I need to do the same. I work 7am to 5:30 pm and have an hour drive each way. Problem is, I leave my chickens out at 6:00 am and put them in at dark. My mother and father in law both live on the farm too. They keep an eye on the birds but are not really active in egg gathering or chicken...
I have the same problem. We live on a 250 acre farm and I let the hens out at 6:30am and lock them up at dark. Out of nine hens I'm only getting an egg or two a day. I can not find the alternative nests at all. I looked all over. I guess I will have to let the ladies in the coop for a week...
I lost one chick but that is to be expected. The nine I have left are beautiful, large, healthy birds. No other problems. Just got my first egg yesterday! I would order from them again in a heartbeat.
I have five Plymoth Barred Rocks and four Buff Orpington hens. We have a lot of land where I live and I would like to free range my birds occasionally. I have read all the threads on predators and have decided to only free range when I am home to supervise. Still, I have read many members...
Thank you everyone for the information. There is so much to learn here. I have 9 five month old hens and was thinking of adding another 3-5 hens this summer.
I just ordered from My Chicken Pet. My order will be in next week--5 Buff Orpingtons, 5 Barred Rocks. I'll let everyone know how my experience goes. They have a lot of negative reviews but I didn't see any of them until after I ordered. Thanks for sharing your experiences.