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

[Redangler]

MB, thanks for the pep talk, I guess I know how my kids feel waiting for christmas! The good news from today is one of my Americanas was in the nesting box for the first time. Also the golf balls in two of the 3 nesting boxes that are not being used were moved today and some of the pine straw was pulled out of the nesting boxes as well. So maybe that is a sign of something good to come!!

 

[Melabella]

MB, thanks for the pep talk, I guess I know how my kids feel waiting for christmas! The good news from today is one of my Americanas was in the nesting box for the first time. Also the golf balls in two of the 3 nesting boxes that are not being used were moved today and some of the pine straw was pulled out of the nesting boxes as well. So maybe that is a sign of something good to come!!

My girls did that a week or so before laying started. I can't wait to see what color shade your Amerucanas lay. Since the laying started 11 days ago here, they only have used two nesting boxes...and the second one only 2x. I have six nesting boxes. The second from the left seems to be the big draw..

The nest boxes with the wooden "dummy eggs".
Matilda heading into the coop to lay her egg. The nest boxes are on the right, and of course as you can see.. roosts on the left.

 

[Spikes Chooks]

I read something on the OT thread that I thought made sense. Their bodies are being very clever, knowing that the dead of winter is not the best time to raise chicks, which is why the lengthening days make such a difference. As they get more daylight hours, their bodies will kick in and tell them it's the right time to start laying. Also, they could exhaust themselves, laying regardless. Am I being annoyingly positive in my thinking?!?

Don't know if that helps with the long wait! Over the other side of the world here, our days are gradually shortening, and it's hot again. We just hit 100.... The 4 girls have given me an egg each, so I'm very lucky. They had an early morning treat free ranging in the garden (they normally do out mid-afternoon till bedtime). Whilst they were out I soaked the whole coop and run with the hose. The run has deep sand, and they like to bury themselves into it. Now they are back in there with ice in their water, frozen grated zucchini and chilled watermelon for a treat. The mister is on overhead, so it should all be fine. Once it cools down again later this afternoon, I will let them kick up their heels in the garden again.

Spike the cat is indoors in the air conditioning, in fact right next to one of the underfloor ducts it comes up from. He thinks like is pretty good, right now.

What an amazing world we all live in!

Katrina

 

[Melabella]

I read something on the OT thread that I thought made sense. Their bodies are being very clever, knowing that the dead of winter is not the best time to raise chicks, which is why the lengthening days make such a difference. As they get more daylight hours, their bodies will kick in and tell them it's the right time to start laying. Also, they could exhaust themselves, laying regardless. Am I being annoyingly positive in my thinking?!?

Don't know if that helps with the long wait! Over the other side of the world here, our days are gradually shortening, and it's hot again. We just hit 100.... The 4 girls have given me an egg each, so I'm very lucky. They had an early morning treat free ranging in the garden (they normally do out mid-afternoon till bedtime). Whilst they were out I soaked the whole coop and run with the hose. The run has deep sand, and they like to bury themselves into it. Now they are back in there with ice in their water, frozen grated zucchini and chilled watermelon for a treat. The mister is on overhead, so it should all be fine. Once it cools down again later this afternoon, I will let them kick up their heels in the garden again.

Spike the cat is indoors in the air conditioning, in fact right next to one of the underfloor ducts it comes up from. He thinks like is pretty good, right now.

What an amazing world we all live in!

Katrina

That is so true Katrina, as I read your post, I am wishing that the warm weather predicted for the weekend that the 8 inches of snow and ice melts so I can actually clear all the ice that has been created from driving over the snow so many times. What is even more amazing is that we have all met, from all the corners of the planet,, because of chickens!
Charlotte says Hello Everyone!

 

[CatSol]

Hello Charlotte. What a pretty girl. RIR right? What my girls would have looked like... oh well I will try again if a few weeks when the new chicks come in.
The other day I had my first omlette... made with 4 litte eggs from my girls. The omlette was still smaller then a normal omlette that I make but waaaaaay better. I sueted into it a tomato from my garden, garlic and baccon made from my own pig that I had raised. Yes, I had smoked my hams and baccon. Some people talk about the price of all this... to me... Priceless..
Red... I talk to the girls all the time and so does my Mom. No... we don't have kids here... I will do that later. But I am sure that my aunts and cousins think we are crazy about this.
I am so thrilled for everyone.. congrats on the eggs... I have to get ready. We don't get all that cold here but for the next 3 days or so we will have nights with low (for us) temp. Below freezing ... got to take care and cover the avacado tress.

 

[Spikes Chooks]

I can't resist showing you the girls with their first ever watermelon. They are all damp from the mister in their run. It has cooled down to about 34C/93F now, so they are more relaxed.



Preening after so much misting on their feathers:


All the girls are now 30 weeks old. I thought you might be interested in seeing them now - and knowing when they first laid.

Sylvia the Silver Campine (laid at 27 weeks)


Barnie the Barnevelder laid just last week - so at 29 weeks old



Beetle the Australorp (first laid at 24 weeks old)


Ladybird the RIR (first laid at 23 weeks old)



And, yes, it was worth the wait!

Katrina

 

[Melabella]

I can't resist showing you the girls with their first ever watermelon. They are all damp from the mister in their run. It has cooled down to about 34C/93F now, so they are more relaxed.







And, yes, it was worth the wait!

Katrina

What beautiful birds! WHen you posted before about the frozen watermelon I thought that was so neat, and a great tip! The campine is gorgeous! Love Love Love!

MB

 

[Spikes Chooks]

She was an impulse buy for that very reason - we only went to get the other three! If you're tempted, though, she is flighty by personality and by tendency. We have had to clip one wing as she kept flying to the top of a fence with a neighbour who has dogs. Soooo not a good idea. She hardly ever squats for me, hates to be picked up. But if I sit down in the coop she runs over and jumps into my lap. She is a real character.

 

[CatSol]

Katrina ... Great pics

& so Beautiful Birds! Sylvia is lovly... They all are but I really like the colors in Barnie. My girls got different kinds of melon last summer. They especially love the seeds from cantalop and honeydew... But they do like all melon. I may try that frozen as well when we get our heat waves next summer.

 

[BroosterSpringsteen]

Frozen watermelon, what a great idea for hot days! Spikes Chooks, your birds are beautiful!

We're having a very strange week here, warm in the 50s and 60s. It's supposed to be near 70 degrees tomorrow. So weird, but I'm not complaining. Unfortunately, warm days in mid winter can only mean one thing...time to clean out and re bed the chicken coop so I don't have to do it in the snow.