Update: the last 4 that pipped hatched and have made it to the brooder with the rest. The few that have not pipped will get 2-3 days to show. Since technically today around 10:00pm would mark day 21, these could still be "on time"... Any suggestion as to how long to leave them?
23 eggs set in incubator around 10:00pm on February 27. Yesterday afternoon, pipping on 2, one hatched around 10:00 (top of day 19, right), one early morning before daylight. Through the course of today 10 more pipped and hatched over 2-4 hour spans each. 4 more have been pipped several hours...
They are sex-links; I chose that breed for the "excellent" egg laying.... The older one produced very well up until that point. The coop/ run they are in has no other hiding places for eggs; they are not allowed out of the "compound"; The structure (coop, nest boxes and roof of the run) is...
What gives... 7 hens, no eggs since August. Three are 2-3 years old, the others are just under a year. They have been living together the whole time, no signs of a stressful social pecking order. They have been wormed twice in that time (no evidence of an infestation). No sign of mites...
Junibutt,
I have not posted on this thread in a while because... well, the girls just haven't given me something to post about lately. I guess several factors have contributed to the short streaking... In the spring, a friend of mine wanted me to go with him to get some more birds for his...
The best streaks my birds had were 84 & 80... which ended the same day. A fox was lurking around and spooked something out of them (not eggs!). They didn't lay again for 11 days, then went back to normal.
Since then added 5 new hens to the original 3, now getting 3-5 per day (the original 3...
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The pecking order got established fairly quickly... the boss hen from the old set and new set squared off pretty aggressively; but after about an hour, my rooster (already here) stepped in and put both of them in their places! :D
Friday after I posted, I went back out to see how the...
Ahhhh... THE QUESTION!
Try taking a parent to the Veterans Hospital... That question is asked there too. Another way the federal government is finding out who has guns... Big brother is ALWAYS watching!
So, we are up to 84 & 80 straight days...
I thought I was going to have to report the end of one of the runs, but it was a false alarm. I went out Friday to "collect rent" and only found 2 eggs (one large one and one from the girl who's eggs are smaller and come every other day); BUT...
My coop is shown as my avitar. It cost about $450 to make (all treated lumber). The biggest pro is the lack of much needed cleaning. All the manure falls below... It is also pretty much predator proof, coop and run. I also don't have to let them out in the morning or secure them at night...
PeggySue, just thought about your comment of having gotten 85 eggs from 4 gals in December... I just realized my 2 girls gave me 62 in December, guess I cannot complain.
The streaks continue... 48 & 44, plus another one added yesterday! I guess that means it is 48, 44 & 1. The pic below is the loot from yesterday. The new layer's egg is in the middle next to the veterans.