Any one want to join me in waiting for eggs, posting and comparing notes?

[gfiman]

I'll get that rail installed. Saw evidence of someone checking out one of the nest boxes. Probably will get just a couple more hens a little later. I don't think I'm at full capacity yet.
What size house do you have your 20 birds in? What size outside run do you have? I'm building a run that will be 24x12'. Got the holes dug. Bought posts, wire, and materials for a 4' door.
Haven't figured out what I'm going to put over the run for protection yet. Coop has auto door installed, and I plan to let chickens have access to outside during the day.

If I can figure out how to load pictures, I will take some and post soon.

 

[Melabella]

I'll get that rail installed. Saw evidence of someone checking out one of the nest boxes. Probably will get just a couple more hens a little later. I don't think I'm at full capacity yet.
What size house do you have your 20 birds in? What size outside run do you have? I'm building a run that will be 24x12'. Got the holes dug. Bought posts, wire, and materials for a 4' door.
Haven't figured out what I'm going to put over the run for protection yet. Coop has auto door installed, and I plan to let chickens have access to outside during the day.

If I can figure out how to load pictures, I will take some and post soon.

Do you see the long rectangular box above where we write our posts that has the smiley face in it? To the left of the smiley there is a small landscape looking box icon. Click on that, and you can upload any picture from either your smart phone or your pc. That is how you post pictures.

My first coop and set up is a small coop that can hold a maximum of 15 LF birds, and I had a 20 x 10 ft run around it. I free range my flock every single day weather permits, and they are only in their coop at night when they go up to roost. I spent a small fortune on the run, as I live in a very heavy predator filled area in the Northeast. My one recommendation if you have a lot of predator behavior in the area is investing in heavy 1x1 welded wire. I am glad I did, I even ran it under the floor of the run. Nothing other than a bear can get in there. In my three years of owning chickens, I haven't lost one yet to a predator. I attribute this to the run, and also my livestock guardian dog that is out when the flock is free ranging. I did survive a stray dog attack, and a Hawk attack. Both times my dog had been let in the house by my children, ( an offense done a second time will result in a beating)...just kidding.... but not really. just kidding. lol. I don't feel chicken wire is enough, and I have had a raccoon chew through hardware cloth on a rabbit cage, so if you do want hardware cloth, I would use it only after the welded wire.

I recently wanted to start to breed some Swedish Flower Hens, so I invested in a Craigslist 8 x 10 shed that I am converting to a new coop and will build a new run to go with it. At the moment, they are all growing out in an empty 12 x 12 horse stall in my horse barn. My husband is none too thrilled with them being in the horse barn as chicken manure isn't as pleasant as horse manure smell... In our humble opinion. ha ha.

Let me see if I can rustle up some pictures. ...

Here is the picture of my current set up. I need to convert the craigslist shed to make it a coop. Add ventilation, windows for daylight, and of course set up the inside with roosts and nest boxes. The run will be the same as the other. The flocks will have to free range on alternate days or half days as the laying flock that I have now has an Ameraucana roo and he and my Swedish boy have all ready shown a strong dislike for each other. Not good.

 

[Marcy54]

Hi, everyone, just caught up on the posts. I thin most of my original group of wyandottes are laying,I get about 3-4 eggs per day most days. I have an Ameracauna, a Maran, and an Orloff. and those are not laying yet. The orloff is young, the maran and the Ameracauna are probably close to old enough, but so far nothing. Everyone has figured out their pecking order and things are pretty calm in the coop so far. I visit a few times a day, bringing them straw to spread, greens, fruit, and other treats when I check their water. I add kelp to their feed and give them some cracked corn and mealy worms since their isn't much on the ground to forage now with the snow. So far, we are doing okay. I am trying to retying the winter situation for next year, probably will move them into the tool shed, it has two good sized windows for light, and ample space for ventilation. We need more covered area for them to move around in the wet. The smaller coop I have is hard to clean out and the run is really wet.

