We have 6 barred rock pullets and two sussex pullets that are a month younger that have a portable coop, but lately we have just let them freerange during the day. Tonight my husband went to the back of our large yard near an old rabbit cage or coop that was from the previous renters and there were three eggs in there. He cracked one just to make sure they were not old ones he had just never noticed and it looked fresh, it would have been very, very stinky if it had been from the previous people I told him. It is under a small lean-to built on the old barn. I am thinking that the chicken(s) laid there because it is sheltered and darker. I thought it was strange they(it) jumped down into this old hutch(cage) to lay. Ok, so do you think this is from multiple girls? Should we try and build something else for them to nest in not in the portable (PVC) coop? We are going to build a winter coop with nesting boxes, but haven't got that far. My husband made it a little easier for them to jump up on the edge and then down inside to where the eggs were and put a little pile of straw since it was just on chicken wire. Do you think we should do a search of the yard for other nests? No where else would be off the ground and dark like that. Are the eggs he found good to eat? Since we are not sure when they were laid, wouldn't we be able to tell if they were not. I hope this was not to confusing. I am excited we have at least one layer now, so anyday we should be getting some more eggs coming in.
You can tell the age of the eggs by putting them in a glass of water. But basically, if it floats it is bad. For more details: http://www.ehow.com/how_2138177_tell-age-egg.html
Update: Appearently they have been laying a while. This morning I found 15 more eggs, 11 in a little pile right next to the house under our rake and behind a toy of the boys, one right under our back porch, one kind of exposed next to a tree, and two close to that but not in the pile. None of the eggs floated and only a few tilted up when I tested them. So are they all safe to eat, even though they have been in the heat here? I have got to get something figured for a nest box until the other coop is built I think.
Hello Everyone Judging from the vast experience, I'm hoping someone on here can help a newbie out. I have 6 hens, no rooster. I started with 3 silver-laced wyandottes and added 3 RIRs. They are all mature birds and I am getting 4 to 5 eggs a day -pretty consistently. SOmedays we only get 3 but usually 4 or 5. My Q: 1. My wife finds an occasional speck in the egg. Is this normal? I say cook -I'll eat it, but she spends a great deal of time inspecting and removing any specks in the egg. 2. Sally, one of our RIR's cannot live in the coop without getting beat-up! She is a small one-eyed hen and the other girls just peck the snot out of her. She has learned to fly out of the coop and lives just outside the run. When my wife feeds, Sally will cluck at her until my wife places Sally in the hen house. Sally will lay, then cluck like crazy until my wife opens the hen house and Sally steps onto her arm. Sally has become my wife's new pet. If Sally sees her in the yard, she will follow her and 'talk' to her. Can I do anything to stop the anti-social behavior of the rest of the flock,or are we doomed to having a pet hen? Thanks for your help jb
