California - Northern

[zooweemama]

The duck coop with our 3 nesting/laying boxes. 2 ducks are actually sometimes laying in them. The drakes will sleep in them and just take up space. Stinkers. It's for the ladies guys! Of the ducks likes to lay in that far left corner next to the lay box. haha! One likes to lay by the door. Just drops it right there at the door. :| Using those horse bedding pellets. Smells so much better than hay!

 

[ronott1]

Quote: The article I read on stretching your feed said 50% can replace the layer feed. I would think you could replace more with flock raiser but would stick with 50% and make sure they have access to calcium.

Ron

 

[zooweemama]

The article I read on stretching your feed said 50% can replace the layer feed. I would think you could replace more with flock raiser but would stick with 50% and make sure they have access to calcium.

Ron

Thanks Ron!!

 

[capayvalleychick]

Ok so for those of you that share my weather (hot summers. hot =100+ and wet falls 40-60 degrees) - I am reading that if they do not lay this month- that basically I will not get any eggs until Spring. Is that true for us in this climate?

Many of my hens start laying again soon after the winter solstice (Dec 21). The shortest day of the year behind them, with the daylight hours increasing, seems to be the natural cue for them to resume laying eggs. So "Spring" to your pullets may be the beginning of Winter on the calendar.

 

[zooweemama]

Many of my hens start laying again soon after the winter solstice (Dec 21). The shortest day of the year behind them, with the daylight hours increasing, seems to be the natural cue for them to resume laying eggs. So "Spring" to your pullets may be the beginning of Winter on the calendar.

I like the sound of that haha!

 

[lawatt]

i've gotten one possible person interested in the orpingtons (yay!), but she can't pick them up til a week from now at the earliest -- so here's a question for the masses, do they look like they have enough feathers to be okay outdoors at this point? (they'd be in an enclosure pen, inside the run of the coop) -- we've been down in the 50s at night, and they are 4 weeks + one day old.

any thoughts?
thanks!

edit: adding a photo here of all six of the four-week-olds, so you can see the extent of their feathering:

 

[ronott1]

Quote: Yes absolutely! There is a big drop in eggs in November to December and then they start increasing with the increasing daylight.

Nature is awesome!

Ron

 

[zooweemama]

Is this the size I need?
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/leg_bands.html
The one that says bandette numbered heavy hens?
I have the opringtons and the marans.

I am ordering fake eggs too and would love to hit order. LOL

 

[zooweemama]

i've gotten one possible person interested in the orpingtons (yay!), but she can't pick them up til a week from now at the earliest -- so here's a question for the masses, do they look like they have enough feathers to be okay outdoors at this point? (they'd be in an enclosure pen, inside the run of the coop) -- we've been down in the 50s at night, and they are 4 weeks + one day old.

any thoughts?
thanks!

Eek I don't know! Mine were out around 5 weeks old I think.

 

[zooweemama]

Will anyone in this thread be selling Leghorns in the Spring?