Any one want to join me in waiting for eggs, posting and comparing notes?

[Spikes Chooks]

Christy!! So happy to have you. Don't worry, I used to think the same thing, I thought they never would lay where they were supposed to, but I really think if you keep them inside in the morning, and they see the fake eggs, somehow, they get the idea.! When the eggs do start to come, maybe keep them in at first in the morning to early afternoon, just to reinforce using the boxes I do find at first, sometimes they don't even realize an egg is coming, and you do find them in odd places, or they just plop out where they were standing. They can be quite small at first. Also, don't worry either if the first few weeks, as they all start to lay you find them on the floor of the coop, and just outside the box, it does take a while for them to get it down. It is the nicest feeling when you see one of the girls leave the flock that is picking away on the border of the property in the leaves, and make her way quickly over to the coop, climb up the plank to the coop, and come out 20 minutes later with a little spring in her step, only for you to find that warm egg waiting for you!

Welcome!
MB

Please keep us posted, and we love to hear about your flock. What breeds do you have?

Christy - I echo these thoughts. It amazed me they seemed to get it right most of the time (just forgive any first glitches). The most common glitches are laying in the coop or run, not the box. Or laying soft-shelled eggs off the roost when they are still Learner Drivers. It's not common for them to suddenly start laying when free ranging, they just don't feel safe enough, I think. It's lovely to see them free ranging and then suddenly pop their head up and run like the wind to the coop and the nesting box. Fake eggs, golf balls etc seem to trigger the right instinct in them - and because nothing interesting happens when they peck them, it seems to put them off breaking an egg too.

At 20 weeks, your girls shouldn't be far off now, especially as you head into spring with daylight hours lengthening. I am curious too - what breeds do you have? Because some take a bit longer than others.

 

[kdwag]

Hey all, our dog, Beau, GSP, died yesterday morning while having a seizure. Most horrible thing I've ever seen. We were on our way to the vet but he died during route in my husband's arms. I'm down to one dog now and she was IN LOVE with him so not sure how she's going to adjust. So sad I can't even describe. Anyway, I let the chickens have free range all day yesterday. Bailey, my dog, was out with them and didn't even pay them any attention. She's a corgi/border mix. She chases the buzzards and other large birds so was hoping she'd be ok with them. My husband doesn't normally do much with the chickens but yesterday they followed him everywhere. He was mowing (on a rider mind you) and Lucy,my RIR, followed him for quite a short time, it was the funniest thing. I'm not sure what she thought she was doing but she had fun doing it. LOL So, I guess we got a little chicken therapy for our broken hearts.

Love the coop photos. And MB< what did I miss ? You had a hen with vent prolapse?

 

[Melabella]

Hey all, our dog, Beau, GSP, died yesterday morning while having a seizure. Most horrible thing I've ever seen. We were on our way to the vet but he died during route in my husband's arms. I'm down to one dog now and she was IN LOVE with him so not sure how she's going to adjust. So sad I can't even describe. Anyway, I let the chickens have free range all day yesterday. Bailey, my dog, was out with them and didn't even pay them any attention. She's a corgi/border mix. She chases the buzzards and other large birds so was hoping she'd be ok with them. My husband doesn't normally do much with the chickens but yesterday they followed him everywhere. He was mowing (on a rider mind you) and Lucy,my RIR, followed him for quite a short time, it was the funniest thing. I'm not sure what she thought she was doing but she had fun doing it. LOL So, I guess we got a little chicken therapy for our broken hearts.

Love the coop photos. And MB< what did I miss ? You had a hen with vent prolapse?

Big hugs to you and DH sweetie, my first dog Barney had seizures, and it used to effect me horridly. My sister has epilepsy too, and I just have such a sensitivity to anything having a seizure. I am so sorry that he had to endure that in his end. Gosh, I wish this part of pet owership was just not something that we have to go through. I hope your emptiness and Bailey's too lighten with each day.

Yes, I came out on Monday afternoon after working all morning up at DD's school to a dead pullet in the nest boxes. She didn't even make her first birthday, and the only thing I could find amiss was the vent in that state. Either that was a cause, or her insides came out after her perishing due to some massive hemmoraging inside. Her keel was all red underneath the skin, as if she had bled inside. Only other thing I could imagine was some sort of heart failure? I don't know, I failed miserbly at being a responsible chicken lady, and didn't have the strength to do a necropsy as some BYC'ers are able to do Just couldn't bring myself to the thought of it. Not sure I would know what I was looking at even if I was game to try. Her eggs were HUGE, and there had been some soft shelled eggs in the days leading up to that day, those can be very hard to pass from what i have read. I am glad none of the other girls caught wind of the protruding skin, as I have read that cannabalism can take over when a bird is suffering with that.. I would have hated to come home to that scene. I have been trying to get a hold of the other girls to check everyone over, they never really let me pick them up. One of my Barred Rocks seems to have a bare red area around her vent. she is always the girl with the poopy feathers in her area back there. I would love to get a hold of her, clean her up, and smear her with some NuStock. Not sure what is going onthere. I hope she doesn't have a yeast infection.

MB

 

[Melabella]

 

[jklyles1]

Kd----HUGS

Sad to hear...will be thinking of you and your family

 

[jklyles1]

My 2nd EE laid her 1st today at 22 weeks! Wiggy, solid White EE on left and Tiggy's 1st egg on the right.

