Recent content by WesleyBeal

  1. WesleyBeal

    Steep decline in egg production - molting?

    The layers are all one year old. I cannot recall anything happening on the 16th. Of course, there could of been a predator around that spooked them that I wasn't aware of.
  2. WesleyBeal

    Steep decline in egg production - molting?

    Thanks for the replies. I haven't seen any signs of molting. I also haven't found any signs of parasites. All of them appear healthy. I day range my chickens, but a few days ago, concerned they were laying eggs elsewhere, I kept them fenced in until later in the afternoon - same lackluster egg...
  3. WesleyBeal

    Steep decline in egg production - molting?

    Hello, I've seen a huge drop in egg production, beginning 3 weeks ago, but really spiking 7 days ago. Here are the numbers. Daily egg production for the last 12 days: Weekly egg production for the last 8 weeks: My hens are 1 year old (as of today, 373 days old). The only thing I can...
  4. WesleyBeal

    Limited Free Range?

    In general, the more dangerous times for predators are in the early morning and later evening. For foxes, everything I've heard suggests that once they find food in a place, they'll come back to that place for more. Sounds like it's been a while since you've had chickens on the property, so...
  5. WesleyBeal

    Size of new coop questions

    There's a rule of thumb - sorta more of an answer to a question that gets asked a lot so people can stop trying to legitimize one answer over another - of I think 1 nest for every 3 or 4 hens. I've got 6 nests set up for mine, as it seemed to take up about the right amount of space in my coop...
  6. WesleyBeal

    Size of new coop questions

    Knowing your location would help, as would the breeds of chickens. I'd recommend forgetting about the heat lamps. Just risk of fire, without much benefit to the chickens. I get by with 1 feeder and 1 waterer, both hanging tube style, and both large; 5 gallon waterer, and I think a 40 lb...
  7. WesleyBeal

    Limited Free Range?

    Here's a good article from @Beekissed on the topic: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/bees-key-points-to-successful-and-safe-free-ranging.65895/
  8. WesleyBeal

    Limited Free Range?

    You'll read on here a lot about people who have had no issues with predators until they do, often a couple years into things. I believe that dogs do help deter a lot of predators, whether they're trained or inclined to protect the flock or not. Mixed bag on the wooded areas. They provide some...
  9. WesleyBeal

    Chicks pooping blood???

    Sorry - wasn't my intention to suggest you were! The article I linked to had a lot of info on medicated feed before it got to the part that talked about treatment. I just read that post this morning. Excellent post.
  10. WesleyBeal

    Chicks pooping blood???

    Scroll down in this article to where it says "How to treat Coccidiosis?" https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/coccidiosis-how-to-treat-it.64386/ You are NOT interested in getting them on medicated feeds. That is intended to prevent it. You've (probably) got it. You're going to try to cure it.
  11. WesleyBeal

    Chicks pooping blood???

    Sounds like coccidiosis to me. You'll want to start treating them immediately. Corid is the name-brand of the medication in my area.
  12. WesleyBeal

    Egg laying outside

    Are you using nest eggs? (Fake eggs in the nest) That might help. I let mine free range, and have been pleased to not find (yet) instances of them laying outside. It's a risk, of course.
  13. WesleyBeal

    watering chickens

    They probably are. If you haven't yet, observe them and wait to see at least one take a drink. To be sure everything's alright, change the water daily. You may try adding another container too, just in case something is off about the one you're using now.
  14. WesleyBeal

    Help, my chicken's eggs look like Freddy Krueger's skin!

    Check out this article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/common-egg-quality-problems.65923/ I've seen that on occasion, along with other issues. So long as I'm not seeing issues routinely, I don't worry much. If it becomes a regular thing, you can look into some of the listed causes.
  15. WesleyBeal

    Rooster problems

    Thanks for the links, @CTKen ; Just one question though: After checking to see if my eggs are fertile, how do I get them back into the shells?
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