Couple of random noobie questions

[aart]

Sexlinks can lay as early as 14 weeks....when they told you 3 months, that could mean 12 weeks or closer to 16 weeks.
She is definitely showing the willingness to be mated which means she sexually mature, eggs should appear with a couple weeks or so.
It's what the increased vocalization is about too.

The poop will not likely 'compost' in a 5 gal bucket......
.....you'll have to do some researching on that, there are many schools of thought and options for composting manure.
Chicken poop is very high in nitrogen('hot') and needs to be composted before using on a garden as it will 'burn' the plants and kill them......
...it also contains E. coli and salmonella and should be properly processed before applying to food plants.

 

[pauleberly]

Awesome that's great news. I was hoping I could fill up the rest of the bucket with grass clippings and it would compost.

I might lock her up once I find An egg. Someone told me I should put up curtains because they like to be alone when they lay eggs. Also to throw away the first egg because it could be bad since it was the first. Any truth to that?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I would put fake ceramic eggs in the nests, I have never used curtains, they prefer there to be eggs in a nest when choosing where to lay. I think everyone on this site eats their first eggs unless it's a mess when you crack it open, but most first eggs are small and perfect.

 

[pauleberly]

Alright, I'll run out to tractor supply and pick up some straw and fake eggs. Thanks for the help!

 

[aart]

I like the fake eggs at TSC...... but golf balls will work too.

 

[lazy gardener]

Everytime I go to my chicken run, my "head hen" Makes this noise. It has been happening for about 2 weeks now. Is this a sign of her being dominate, or just asking for treats. Sometimes when I enter the run, she puffs her feathers all out. She does not charge or show any dominance (in my opinion, not sure how a chicken would). Its the far right chicken with the white on her tail

The same chicken, whenever I get to close to her, she squats her butt all the way down, like how a dog would poop. I have been checking and she does not produce anything. Is she ok? I have heard some people say this means she is going to lay an egg, but she is only 3 months and a couple of days old (red sexlink)

Last question. I have a 5 gallon poop bucket. I throw their waste which is covered in pdz into the bucket. It also has some pine shavings. I have drilled holes on the side of the bucket. I am trying to make a compost bucket. What all material would I need to add to make it break down (new to compost) I appreciate all the help!

Enjoy that first egg! As far as composting, IMO, trying to do it in a bucket will yield nothing more than a bucket full of stinky chicken poop. Compost happens best in a much larger space. IMO, the minimum size you should have for a compost bin is a cubic yard. That is 3' wide, 3' long, 3' high. You can do it in an open pile, or you can have some sort of bin, either purchased or home made. Some folks connect 3 pallets together to make a bin. Or you could make it out of plastic fencing, lumber, or even hay bales. It can be as fancy, or as ugly as you want to make it. The important thing is that it be constructed to allow air to enter the pile.

 

[Mrs. K]

compost does best when it is regularly turned, the manure needs to be mixed with large amount of browns (hay or straw). I have tried a lot of ways to compost and the easiest way for me is to use the chickens.

I have a deep amount of old hay on the floor of my coop. When I start to see piles of poop on top of the bedding, I throw a couple of handfuls of scratch, the birds will dig through this to get the seed, they will eat any weed seed too. They will break down the browns into smaller pieces. In early fall, after my garden is done, I will haul this bedding, compost up to the garden, spread it out thickly on the garden and water well. So that the garden is mulched well through the winter, you can add some ordinary fishing worms to this if you want. At this time I add new bedding to the coop.

Come the spring, I pile the bedding on the garden, opening small areas to plant. I use cardboard that I have soaked, then cover well with mulch, and plant. Several years ago, I read a post on a different forum, that suggested plan, mulch, trellis as needed, then plant the garden. Dramatically reduces your weeds. The mulch will have been composted for the whole winter, and my garden soil is improving rapidly, I did not even till the garden this year.

We are in a dry climate, and I have never seen a slug. It might not work as well in another climate, but right now I am in bed with a knee surgery, and my niece brought in a video of the garden, and while there are a few weeds, nothing overwhelming.

Good luck, I love combining chickens and gardens.

Mrs K

 

[pauleberly]

i got the nesting boxes all finished up. I threw in about 4 inchs of straw in the 4 total nesting boxes.

I got a 2 pack of ceramic eggs and placed one in each of the easier boxes to get to, because I figure they were more likely to go into them.

Should i get two more for the other boxes or place two in each box?

She's gonna lay in a day or two I can tell. When I scratch her back she throws her butt in the air now lol

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I usually keep two in a couple of boxes and occasionally move them around, they like to follow the fake eggs.

 

[pauleberly]

Is there anything else I could use as fake eggs, besides gold balls?