California - Northern

[lualshannon]

Thank you, Cooper, for your welcome note!

 

[lawatt]

random question # 8,435,725: how long do you leave fake eggs in the nestboxes, once the girls have started laying?

and (belatedly) welcome, lualshannon!!

 

[ronott1]

random question # 8,435,725: how long do you leave fake eggs in the nestboxes, once the girls have started laying?

and (belatedly) welcome, lualshannon!!

I leave one or two golf ball in each nest all the time--It helps keep them from pecking the eggs. If they peck a golf ball too hard it kind of huts them, so they are less likely to become egg eaters.

Also, they are not that smart and can still "forget" where they are supposed to lay their eggs. I found 15 under a squash plant two summers ago!

 

[Happy Chooks]

random question # 8,435,725:  how long do you leave fake eggs in the nestboxes, once the girls have started laying?  

and (belatedly) welcome, lualshannon!!

I leave one or two golf ball in each nest all the time--It helps keep them from pecking the eggs. If they peck a golf ball too hard it kind of huts them, so they are less likely to become egg eaters.

Also, they are not that smart and can still "forget" where they are supposed to lay their eggs. I found 15 under a squash plant two summers ago!

Yep. I keep fake eggs in some nests all the time. I don't put them in every nest because some girls like an empty nest.

 

[lawatt]

Yep. I keep fake eggs in some nests all the time. I don't put them in every nest because some girls like an empty nest.

excellent, thanks! i've had one in each of my three nest boxes, but maybe i'll put two in one, one in one, and none in one. then they can have their pick!

(3 eggs this morning, so at least 3 of the 7 older (~30-32 weeks) girls have started -- so exciting!)

 

[waititout]

@lualshannon,

 

[juststruttin]

Has anyone tried using rice hulls instead of pine shavings? I deal with a woman who insists that wood shavings bring lice into her flock and swears by rice hulls. I've never had lice/mite problems. In order to prevent problems I offer her my birds for inspection - she's never found anything - but it still annoys me. She claims that the rice hulls are easy clean like cat litter. I just have a problem with the bag size.

Yes, I switch between them. I typically use shavings in the winter and hulls in the summer when the chickens spend more time outdoor and less indoor messing up the coop.

Rice Halls
Pros: I like rice hulls because I do a lot of gardening and the hulls are better for the compost than the pine shavings. Pine has more carbon and acid. Eventually the pine works in the garden but it just takes longer. Chickens like to take dust baths in the hulls more than the shavings

Con: Expensive and not very absorbent. Does not do much for odor,

Pine Shavings:
Pros: Very absorbent, removes odor, less expensive
Cons: Not ideal for compost. If you do use in compost you will need more green and black material to balance the higher carbon content

 

[HighNDryFarm]

Has anyone tried using rice hulls instead of pine shavings? I deal with a woman who insists that wood shavings bring lice into her flock and swears by rice hulls. I've never had lice/mite problems. In order to prevent problems I offer her my birds for inspection - she's never found anything - but it still annoys me. She claims that the rice hulls are easy clean like cat litter. I just have a problem with the bag size.

Years ago I had this conversation for horse stall bedding. I never tried it because I LOVE pine shavings but some people switched to the rice hulls (especially our friends who are rice farmers) but honestly, don't know if anyone stuck with it.

Quote: Boy, it's a small world huh? But I figured you'd know the boat if you spend any kind of time on the water there! I see Mary Lou is at the helm in this picture too. What a beautiful shot.

Quote: I have them for sale on Craigslist. I normally have no problem selling my roos on CL, especially the EE's. I had 5 and the others went right away and then by the time I had time to repost it was the holiday season. Not a good time to try to rehome roos...winter and the holidays. Need to repost but wanted to confirm that even the guy without the pea comb could carry the colored gene. Thought I'd see if anyone is looking for a roo here before bumping up the CL ad. They'll be big like their dad too.

Quote: If it would help, I'd love to be in on this. If not, that's OK but I've wanted the Penedesenca ever since Cooper12 pointed them out when I was looking for colored egg layers. Yes, I blame him!

 

[juststruttin]

Lual Shannon

Welcome!!

 

[lawatt]

Boy, it's a small world huh? But I figured you'd know the boat if you spend any kind of time on the water there! I see Mary Lou is at the helm in this picture too. What a beautiful shot.

thanks! the world of sailboat racing on the Bay IS fairly small, so not too surprising. I'm a member at the Berkeley Yacht Club, & race pretty regularly, at least once a month and at times more -- i don't know if she's seen the photo, so please feel free to pass it along, even though it's quite old now!