Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[Mskayladog]

Is it normal in the winter for hens not to lay for 12 days? She is not egg bound and she does not seem to be broody or molting she is a 7 1/2 month old Plymouth Rock she was a good layer. My hubby calls her brunhilda her and the little bantam or his favorite chickens. So he is on me about this hen.

 

[delisha]

I never eat a sick bird or questionable bird. I once had a hen start sneezing. I took her out of the coop for a few days and placed her in the hospital coop.. Watched her and she stopped sneezing. I put her back. She started again. I culled her and did not eat her. Chances were it was an allergy or something, I did not know for sure. If I do not know I do not eat it. Her autopsy showed nothing abnormal other than a little too much fat. I simply do not risk the whole flock for one bird.

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

Beekissed... yep, we played "ghost in the graveyard" ~ best game of "tag in the dark" ever... our porch light didn't come on til 9:30 in the summer. sometimes later if we could get Mom and Dad in on the game! my Dad was the best ghost story teller, he'd get us so entranced that we never noticed Mom sneaking off, but we sure did see her coming back covered in a sheet or something equally spooky! when we were a little older, it was so much fun to bring new kids in to have the snot scared outta them!
thanks to this thread, I use acv, that "glug" is the perfect amount, they drink it right up! and instead of just giving them their boss, I scatter it in their deep litter for entertainment and exercise when I can't let them out. I do help gut and butcher deer, and filet fish, so when the time comes, a few years from now... unless one of the roos turns nasty... I will participate in the butchering of the chickens. my better half loves to be the teacher, he has 40+ years experience with hunting and fishing... gotta admit, I admire his self sustaining ways... he always calls it "simple" which it may be... but I am always impressed... and my cats think he is the Supreme Hunter of All Time... I should record video of how they fawn all over him when he drags in the deer, they romp in the blood and guts and steal from the pile... and after reading from this thread, we'll have to let the chickens in on all the fun! ((

))

we have started using acv also we had a fairly serious problem with our chickens getting sick and or dying form what we and the vet speculated was possibly some sort of infection, after several died we sent one to ut for examination to find out it was ecoli build up, so we have started with the acv and most of them have recovered very nicely and some are starting to lay eggs.

 

[delisha]

If a young pullet stops laying it generally means she simply will not be a good layer or some breeds take a break during the winter. This time of year some just don't lay at all. Hens need a rest, and winter is a good time for that rest. I have a few that lay all through winter, and the rest of them take a break, laying very few through the winter. I have found the pullets usually lay through the first winter. If she does not start laying this spring she would be a cull.

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

Wild cherry is hard to find around here...lumber companies have timbered around here pretty heavy and reseeded to loblolly pine. All the good hard wood trees are gone except a few here and there. We burn whatever we can get our hands on most days, just a mix of whatever. We have a barrel stove and it ain't picky, burns hot on everything.

We always used wood in dads stove with some coal on top for those cold days.

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

If you're delivering, I can offer some nice 80 degree weather as well.

I can offer some hot chocolate, coffee and how about a pot of chilli

 

[Miss Lydia]

I would not let a hen set that long. I would stress about consequences. Right now I am looking for Muscovy chicks to place under my two hens setting so I can get them off the nest. If I can't find any these two are getting locked out. They both set two nests already this year. I do not need to worry all winter over Muscovy chicks. My DH wants to bring them to the hospital coop and start the wood burner. I can't make him understand the consequences of that error. So I am looking for other options. I just might take the eggs and close off the nest boxes if I can't find chicks.

I had 1 Muscovy duck in Sept. that I had to literally lock out of her nest box. She was very determined but after a week gave up. Then I had a frizzle bantam who is a wonderful broody and mama and wanted to sit in Oct. nope I'm through for this year, I had to actually remove the nest box, her fav. she finally got the idea. Thankfully my Scovies are through laying for this year.

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

I love that you did that. It really sounded like they enjoyed the flock!
L

HOPE THEY enjoy theres as much as I enjoy my hobby out of control.

 

[smyers32]

Getting our first snow here in southern Indiana today.
I thought I saw another dead buff orp out in the pasture this morning, turned out to be a big ol stray tomcat that is the same color as my buffs! Oh, and he wasn't dead!

 

[delisha]

Quote:
Sorry also..did you do an autopsy and take pictures?