Colorado

[P-Funk]

Sorry If it seems like I'm ignoring all your posts.
BUT...
Trust me, I've read them all.
... This B.O. rooster has to go. If you have a place for for him please P.M. me. He hatched 3/27 and has been crowing nonstop for 3 weeks now. I personally don't eat chickens but with the hours I've been working lately - I just had had a dream about making some soup out of him. weird, eh?

 

[samsr]

I have a pretty basic question. Simple for most that have silkys. I have one silky and am courios if she is laying yet or not. What color are their eggs? My silky is all black. My kids call her fancy panty. She is a cutie.

 

[Pozees]

I have a pretty basic question. Simple for most that have silkys. I have one silky and am courios if she is laying yet or not. What color are their eggs? My silky is all black. My kids call her fancy panty. She is a cutie.

They range from almost white to light brown, and are small. How old is she?

 

[samsr]

They range from almost white to light brown, and are small.  How old is she?

She is about 7 months. I havent caught her in the nesting box yet but i have someone laying a small cream colored egg. I do have others pullets laying also but i dont think they are laying this small of an egg still. It looks like a small pullet egg. I have been getting them for about a week now. The rest of the pullets have been laying for the past month and their eggs have been steadily getting larger. This one remains small however. Im not really to worried about it. She will lay when she wants. I am more curious.

 

[Wendi C]

I was sooo excited about finding an egg last week, but now I seem to have more questions...
Someone has been moving the fake egg around in the nesting box; however, eggs are being "dropped" from the roost. I imagine that this will change with time?

Also, this weekend I found evidence of two yolks on the floor of the coop, but no shell. Do you think someone is laying eggs without shells or do you think someone is eating eggs? How will I be able to tell the difference?

Also, the eggs have been there in the very early morning (5:30- 6ish), this is a lot earlier than I expected.

Here's the rundown:
Thursday- tiny green pullet egg
Friday- nothing
Saturday- evidence of two yolks no shell (but husband said he saw an egg in the coop early AM but it was gone by 7:30)
Sunday- nothing
Monday- 1 larger green egg and 1 misshapen green egg that was broken at around 6AM

So- does this seem like normal and reasonable activity for young pullets (pretty sure the EE's are responsible)? Or do I need to be concerned about calcium?

Happy Monday!

 

[Wendi C]

One more question. I'm trying to incorporate my younger Black Stars (about 11 weeks old) in with my 23 weeks old pullets by placing a wire dog crate inside the chicken yard so that the older girls can see but not touch. The older pullets are still very angry (growling and screeching at the babies through the wire dog crate). I have been bringing the babies in at night and when it rains because they don't have the shelter of the coop, but this is getting tiresome as the babies want to be out and about. Do you think that the babies will be too exposed if I leave them outside in the wire dog crate in the fenced chicken yard all night? I'm worried about it being too damp and drafty.

It seems like there has to be an easier way to do this.

 

[wsmith]

I was sooo excited about finding an egg last week, but now I seem to have more questions...
Someone has been moving the fake egg around in the nesting box; however, eggs are being "dropped" from the roost. I imagine that this will change with time?

Also, this weekend I found evidence of two yolks on the floor of the coop, but no shell. Do you think someone is laying eggs without shells or do you think someone is eating eggs? How will I be able to tell the difference?

Also, the eggs have been there in the very early morning (5:30- 6ish), this is a lot earlier than I expected.

Here's the rundown:
Thursday- tiny green pullet egg
Friday- nothing
Saturday- evidence of two yolks no shell (but husband said he saw an egg in the coop early AM but it was gone by 7:30)
Sunday- nothing
Monday- 1 larger green egg and 1 misshapen green egg that was broken at around 6AM

So- does this seem like normal and reasonable activity for young pullets (pretty sure the EE's are responsible)? Or do I need to be concerned about calcium?

Happy Monday!

Probably the EEs. Are you supplimenting them with oyster shell? If you are, and feeding them layer feed of some sort the calcium should be fine. As pullets start to lay it takes a while for their bodies to get it all sorted out. You will have lots of eggs soon that are perfect.

 

[wsmith]

Over the weekend I noticed my two young pullets checking out the nest boxes..... I think they will start to lay within the next month or so.

 

[Pozees]

Wendi, what I did with introductions is similar to what you are doing, but at night I placed the new "kid" in the coop after the elders had gone to roost. In the morning when I opened the coop I stood inside the run to see how things were going to go, and based on behavior I either put the new one back in his individual pen, or let him remain in the run with the others. I started this on Saturday morning so I had all weekend to observe/give him chances. If you have a lot of newbies it might not be so simple, of course, just offering it as a suggestion. Catching a terrified 11 week old pullet without help presetns a whole new challenge

 

[LeciaBee]

Hello all! Having a stressful afternoon so I'd like to get it out for a moment. I have removed my duck pool from our chicken run, one of my little guineas fell in luckily it did not drown but the next 24hrs will be touch and go. Doing a little better, instead of laying on its side and shivering, it is actually sitting up and working on walking around. First one of my birds to fall in ever, but all it took was that one and the pool is gone. I'm praying my little one will pull through 100%