Recent content by Capoken

  1. Capoken

    Mystery Blood in Coop

    We just had the same thing happen last night. It was one of their combs - it had gotten dried and cracked in this cold dry weather (just like my knuckles!) We slathered some petroleum jelly on it.
  2. Capoken

    first egg a double yolk

    My first egg ever - from my Rhode Island Reds, was a double yolk. And then one of her sisters did the same thing. I was certain it was a testament to my amazing chicken raising abilities, but then I found out it is not THAT rare for the first egg to be a double yolk.
  3. Capoken

    How can I stop my hen from sleeping in the nesting box?

    Yes - they now sleep on the roosts and the eggs are mostly clean.
  4. Capoken

    How can I stop my hen from sleeping in the nesting box?

    Blocking the boxes for a few weeks at night is the only thing that worked for us.
  5. Capoken

    How long is the span between each egg for RIR's?

    I have 4 RIR and I get 4 eggs most days and 3 eggs on others. 24 per week or more, but my birds are young. I expect fewer as they age....
  6. Capoken

    Layer Feed

    I started transitioning my pullets onto layer feed around week 16 because that is what a book I was reading said to do. They were fine and started laying right on time.
  7. Capoken

    Our first eggs! 20 week old RIRs.

    And a final update for this thread: the last pullet, girl #4, has come online at about 24 1/2 weeks. I feel very fortunate that they all started laying even though the light hours continue to decrease. If you are looking for egg reliability, I highly recommend getting RIR from MPC. If a...
  8. Capoken

    What age do you switch to a layer feed?

    I read a book by "the chicken wisperer" that said to switch to layer around 16 weeks. That is what I did. 2 of 4 were laying at 20 weeks and 1 other started around 23 weeks. #4 is taking her time but that is OK.
  9. Capoken

    Sleeping/pooping in nest boxes - yuck

    Raising the roosting bars did not work for my birds. Blocking the nesting boxes at night worked. After a couple of months I found them roosting at bedtime and not in the boxes. Now I do not have to block the boxes anymore - they only go in there to lay eggs.
  10. Capoken

    Close to eggs?!!

    Hey congrats!!! It's a wonderful thing!
  11. Capoken

    Our first eggs! 20 week old RIRs.

    As an update - the 3rd girl looks to have come online this week. So that is about 22 1/2 weeks for her. The 4th girl still looks to be a few weeks away, based on her smaller comb and waddles. With 2 girls online, we already had enough eggs. With 3 producing, we will have excess to give to...
  12. Capoken

    Which brand do YOU swear by?

    Nature's Best here! They really embrace organics - it's not just an option from them, so there is less chance of contamination. Also, I simply appreciate that they only make organics, so I know my choice puts less chemicals into our soil and water. And lastly, they really won me over when my...
  13. Capoken

    Do RIR start laying later?

    2 of my 4 RIR from mypetchicken started laying at 20 weeks. They are now almost 23 weeks and the other two have not started. 1 of the two "hold outs" looks close, the other one looks to be a few weeks even further behind.
  14. Capoken

    Grit?

    well I was in Tractor Supply picking up a bag of feed and grabbed a bag of grit. The stones looked "huge", but I put them in a small dish and they ate it. In a couple of days the dish was empty. Thanks for the advice!
  15. Capoken

    Close to eggs?!!

    I noticed that my RIR that are laying have combs so big that they are "floppy". The combs really wiggle around a lot while they move. It looks like the comb of your RIR is not quite as big as mine were when they started laying - you may have a few more weeks to wait. My RIR that looks like...
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