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Determining What Hens Are Laying

Discussion in 'Chicken Behaviors and Egglaying' started by rickson, Sep 27, 2010.

Most Liked Posts
  1. Sep 27, 2010 #1
    rickson

    rickson Out Of The Brooder

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    Jan 11, 2010
    I'm a new egg...got my coop up thanks to help on here, got 9 of my 10 pullets to about egg laying time....

    I'm getting an egg here, 4 there, etc. All 9 of my hens are in the same coop/run, how do I determine which hens are laying? Should I start to separate them somehow and monitor them?

    I need to get down to 4-5 hens for the winter based on square footage of my coop, I wasn't planning on so many of my chicks making it to maturity....and I only want to keep the best layers.

    Thanks!!!!
     
  3. Sep 27, 2010 #2
    J.Pryce

    J.Pryce Chillin' With My Peeps

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    May 22, 2010
    Ypsilanti
    You can band them & then watch who are using the nests. I had problems finding bands, so I use different colored zip ties loosely on there legs & clip of the excess length.
     
  5. Sep 27, 2010 #3
    chick4chix

    chick4chix Chillin' With My Peeps

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    Jun 4, 2009
    So Cal
    I have read about people using different colored food coloring on the vent- then the egg from that colored hen will have a smear of that color on it. If all your hens are the same breed and it's hard to tell them apart- you can color code the top of their heads with the food coloring- too- its non-toxic and will wear off.
     

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