I needed a pick up today with my chickens. I have one likely dying from sour crop (treatment not going well) and I had another who had been laying for 4 days quit laying on me.
WELL...Yesterday I had to do some work on my nest boxes and decided to give the hen (that stopped laying) an option of using her previous fave spot (Under the nest boxes). I unblocked the area and put a large cat litter pan under there with shavings. I put fresh shavings in my nest boxes and re-worked the cover (needed since they are under perches). Today I am pretty sure that she is back to laying! I had 2 of my 3 Columbia crosses laying, one stopped and today I had 2 eggs, 2 different nests, and I saw a ColX in each of those nests! The one egg was "normal" size, same as she had been laying before she stopped! AND then I was watching the flock in their run and I saw another egg! A very small one sitting on the ground in front of the waterer! 2 days ago I found a shelless egg and have been waiting my third layer! (Only 6 more to go, well 5 if sour crop doesn't resolve)
WELL...Yesterday I had to do some work on my nest boxes and decided to give the hen (that stopped laying) an option of using her previous fave spot (Under the nest boxes). I unblocked the area and put a large cat litter pan under there with shavings. I put fresh shavings in my nest boxes and re-worked the cover (needed since they are under perches). Today I am pretty sure that she is back to laying! I had 2 of my 3 Columbia crosses laying, one stopped and today I had 2 eggs, 2 different nests, and I saw a ColX in each of those nests! The one egg was "normal" size, same as she had been laying before she stopped! AND then I was watching the flock in their run and I saw another egg! A very small one sitting on the ground in front of the waterer! 2 days ago I found a shelless egg and have been waiting my third layer! (Only 6 more to go, well 5 if sour crop doesn't resolve)
