Chick Return Program??

I'm gonna guess that between the shorter days, going broody, and the stress of all that, has them "off" ...

Once you get the last (hopefully "last") broody out of the cage, and everybody settles down, and back into their pecking order, that they may start up again ... but winters is coming, and it just may be too late to fire up the egg machine till spring ...
X2

Have there been any other changes - changes to the coop/run, new chickens, different feed/treats, etc?

I've found that they are finicky. I usually get 2 eggs/day from my 4 laying hens. But the last month, I've gotten 4 almost every day. I changed their feed recently and added a cockerel. I have no idea if either has affected their laying. Who knows? The girls do, but they aren't saying. If otherwise healthy, I wouldn't worry too much.

@sean_wonder You are a young person, right? I teach high school, and I really can't say enough about how much you impress me. Even your posts are above par, in my opinion. Wish I had classrooms full of clones of you.
 
Man, I wish there were new chickens!! No, the only change was the extension we built, which doubled the horrible run space of the prefab, but they continued to lay throughout the building of and so forth. They only stopped when Badonkadonk got broody. My mom says perhaps this is a protein thing and they don't have enough. Mind you, they're on All Flock for the very reason of extra protein (20%), and I scatter scratch in the run every single morning and sometimes in the afternoon. They also have plenty of veggies and fruits available to keep them fairly entertained, so I don't think they're lacking in protein, but it's plausible. She says the days aren't getting shorter here yet.

Stress is the only reason I could think, but they're not acting stressed. If anything, they're just being more needy-- Cheryl keeps pecking at my boots when I go in and doesn't stop until I pick her up, but she's not one of the active layers. Goose still isn't broken, poor thing. She's got an apple to herself though, so it's ok. We have to go buy eggs, as we just ran out today! Those freeloaders!!! It's okay, I still love them just the same. I'm just frustrated because I miss collecting eggs and how delicious they were.

So do they just completely cease and desist during the winter months or is there still an occasional egg? I'm sure the experience varies by chicken but I'm just curious.

Anyway, for those of you who have read the book How to Speak Chicken, I think I've figured out my chickens' name for me. It goes rrrRRRAAHH--rrRRrrrRR. Beautiful, I know. I applaud their dinosaur themed creativity, but... come on, gals. I'm sure they could've done better.

@Aunt Angus Yes, I am a young person, haha! I am trudging through high school at this very moment, except not literally because its 12am. Your compliment truly makes me smile!!! :) I find it very easy to write concisely when I am so passionate about the subject. For example, I know a chicken's heartbeat is 126-137 beats per minute, and their body temperature is 105-107 degrees Fahrenheit, and that eggs are completely void of fecal matter despite what you'd think, and a lot more useless information. It's rare to understand so clearly what one wants to do in life, especially when there's so much pressure to do so at a young age, but I'm sure you've found indulging your students in their passions, even if it is simply making silly videos on social media, allows them to express themselves in surprising ways. I am forever grateful to my English teacher especially-- you can imagine how often I write and talk about chickens in that class alone. I brought eggs in for everyone once before the Great Egg Crisis of the Week of Sept. Ninth. Additionally, I've been reading at college level since the fourth grade, so I suppose when it comes to literature I'm somewhat of a dork. :)
 
I love reading about your Moody Broodies, lol! And I concur with the other adults who are impressed with your delightful grasp of the language, as well as your courage and initiative in "doing right by" said "Moody Broody," and breaking her of her nesting obsession.

We turned our dog crate upside down so the big holes were on top, and the sensible gaps were under the hen's feet. Of course then we had to cover the crate with the tray, weighted with bricks, to prevent escapes. We also put a 4x4 chunk of wood inside for a perch, or roost. After the third day I took her out and released her not only from broody jail but also from the chicken yard. I locked her out of it, as if she were off to free range by herself for the rest of the day. In essence I locked her away from the nests. It had rained earlier and the belly-tall grass was cool and wet. She foraged through that for about six hours that day - and never went back to her nest, so hooray! :highfive:
 
They've started laying again!! And, drumroll please... we have a fourth layer!! We don't know who's our fourth yet, but she lays very pretty green eggs just like the other 2 green layers... so we got four eggs today!
Very nice! Are these silkies that lay green eggs (I’ve seen someone post on breeding blue egg genes into silkies) or are they other breeds?
 

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