Recent content by Back40

  1. Back40

    No eggs.... at all

    Thanks to you, Ol Grey Mare and Cacique500 for your suggestions. Since my layers tend to be a bit friendly and I'd like to keep them going for a while longer, I'll take the suggestion of overlapping flocks to keep the eggs going, and give the girls here a rest for the winter. Australorps are...
  2. Back40

    No eggs.... at all

    That's something I haven't done, but a great suggestion. I'll start that this weekend. Thanks much, and I'll place another post to update with results.
  3. Back40

    No eggs.... at all

    I have 12 Australorp ladies, 1 1/2 years old, and up until to the last few weeks at molt they were great layers... Over the last 6 weeks, they've gone from 10 eggs per day, to 7, to 6, and only two for the last two weeks. Tonight, no eggs at all. They've finished their molt, food is good with...
  4. Back40

    How to figure out which ones are still laying?

    If it happens that I have to begin to cull the non-layers out of my flock, does anyone have some good tried-and-true methods to determine which girls are laying, and which are not? My coop is set up with six nest boxes with a drop-down screen to prevent nest-roosting. With 16 hens, I'm not...
  5. Back40

    Layers

    Thanks to all for the advice. First I'll try the lights in the coop to see if they improve. Everyone deserves a second chance...
  6. Back40

    Layers

    O.k.... I have 16 Black Australorps who have been great layers for over two years, but they are about at the end of their laying days, I guess. For about 3 months, after their last molt, they started laying about 4 to 5 eggs per day, and now have gone to 1 to 4. I don't want to kill the...
  7. Back40

    Adopting a 4 year old Jack Russel Terrier today... what am I in for?

    My son has a JRT, and we love her, but I won't let her near my chickens. When my son visits, we have to watch the dog around the chicken pen because she gets them upset by running circles around the fence. My neighbor's free-range JRT would hunt down Gopher Tortoises and chew their heads off...
  8. Back40

    U.E.E... Unidentified Egg Eater!

    Yes, the holes are beak-size... I thought about that, but the fact that there's no residue left in the nest boxes is what made me think there's something lapping up the insides after penetrating the shell. The holes are always in the ends of the eggs, never on the sides. I've found three more...
  9. Back40

    U.E.E... Unidentified Egg Eater!

    O.k... New mystery for me here... Over the last few months when collecting eggs, I've noticed an occasional egg crushed in one of the nesting boxes. I just figured the hens were crushing eggs that may have been a little soft-shelled. So, I clean out the nest box every time, put out some more...
  10. Back40

    They quit laying!

    I'm not sure if they're about to moult... could be that. This is my first year with chickens in Florida... when I lived up north, they didn't quit laying in the winter, though it was much colder then. They decreased, but didn't stop like these have. Are there indicators that they may be...
  11. Back40

    They quit laying!

    Well, they don't have artificial lights; might that help? It has warmed up over the last couple of days, but still no eggs... Maybe I just need to give 'em a little time to 're-coop'erate from the freezing weather, I guess. Thanks for all replies...
  12. Back40

    They quit laying!

    I have 20 Australorps... during the latest cold snap here in Florida (27 to 32 degrees for about a week; o.k., not much winter, I get it!), my hens went from about 15 +/- eggs per day, to 8 per day two weeks ago, to only two eggs over the last 4 days... what's up with this? Their coop is...
  13. Back40

    Laying slowdown

    Could someone advise why my Ladies may have slowed egg production? Possible factors: 1. cooler weather? 2. Not-so-great care by a neighbor while I was out of town for a week? (Not enough water or feed) 3. Not receiving typical attention while I was away? Thanks for any suggestions...
  14. Back40

    High flyers- I give up!

    Yep, clipping is the only way to stop the flying... It is easy, and you only do one side (throws them off balance). I always clip the left side. Mine don't mind; they actually like being held while I'm clipping, and it's only a partial loss of feathers. There are good tutorials on line...
  15. Back40

    At what age do roos begin to crow?

    My Polish started crowing in a tiny voice at about 4 months... he is now 6 months, and wakes me every morning at around 5:00 a.m., before sunup. It's nice, and I enjoy hearing him everyday.
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