producer eats the same as a producer...so they better get busy.
I am actually finding their eating habits interesting. I bought them the well balanced feed pellets and they dont like them at all. I put them out, but they dont eat them. I also got them the cracked grain mix. I put that out, and they just pick out the pieces they like. Most of it they dont eat. Mainly they dig and scratch and find their own food. I have been surprised that they actually browse and clear an area of vegetation. Even in winter, there are green weeds, and they eat them, and then find bugs. My mom goes to the grocery store once a week, and they give her the produce that they are throwing out. So, I get lots of those salad bags with spinach and greens (slightly wilted). They LOVE those. So pretty much they are eating grocery store throw aways and what they scratch up themselves. I still put out the scientifically formulated stuff, but they dont eat much of it. I just assume they know what they are doing, and are eating what they need/like.
ReplyDeletePJM
My chickens are not too fond of the laying mash either and wouldn't eat the pellets until I mixed it with tuna fish. I fed them the mash first thing in the morning when they were really hungry or I mixed it with leftovers. I won't buy that again. Other than that they eat everything offered. They rip my big compost heap open on a weekly basis. I throw it back together, figure it's a great way to aerate the pile. A couple like to come indoors and steal catfood. When I cook chicken or any poultry I put the carcass out for them and they pick the bones clean. I also return all the eggshells to the chickens, which they fight over. Great recyclers.
ReplyDeleteI think I just died laughing!
ReplyDeletePJM
ReplyDeleteIf you let the chickens out to forage all day, the "non-layers" could be laying in the brush somewhere. (We humans may think a nest box is really nice but some hens disagree.) A couple of mine do that. I located their nests and pick up the eggs after the hens roost. Because the nests are easy access I'm not fussing for now. I found the nests by counting the hens and watching for those who disappeared for a while, then watching where they returned from. (Also listening when the sitting hen calls to her mates.) Each hen lays at a different hour of the day.
Your Chickie Town post is waay too funny! Thank you for brightening my day.
ReplyDelete