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

[Ariekannairb]

I checked the dates again and my White Leghorn is just 17 weeks so maybe we do still have a few more weeks of waiting. However she is squatting and her comb and wattles have gotten very red. She has also become very friendly over the last few weeks. She seems to like to be touched and will come running to me when I come out. Here are a few photos as she's grown.

Loved seeing these! My leghorn girls are about a week behind this and have shown no changes in behavior. One was checking out the nesting box at one point, but lost interest quickly and I haven't seen any back in there. They don't seem, as far as I can tell to be getting any friendlier or squatting. We are getting comb and wattle changes though. Hoping for the 1st week of August.

 

[jtbass2756]

I'm so excited!! I now have my second egg! ...and I'll add a pict...I set this in a 1/4 measuring cup but i need to know what to do about this crazy habit of this chicken. I think it is Frack laying the eggs but which ever it is...it goes into the box, completely clears everything off the floor of the box, and lays the egg on the flat board.....no cushion for it at all. I'm worried about the fact that there is no cushion. What can I do?

 

[FuzzyButtz]

Aww, they are all so pretty.  What breeds are the black ones? 

Thank you! The Leghorns really need baths and their feathers are in pretty poor shape, but hopefully that changes this fall.

The black ones are my Orpingtons - though one is an "accident" and is an Orp/Maran.. I still love her, she'll be a great egg producer i'm sure - just not one i'll be interested in breeding in the future.

 

[Idspud]

Went out to check on the ladies today and found our first EGGS. There were six. We have 10 Buff Orphingtons and 10 Astralorps. Got them March 12. Way to go girls.

Cindy

 

[abw67]

Should I be worried about the amount of flies that are in the girl's run and coop? I did hang an air freshner, althought it wasn't a vanilla one like what I've read. I do clean the coop out really well about every two days but the run isn't as easy to clean ...any advise? what should I be doing?

 

[jtbass2756]

I use the Food grade DE (diatomaceous earth). dust down my coop while I am cleaning it out. You can even use a shaker (mine is a mason jar) to dust down the laying box. It is good for killing the insects around the coop. If you want to use your poop etc for composting, you have to rethink that because it will also do away with the natural composting by bugs. But we only have 4 ladies and are not able to have a garden so I use my dust. If your ladies get red bugs/lice, you can dust them down good with DE. If you have any brooders, the longer they are on nest, the more likelyhood they will get tiny varmits in all the warm places. I've not been doing the chicken stuff for a long time but have read books and been on this Backyard Chicken site listening to others advice for a lot of things. You can't go wrong by using all the resources available here. Good luck with your ladies.

 

[abw67]

SUPER EXCITED!! to get our very first egg today from our White Leghorn. I knew she was ready. It is sooooo small but otherwise p-e-r-f-e-c-t. YIPPEEEE!

 

[abw67]

Here she is....I guess she gets a new name, "our big girl" even though she is still the smallest in the crowd. She is just 17 weeks old tomorrow (Hatched March 25).

 

[countrygirl74]

Should I be worried about the amount of flies that are in the girl's run and coop? I did hang an air freshner, althought it wasn't a vanilla one like what I've read. I do clean the coop out really well about every two days but the run isn't as easy to clean ...any advise? what should I be doing?

I think it might have to be the vanilla - I hung a couple of those and it helped a lot. I also hung some fly papers, so between them both, it really cut down on the flies.

Here she is....I guess she gets a new name, "our big girl" even though she is still the smallest in the crowd. She is just 17 weeks old tomorrow (Hatched March 25).

Yay!!! What a good girl to start so early!!

 

[abw67]