...day. The run has 4 mil plastic about 3 feet high to keep the wind off of them but they don't seem to want to risk being outside. It is currently -5*F and wind chills are at -30*F.
They all seem to be okay, although I'm sure they would prefer it was a little warmer. I haven't seen them come...
Egg production is still down a bit, I got 3 yesterday and 2 today, but all have been inside the nest boxes and the chickens haven't kicked the oak wood shavings out of the boxes. They also seem much more content and calm so I think they are back on the right track. Not sure what happened there...
Another egg outside of the boxes this morning. This morning I filled the nest boxes up with some oak shavings I had from a tree I cut up recently. Since they kicked all the straw out, maybe they will find the oak shavings more suitable. I'll report back.
Hi all,
My 4 chickens have been doing quite well however the past few weeks I've been getting less eggs, and there have been some eggs laid outside of the boxes. From the day they started laying they always laid right in the boxes no problem and I consistently got 3-4 eggs a day. Now I am...
Well I think she is still broody or semi-broody because she has been sitting on the eggs on and off. I've just been collecting the eggs from under her every day. She protests at first but then goes back to her normal routine.
I put some colored zip tie leg bands on them today. I put them on...
Thanks aart! I had thought about zipties a couple times but I just wasn't sure. I don't have any colored ones or any small ones so I'll have to pick some up. She stayed outside all day today. I checked for eggs every hour or two and collected them as soon as I saw them so she wouldn't have...
I still needed to clean out the coop this morning and when I looked outside after breakfast, I noticed all 4 chickens out in the run. She came out to eat and drink and poop I guess. While she was out, I took the eggs out of the nest since there is no reason for her to sit on fruitless eggs...
Good to know. I'm really not looking for more chickens, I have room to take one or two more if they are pullets but any roosters or excess hens would have to be rehomed.
The broody hen can't be sitting on more than 4 eggs currently, because I collected them all yesterday and I only have 4 hens.
Great! I'll get in touch with the seller and hopefully I'll be able to get them soon! Should I get a certain number of them? Just swap them out from under her I guess?
Thanks for the prompt replies! I found some fertile eggs on Craigslist locally, they are listed as being light Brahmas and Americaunas. My broody hen is a white rock. Does breed matter?
I'm not really looking for chicks, but where could I get fertile eggs? I've heard it trying to break a broody hen is very difficult. I'd rather let her do her thing if possible. I don't want them all going broody though.
I was going to clean out the coop today and change out the bedding, and I noticed the nesting boxes were occupied all day. I didn't want to disturb the girls while they were laying, so I waited. And waited. And waited. I noticed one hen was not leaving the boxes. And now the others are all up on...
Aart has far more experience than I do, so I'd listen to him. I was always under the impression that bleach would kill all bacteria and viruses. Is that incorrect?
Thanks for all the helpful replies everyone! Yes Oyster shell and grit is different, and others have done a great job explaining the difference. I didnt know the difference between the two when I first got started.
My girls don't seem to eat a lot of grit but they do pick at it. They are still...
Thanks, it's been so much easier to live with. Cleaning the run, filling the feeder and waterer is so much easier. Its also nice to be able to walk in and sit with the chickens for a few minutes a day. It does a great job at keeping the rain out. We had a very heavy storm the other day and it...
The egg shells I get are plenty strong and thick. I just want to make sure they aren't getting too much calcium. I bought the Layena because I don't have any roosters anymore and thought it might be better suited for laying hens. I'll leave it to one feeder for now, if I feel like I'm constantly...