Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[sjturner79]

4 for a day is my next goal too, it should be about 2 months away when the broody starts laying again. We are getting about 1 every 3 days again now.

 

[Deej211]

We have never had 4 eggs in one day so that is the next mini milestone ... maybe, just maybe, one day we might get six eggs from six girls but for now, we will aim for 4; baby steps 

congrats on the marble lol.

We've been getting 4-5 eggs a day from 6 aras so pretty happy with that and something is stealing the eggs from the aussies and indian game or my cup would runneth over so to speak. Lol.

 

[Manyana]

not all girls can pop out the big ones for their first.

 

[Teila]

Yep, having banties I am used to a small egg and eggs are just a nice bonus from having such wonderful pets/garden helpers .. On those occasions I do have to buy eggs, if it has been a while, I do get a bit of a shock regarding the size difference

Dusty, who is doing a bit of mini-moult has started checking out the nest box and squatting again, so maybe soon, she will return to laying also .. that just leaves LuLu who seems to prefer spending her time reveling in the fact that she is no longer bottom of the pecking order and reminding those below her of that fact

 

[Pugg]

Congratulations on the eggs Teila! Only two of my girls are laying at the moment

My other girl Charlie who always has eggs for me is with her "boyfriend" at the moment so I won't be eating those. My two Australorps haven't laid for a while now, could it be to do with the cold? they are only a year old. Perfectly healthy (and quite bossy), My Ancona I recently got hasn't laid since she arrived.I Think it's been a month now? She's absolutely timid too, as soon as I walk into the run all the girls run up to me and she bolts to the other side. I'm trying to hand feed her so she'll get to know me but she's a tricky little one.

Sorry about your little one Satay.

 

[Anniebee]

Hi all ...

I have my 3 girls only, and they are all squatting and ( I think ) - all laying. Easy to tell Mindy's in the line up - they are blue/green/olive-ish ... and she's laying up a storm 6/7 days. The other two seem to be taking it in turns - but I cannot tell precisely what egg is being laid by whom. !! .. I have not yet found 2 eggs in the nest - only 1 per day. Thing is, one should be a pretty pink ( RIR ) and another a terra-cotta with a sprinkle of tiny spots ( Welsummer ) but both are laying eggs that are sooo close in colour it is difficult to tell.
Today's I am pretty sure was Molly RIR's egg ... it is pinker today. .... and there are a couple from a week back, that have the tiniest of speckles on a barely darker background. But from a small distance, the pale brownish / pink eggs, all look much the same.

Last late Spring / Summer, from my 3 girls I was getting ( and yes I am doing the big boast !!

) ... 16 > 18 eggs per week. Gave so many away. .... I am waiting impatiently for two eggs in the same nest - one day soon !! . It is still so very cold here, I think that might have something to do with it. ... I have never given my girls any shell grit - except the little they get in scratch mix, and occasionally some ground up egg-shells. They also get good calcium in their layer pellets.

...........

A question for anyone who might be able to help. Having finished off the purchased eggs, I broke open the first of my girls' eggs two days back.

There was a tiny speck of blood on the nice orange yolk, so I tried to pick that off - was not at all worried about it though. But of course I broke the yolk doing so .... the yolk swam in RED.

It smelled perfect, and husband said - ' that's blood ' .... I threw it out and opened one of Mindys' ( blue ) ... broke open the yolk and sure enough - also red as red ... like little rivers of blood. This time I just went ahead and used the egg.

Now - when I suspected my girls were coming into lay, I backed off the protein I had been giving them ( for their moults and feather regrowth etc ) and gave them some chopped up kale, every couple of days - plus their little ( by their choice ) free ranging, and some finely scissored broccoli flowerettes. Would the kale have made such incredibly dark red colour INSIDE the yolk ? ... When cooked, they seem to be very dark orange in the yolk, but raw - are normal on the outside and bloody looking inside. Was it the kale ? or is there something I should worry about - this was from two different chooks' eggs. ??? Will open two more tomorrow - have a look, and use them anyway - unless someone tells me different ??

Anyone seen this situation, before ?

Cheers ......

 

[Pugg]

I know something like that can be caused by a rupture of a blood vessel during formation of an egg.

 

[Anniebee]

I know something like that can be caused by a rupture of a blood vessel during formation of an egg.

Thanks Pugg ... I knew small ruptures can create the blood spots - but sooo much red blood looking stuff inside a yolk ? ... and from two different chickens ? I am not doubting you at all - and thank you for replying so quickly. I will have to try and learn what might happen when a yolk is forming, as that seems to be the first thing to happen - then all the rest comes at different stages until lay time. Egg shells are good and strong. The chickens are in good health ( I believe ). ....

..........

To anyone else interested :

Mentioned a while back, that when Mandy Welsummer is laying, she gets the squits - every morning a big loud blurt ( fart ) and a stream of loose bowel. Was wondering if she would do that again after coming into lay this time - and she has, after a moulty autumn / winter of perfectly formed droppings !! .... It is so very weird - squits = laying time.

Cheers ...

 

[Pugg]

Don't worry, I'm still learning too ^-^ Now that I'm raising chicks myself, for the very first time, i'm very scared and panic at the smallest thing. Lucky for me the BYC community are always on standby and without them I don't know where i'd be now!

 

[Anniebee]

To Satay and Fancychooklady .... so sorry to hear of the loss of your beloved hens. ... It's a horrid thing to have to go through. RIP

...........

And to Kleonpatra - you did the right thing - sad as it is to have to say. Once a dog - has killed - it will usually do so again. ... Perhaps it was trained with only one type of animal to protect, therefore saw the chickens as predators. From memory you had a horse or horses as well ? .... in any case, it had gone awry whichever way one looks at the situation - and could not be trusted any longer - even with humans, I would think. So sad, but he's at peace now. RIP.