Dixie Chicks

[Ravynscroft]

Awe, that's a cute duck egg!!!  Congrats!!  

Thanks, Briard!

That's the young Snowy pair I got from mini... can't wait to hatch her babies!

 

[minihorse927]

Awesome ravyn!

 

[Ravynscroft]

Awesome ravyn!

So excited!! And just happened to catch her in the act, lol...

 

[bamadude]

ROLL TIDE

 

[Alaskan]

I used to add supplemental light. Keeps them all laying. The last couple winters I didn't and we still get enough eggs we don't have to buy any. I've had young ones come into lay in the middle of winter, same this yr, while daylight is on the downside. I'd rather let nature take its course now days and let them decide. My EEs took a break, saw my best one lay a egg today while I was feeding them

makes sense.

However, if it is super cold, and you only have 5 hours of natural light, the birds are simply not capable of eating enough to stay alive.

The light can be increased to 10 hours without triggering egg laying, maybe even 12 hours.

 

[Alaskan]

Quote:
first eggs sure are exciting!

 

[hennible]

That reminds me, I need to get a light up in the coop...

 

[Beer can]

makes sense.

However, if it is super cold, and you only have 5 hours of natural light, the birds are simply not capable of eating enough to stay alive.

The light can be increased to 10 hours without triggering egg laying, maybe even 12 hours.

Your a EXTREME case Alaskan Lol!
We're at 9 hrs 20 min, sunup to sundown. I always heard you have lights in winter well before BYC. Kept a heat lamp with clear hot flood lamp bulb just above RIRs water, well away from their roost in a barn, 24hrs day all winter. They still slept good and it also kept their water thawed. They laid like crazy.
I've found we don't need to add light, they crap them out anyways, even in subzero weather. Maybe not all of them but enough.

 

[Alaskan]

my leghorns lay without heat or light... they are champs. However, without enough light, they just don't get enough to eat.

My light messed up... and I lost one from starvation.. remember the one a necropsied a couple of weeks back? That was a starvation case due to not enough light.

I can't believe you are already up to 9 hours of light! Crazy town! We are up to 6 hours of light per day, but it never gets bright, because the sun is so low down on the horizon, hour long sunsets and sunrises, but not much light.


I do not heat, nope, not gunno (OK, with little chicks I heat... but that is it). Heat scares the beejeebuz out of me. I even try to avoid heated waterers.

 

[Beer can]

@Outpost JWB was it you that had 'night crowers' ?
I solved my problem, four cockerels from big coop gone yesterday. They've been crowing all night long since just before Christmas .The two red sussex and two white giants in the small coop haven't made a peep all day! No crowing last night and none all day! None tonight so far...I always thought it was the 'alien chicken', silkie roo getting them going....problem solved.


Giant, silkie, langshan, young wellie ee cross