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  1. dantodd

    old hens staying in coop...are they protecting it?

    Perhaps you should move the food and water out in the morning. If they old hens are guarding the food they'll go out with it. If they stay in the coop still you'll have eliminated one potential reason and be that much closer to an answer.
  2. dantodd

    fertilized eggs

    Quote: They're the ones that don't lay eggs.
  3. dantodd

    what does this mean?????

    The brown is an applied color over a white shell. If you have white speckles it can be white showing through or it could be calcium deposits which would be sort of like grains of sand on the outside of the egg which you can scratch off with your fingernail. The ,past likely cause though is just...
  4. dantodd

    OUCH! My hand!

    If my RIR actually has the temerity to squat for me when the Delawares (both above her in the pecking order) are near they will go after her. They go right for the comb.
  5. dantodd

    How many chickens?

    I have 5 girls in their puller year. They've been laying around 2 months. I've been getting 4 or 5 eggs every day for the last month or so. I think I've only had 2 days of three eggs ans one of those was due to a soft egg being laid. I know this will slow down over time but it gets us over 2...
  6. dantodd

    Do you refrigerate your eggs?

    No customers here, just five chickens. I have 2 cartons labeled with dthe ays of the week. I know what day each egg was laid. I've never had an egg last more than a week. If they get 6 days or so old I just give them to the neighbors. I suppose if I had more than a week's supply I'd wash a...
  7. dantodd

    Torpedo eggs.. Pic

    My RIR lays torpedoes. She's only been laying for a couple months. I'm hoping they'll grow and take on a more "normal" shape.
  8. dantodd

    How Many Eggs Did You Get Today?

    4/5 but it's only 2pm so I might still get that second blue egg later.
  9. dantodd

    What is this white stuff on the egg?

    The egg shells are white and the brown color is applied near the end of the process. Are you sure it's white on top of the brown and not holes in the brown showing the white underneath?
  10. dantodd

    habits of egg laying

    I don't know about POL ages for different birds. Do you have decoy eggs in the nest you want them to use? If not, put a couple in the box you want them using and see if that rectifies the situation. If the decoys don't work you can put a portable nest where they are laying with decoys in it and...
  11. dantodd

    My first "fart egg"! [With pic] :)

    Quote: I guess my wife would call them fluff eggs then.
  12. dantodd

    Got Flogged by A rooster tonight

    Quote: You will still need to get rid of at least one of your other roosters. You can't let a child determine flock management practices. The only alternative to culling is getting many more hens. Chickens are a great way to teach kids animal husbandry. Culling, by way of the stock pot or...
  13. dantodd

    Got Flogged by A rooster tonight

    Quote: I don't really see a problem. You have too many roosters and one that needs culling. Seems simple. Stew pot or rehome the bad rooster and one of the other two will try to step into his shoes. If you are firm with them and make sure they know you are the kids are their superiors they...
  14. dantodd

    For real broody or just pretending?

    My RIR has been doing the same thing. Lays normal for a few days then seems to want to sit. Sometimes she'll hop on out after an hour or so, other times I have to toss her out and keep her from running back in. After 5 minutes or so she'll leave the box alone and spend the rest of the day with...
  15. dantodd

    has anyone or does anyone else massage their chickens?

    yep. If they squat I'll give them some attention. But the other day my #3 (of 5) hen did that and while I was scratching her back a dominant chicken starting going after #3's comb. I whacked the dominant hen but they apparently do like to control who gets attention and when.
  16. dantodd

    egg is stuck inside skin and is hanging on the hens bottom

    You might want to blow that egg out and save the shell, it's one very expensive egg. I hope she safely has many more.
  17. dantodd

    How Many Eggs Did You Get Today?

    5/5 but only after a big fight between 3 hens trying to lay in 2 nest boxes.
  18. dantodd

    Egg songs are changing my mind nabout getting hens

    I've heard of Folsom who have reheard a loud hen only to have another take her place as a noisemakers. I would personally try to mitigate noise by keeping them closer to the house early in the morning when there is less outside noise. During the day they are not likely to be noisier than the...
  19. dantodd

    Well crud, 2 didn't come home. UPDATE! They're both home and safe!

    I think your mistake was in trying to catch her in the first place. I would wait until they have all returned to roost before doing your headcount. If I go out while they're getting settled they often leave the coop and have to re-enter. The returning to roost is one of the times when the...
  20. dantodd

    Roo tried to flog me for the first time ever

    The reason you don't let a roo mount a hen in front of you is because it that means the roo is the alpha and that you have lost the dominant position in the flock. This is problem because it will lead to human aggression.
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