 

[mattsanity]

I think I only posted once on here to complain about waiting for eggs, but it turned out I didn't have to wait long as one of my girls provided me with this beauty at 22 weeks and 4 days of age.


I believe it's my Aussie who started squatting for me last week, but there's an outside shot it was my EE who began squatting just this week.

 

[Marcy54]

I think I only posted once on here to complain about waiting for eggs, but it turned out I didn't have to wait long as one of my girls provided me with this beauty at 22 weeks and 4 days of age.


I believe it's my Aussie who started squatting for me last week, but there's an outside shot it was my EE who began squatting just this week.

It's really pretty. Is it pink or pinkish brown? My wyandottes lay a pinkish brown egg.

 

[Marcy54]

Do you see the long rectangular box above where we write our posts that has the smiley face in it? To the left of the smiley there is a small landscape looking box icon. Click on that, and you can upload any picture from either your smart phone or your pc. That is how you post pictures.

My first coop and set up is a small coop that can hold a maximum of 15 LF birds, and I had a 20 x 10 ft run around it. I free range my flock every single day weather permits, and they are only in their coop at night when they go up to roost. I spent a small fortune on the run, as I live in a very heavy predator filled area in the Northeast. My one recommendation if you have a lot of predator behavior in the area is investing in heavy 1x1 welded wire. I am glad I did, I even ran it under the floor of the run. Nothing other than a bear can get in there. In my three years of owning chickens, I haven't lost one yet to a predator. I attribute this to the run, and also my livestock guardian dog that is out when the flock is free ranging. I did survive a stray dog attack, and a Hawk attack. Both times my dog had been let in the house by my children, ( an offense done a second time will result in a beating)...just kidding.... but not really. just kidding. lol. I don't feel chicken wire is enough, and I have had a raccoon chew through hardware cloth on a rabbit cage, so if you do want hardware cloth, I would use it only after the welded wire.

I recently wanted to start to breed some Swedish Flower Hens, so I invested in a Craigslist 8 x 10 shed that I am converting to a new coop and will build a new run to go with it. At the moment, they are all growing out in an empty 12 x 12 horse stall in my horse barn. My husband is none too thrilled with them being in the horse barn as chicken manure isn't as pleasant as horse manure smell... In our humble opinion. ha ha.

Let me see if I can rustle up some pictures. ...

Here is the picture of my current set up. I need to convert the craigslist shed to make it a coop. Add ventilation, windows for daylight, and of course set up the inside with roosts and nest boxes. The run will be the same as the other. The flocks will have to free range on alternate days or half days as the laying flock that I have now has an Ameraucana roo and he and my Swedish boy have all ready shown a strong dislike for each other. Not good.

I love that run!

 

[mattsanity]

It's really pretty. Is it pink or pinkish brown? My wyandottes lay a pinkish brown egg.

Now you've got me really studying it! There could be a touch of pink there or it could be just pale brown. I dunno. My 14 month old son is unimpressed that I'm paying more attention to something besides him.

 

[gfiman]

Thanks

I will try to get a few pictures and try my luck at loading them.

 

[jtbass2756]

Its 3am ....couldn't sleep! Then this grape sized little egg kept drawing me over .SO I BROKE IT OPEN TO SEE IF ANYTHING HAD DEVELOPED INSIDE. I would have lost $$ because I would have bet there was nothing more than possibly some eggwhite. Took picts so you could see I WAS SO WRONG!!

And the shell itself was very strong...nothing strange there....but this was really small,,,,,,,,,,,,,

teaspoon beside this so you could see how small it was on the inside too
It really does have a yolk.....however small it was!!

I think I have an egg from the same pullet....this one looks to be regular size and is completely normal except it is a soft shell egg. Check it out..,

After I carefully opened it,.,,,only to find a beautiful complete egg inside. I put it in the bucket for them to have tomorrow with their oatmeal and raisins.


The cloudy debris looking spots looks to be what there is of a pasty formation of a shell.. Can be wiped off.

 

[CB3fish]

Hi Debbie, what kind of chicken is Liza? Thanks. Bill+