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

[Melabella]

CatSol
I am just one week behind you, we are in our 18th week. It'll be interesting to see how our different climates play out.

We both have RIR, so it will be interesting to compare!

Snowing here today in New York, a very slow falling big flake kind of snow... very pretty!

MB

 

[nova022]

Hey,, you got it Crafty Duck!

It's getting super cold here... this weeks chore is to get the welded wire my friend put in front of the nesting boxes off so I can set them up and maybe the girls can start to get the idea! He attached it to survive a hurricaine, the staples I can't get out. I asked him to come do it! Maybe it's a bit too early. I don't want them sleeping in there, but they all go up on their roosts so maybe that woulnd't be an issue. just don't want them pooping and dirtying them all up.

Birds are wandering looking a bit bored,, with the freezing nights,,, surely no bugs around, and what was green is starting to look a pale grey. Going to maybe scatter some scratch more than once a week.

Anyone else out there looking to join us?

All and any are welcome!
MB

I was wondering the same thing about getting the nesting boxes ready. Mine are not blocked off but the girls (17 weeks ) prefer to sleep on their roosts and only go in them once in a while to inspect them, but come right back out. I was wondering when to put the straw in them. Should I wait until they start squatting?

 

[Crafty-Duck]

I had pine chips in my nesting boxes right away!!! I didn't have any problems with my first batch of chicks sleeping in the boxes but my 2nd batch of BR chicks would sleep in them so I put up some nest box curtains and a couple of nights of placing them on the roost stopped that habit.


It's getting cold here too! just had a couple of nights of freezing weather.I wish we could have some pretty snow here although I think my girls would disagree.

 

[CatSol]

Crafty-Duck... what did you make your nest box curtains out of? My girls like roost on the walls of the boxes. I tried to make them really steep but one is not. Then one of the girls is trying to stay in the box.... Maybe curtains would solve my problem too.
I put sawdust in right away. Also, I had some leftover 2 way straw that the horses were supposed to eat but didn't like. It made great nests but it is getting a bit messy. With my girls getting older I would hate to block off the boxes....
Melabella, we are so close in age and so far apart in everything else It will be really interesting to see what happens. I think it would be very fun if you were first, considering age and weather. It would mean mine are just lazy California girls It could be nice to have snow.... but not 10 mins from me is one of my friends and sometimes she will get snow. And if we got too much cold weather we could not have the citrus trees and the all avocado trees we have.(4 orange, 1 tangerine, 1 pamelo, 4 avocados) So its not that bad of a trade
We should get some rain this week... it is a nice change for us and we really need it.

 

[nova022]

I have a mixed age flock with half of them being only 8 weeks old so I am going to continue feeding grower/finisher to them all, but when should I start offering them older girls oyster shell? I don't know if they are supposed to have it before they start laying or if they don't need it intil they lay the first egg.

 

[Melabella]

I have a mixed age flock with half of them being only 8 weeks old so I am going to continue feeding grower/finisher to them all, but when should I start offering them older girls oyster shell? I don't know if they are supposed to have it before they start laying or if they don't need it intil they lay the first egg.

Nova,

I was just looking through the feeding threads to find out the very same thing! I'll post if I find anything, I'm also going to ask one of my very experienced friends.
good Morning!

 

[Melabella]

Just found this answer from member Freds Hens who I have learned a LOT from:



"Oyster shells is a calcium carbonate supplement. There is already a lot of calcium supplement in Layer formula feed. (pre-laying birds do not need the supplement and long term feeding of high calcium to younger birds can indeed be problematic) One reason people provide the calcium supplement is because a high portion of their hen's diet may come from other food stuffs than merely the Layer, and/or they don't feed a Layer mix of feed at all. Sometimes people have hens that seem to lay a thinner shelled egg and the hope is that extra calcium will be of some help. If egg shells remain strong from diet alone, many people never provide the supplemental shells.

A hen needs more than just a calcium carbonate source, however. She also needs vitamins in order to process or take up that calcium. Most hens take in Vitamin D from sunlight, just as we do, for example."


MB

 

[Crafty-Duck]

Crafty-Duck... what did you make your nest box curtains out of? My girls like roost on the walls of the boxes. I tried to make them really steep but one is not. Then one of the girls is trying to stay in the box.... Maybe curtains would solve my problem too.
I put sawdust in right away. Also, I had some leftover 2 way straw that the horses were supposed to eat but didn't like. It made great nests but it is getting a bit messy. With my girls getting older I would hate to block off the boxes....
Melabella, we are so close in age and so far apart in everything else It will be really interesting to see what happens. I think it would be very fun if you were first, considering age and weather. It would mean mine are just lazy California girls It could be nice to have snow.... but not 10 mins from me is one of my friends and sometimes she will get snow. And if we got too much cold weather we could not have the citrus trees and the all avocado trees we have.(4 orange, 1 tangerine, 1 pamelo, 4 avocados) So its not that bad of a trade
We should get some rain this week... it is a nice change for us and we really need it.

Sorry my computer has been down for a few days!!!


I just made them out of regular material and made them easily removable for washing! I also put a slanted board on the top of the boxes and added hinges for some storage and to keep the girls off the top of the boxes

this all has worked for me but I only have 5 chickens.

 

[clucketycluck]

ihave 6 domenicker hens. Th dayafter they turned 6up months. I am now getting minimum if 4I a day &I just had s record day of 7classes today. I thought ours would never start
very happzy I waited &I talked the hubby into notcooking them lol

 

[clucketycluck]

mine are 6months & just sterted laying & i can still only tell 3 aoart & have no idea how many are laying