Recent content by Driftwood Coop

  1. Driftwood Coop

    12-month-old Hens Not Laying--Stress?

    Stress can be a very major factor in egglaying. They can stop laying for weeks. Also, given the age, is it possible that they have molted or are about to molt? That would affect their egglaying. I'd switch that tennis ball with a golf ball. The tennis ball might really confuse them!
  2. Driftwood Coop

    Officially-Who are the best layers?

    We let our 9 hens freerange over 8,000 square feet of yard and woods. Lots of treats, good food and water. We get 3-7 eggs per day. Best layers are the Barred Rocks (6/week), followed closely by a light-brown leghorn (5-6/week), then the Rhode Island Red (4-6/week). The wyandottes are a bit...
  3. Driftwood Coop

    ??How do I add to my flock without risking my current chickens??

    It's tricky. I think if they are the same breed it might not be as difficult. I added 6 to my existing flock of 4; they were about 1 1/2 months apart in age. It took them about 2 months to fully assimilate,and even now, 6 months later, they prefer to hang out with their original flockmates.
  4. Driftwood Coop

    Rooster behavior

    Thanks -- hey I like your theme song, by the way. Wonder if Alice in Chains did some backyard chickening.
  5. Driftwood Coop

    +++Do some hens NOT lay eggs??+++

    Sorry, I don't have that breed and I don't know much about it. Based on what I've seen from the Polish, it's possible for them to stop due to traumatic change. Maybe the move to your house was traumatic? My experience was this -- Something attacked our chickens a month and a half ago. They all...
  6. Driftwood Coop

    Rooster behavior

    I have a RIR rooster who goes into a corner of my shed, squats down facing the wall, and makes a similar sound to what he does when he's trying to get the hens to come for food. I'm thinking that he's trying to convince them to nest there (they haven't; they have nice nests in their coop)...
  7. Driftwood Coop

    +++Do some hens NOT lay eggs??+++

    How old are they? And what breed? I have some Polish hens that laid eggs for awhile, then stopped.
  8. Driftwood Coop

    Adding chickens to my current flock

    I did something similar. Our chickens freely roam the backyard, so we first let the new chicks out in the yard with the established flock for a few days, then kept them in our mudroom at night. There was some curiosity, and some minor incidents. One night we put them all in the coop together...
  9. Driftwood Coop

    Adding chickens to my current flock

    I did something similar. Our chickens freely roam the backyard, so we first let the new chicks out in the yard with the established flock for a few days, then kept them in our mudroom at night. There was some curiosity, and some minor incidents. One night we put them all in the coop together...
  10. Driftwood Coop

    Rooster Pile-on

    We had a strange thing happen over the weekend. We locked our 10 birds (9 hens, 1 rooster) in their coop for one day while we were away. We almost never lock them in the coop; they are usually able to get out during the day. When we got back, everyone was quiet and huddled in their corner...
  11. Driftwood Coop

    RIR Or Australorp

    We have 2 RIR and they are very friendly. We handfeed them every day. I think handfeeding, then handling, is the key to getting just about any kind of bird to be comfortable around people. We've trained our girls to come when we call them by rewarding them with food. That's very is handy when...
  12. Driftwood Coop

    Egg color

    Thanks! Great info. I'm thinking the only way to know is to catch her "in the act!" The other breeds are Polish, light brown leghorn, Rhode Island red and Barred Rock.
  13. Driftwood Coop

    Egg color

    I've got 5 different varieties of chickens, and one (or more) is laying a very light brown egg. I suspect it's a wyandotte. Anyone know if wyandotte eggs are that color?
  14. Driftwood Coop

    Egg pride?

    We've noticed that almost all of the eggs we get from our hens are moved to the front of the nest. Seems like the hens are moving them there, as the nests are recessed and when they sit to lay them, they are in the back corner of the nest. My wife thinks they are proud and are pushing them...
  15. Driftwood Coop

    Your Chicken's 1st Experience with Snow!!!

    Our chickens freaked out. They flew up into the trees. One flew onto the roof of our shed, slipped down the roof like an out-of-control skier, then flew across the yard, squawking the whole way. We got a pretty good laugh out of it, then put her back in the coop.
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