Of our five adults hens (all 2 years old this week), only 3 have been regularly laying. Our BA hasn't laid since she molted in November 2012, and our BR hasn't laid since she molted in January 2013. We have yet to figure out why because they're in excellent health, aren't picked on and get all the same perks as the rest of the flock.
Sooooooo, yesterday we were finally at the point where we were ready to take our coop expansion project into the run and make our 1-story coop...
into a 2-story coop...
The upper story is the original coop (roosts and nest boxes and everything all identically located), we simply cut a hole in the floor inside the original door (which will no longer be used) and installed a ramp inside so that they can easily move between the levels.
WHILE working on this, our DOM insisted (even approaching me while I was running the jigsaw to put the hole in the floor) on getting into the original coop to lay an egg; even trying to squeeze PAST me through the door. I finally gave up and threw some bedding in the one nest box:
At least then I could get back to work.
Just as we got done putting the siding on the first floor (after lifting the original coop to the second floor with the DOM in it; she didn't care), our Wellie went and laid an egg in a sand mound in the corner of the run. Ok, fine, sorry, we were working as quickly as we could here and we did have the run open to let them roam the yard!
Once we get everything put together, we herd the chickens back into the run and then into the coop, which we shut them in (because the indoor ramp was freaking out everybody but the rooster). They had food and water in the coop, so we just left them and came back two hours later, which was right before dark....
A big blue egg from our EE was right outside a nest box (nice aim!) and a soft-shelled big brown egg was next to it! Wait, what is this 4th egg of the day??? It definitely wasn't from any of the other three girls who had laid that day because none of them lay that color/size combo. It had to be our BA or BR, though we don't know which one it was! But 6-8 months of NO eggs and now maybe one of them is actually thinking about it...just hours after we switch up their home?
We figured we'd be dealing with a week or two of NO eggs as punishment for this change. We didn't expect it to spook an extra egg out of anyone.
I wonder what will happen when we start integrating the 3 new hens in the next few weeks; maybe we'll have all five going again.
Sooooooo, yesterday we were finally at the point where we were ready to take our coop expansion project into the run and make our 1-story coop...
into a 2-story coop...
The upper story is the original coop (roosts and nest boxes and everything all identically located), we simply cut a hole in the floor inside the original door (which will no longer be used) and installed a ramp inside so that they can easily move between the levels.
WHILE working on this, our DOM insisted (even approaching me while I was running the jigsaw to put the hole in the floor) on getting into the original coop to lay an egg; even trying to squeeze PAST me through the door. I finally gave up and threw some bedding in the one nest box:
At least then I could get back to work.
Just as we got done putting the siding on the first floor (after lifting the original coop to the second floor with the DOM in it; she didn't care), our Wellie went and laid an egg in a sand mound in the corner of the run. Ok, fine, sorry, we were working as quickly as we could here and we did have the run open to let them roam the yard!
Once we get everything put together, we herd the chickens back into the run and then into the coop, which we shut them in (because the indoor ramp was freaking out everybody but the rooster). They had food and water in the coop, so we just left them and came back two hours later, which was right before dark....
A big blue egg from our EE was right outside a nest box (nice aim!) and a soft-shelled big brown egg was next to it! Wait, what is this 4th egg of the day??? It definitely wasn't from any of the other three girls who had laid that day because none of them lay that color/size combo. It had to be our BA or BR, though we don't know which one it was! But 6-8 months of NO eggs and now maybe one of them is actually thinking about it...just hours after we switch up their home?
We figured we'd be dealing with a week or two of NO eggs as punishment for this change. We didn't expect it to spook an extra egg out of anyone.
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