 

[Angelicisi]

Yay! I still get egg-cited

My 2nd EE laid her 1st today at 22 weeks! Wiggy, solid White EE on left and Tiggy's 1st egg on the right.

 

[Angelicisi]

Awwww what a Purdy girl!

 

[kdwag]

Big hugs to you and DH sweetie, my first dog Barney had seizures, and it used to effect me horridly. My sister has epilepsy too, and I just have such a sensitivity to anything having a seizure. I am so sorry that he had to endure that in his end. Gosh, I wish this part of pet owership was just not something that we have to go through. I hope your emptiness and Bailey's too lighten with each day.

Yes, I came out on Monday afternoon after working all morning up at DD's school to a dead pullet in the nest boxes. She didn't even make her first birthday, and the only thing I could find amiss was the vent in that state. Either that was a cause, or her insides came out after her perishing due to some massive hemmoraging inside. Her keel was all red underneath the skin, as if she had bled inside. Only other thing I could imagine was some sort of heart failure? I don't know, I failed miserbly at being a responsible chicken lady, and didn't have the strength to do a necropsy as some BYC'ers are able to do Just couldn't bring myself to the thought of it. Not sure I would know what I was looking at even if I was game to try. Her eggs were HUGE, and there had been some soft shelled eggs in the days leading up to that day, those can be very hard to pass from what i have read. I am glad none of the other girls caught wind of the protruding skin, as I have read that cannabalism can take over when a bird is suffering with that.. I would have hated to come home to that scene. I have been trying to get a hold of the other girls to check everyone over, they never really let me pick them up. One of my Barred Rocks seems to have a bare red area around her vent. she is always the girl with the poopy feathers in her area back there. I would love to get a hold of her, clean her up, and smear her with some NuStock. Not sure what is going onthere. I hope she doesn't have a yeast infection.

MB

THanks. Today hasn't been quite as bad as I thought. I missed him greeting me this morning and at the door when I came home from the grocery store, but Bailey did so that was something. I just keep thinking about all the subtle hints last winter that I should have paid more attention to. Maybe could have caught it earlier and he would have lived longer. I dunnoooo. anyway, chicken therapy again, Bailey followed the girls around the yard today--i think she figured out, chickens=poop--- YAY! LOL It's pretty warm here today, like almost 80. I noticed the girls weren't seeking shade-following me around-- and Lucy my RIR was panting. So, do they not know enough to go cool off? I ended up putting them back in their run for shade, a cool drink and a nice cold apple. And, my barred rock also always has a poopy feather butt. I've never checked for anything weird, if she has a yeast infection how do you know? I'll take a look at her tonight. She's the calmest one of all so hopefully she'll let me wash her off. So sorry about your pullet, that's horrible but I have heard that from a lot of people, especially re: birds that lay large eggs. I worry a little about Lucy because her eggs are pretty good size, but she's also pretty meaty. I've given a ton of eggs away this week and still have another dozen in the fridge.

 

[Spikes Chooks]

THanks. Today hasn't been quite as bad as I thought. I missed him greeting me this morning and at the door when I came home from the grocery store, but Bailey did so that was something. I just keep thinking about all the subtle hints last winter that I should have paid more attention to. Maybe could have caught it earlier and he would have lived longer. I dunnoooo. anyway, chicken therapy again, Bailey followed the girls around the yard today--i think she figured out, chickens=poop--- YAY! LOL It's pretty warm here today, like almost 80. I noticed the girls weren't seeking shade-following me around-- and Lucy my RIR was panting. So, do they not know enough to go cool off? I ended up putting them back in their run for shade, a cool drink and a nice cold apple. And, my barred rock also always has a poopy feather butt. I've never checked for anything weird, if she has a yeast infection how do you know? I'll take a look at her tonight. She's the calmest one of all so hopefully she'll let me wash her off. So sorry about your pullet, that's horrible but I have heard that from a lot of people, especially re: birds that lay large eggs. I worry a little about Lucy because her eggs are pretty good size, but she's also pretty meaty. I've given a ton of eggs away this week and still have another dozen in the fridge.

You will all have quite an adjustment to make. I'm so sorry for your loss of such a beloved pet.

To answer your question - no, they don't know enough to go cool off!!! My RIR of the four breeds is the least heat tolerant and the first to start panting and holding her wings out to cool off. A lot of the time they don't go drink water and sit in the shade (like we would!). They keep running around in the sun. You did exactly the right thing, as I learnt to do this past hot summer here. They are better off back in the run to cool off. Heavy panting is the first sign of heat stress, so a good trigger to force them to cool down. I also put up a mister along the roof of their run, and if I turn that on the temperature starts dropping quickly. Once they got used to the noise, they stand under it for a refreshing mist all over. Lovely! On days when a heat wave was predicted, I didn't let them out at all so there was no drama returning them to the coop and run. I found the RIR started heavy panting at about 35C/95F so I kept them in when over that was predicted. We maxxed out at 47C/117F in February, so they spent a few days in the run with the mister on and frozen fruit and veg treats. Much better for them - and less anxiety for the chicken-humans.

Best wishes for your coming summer
Katrina