- Dec 21, 2009
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- 15
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My original construction thread, Building the Chicken McMansion Part 2, can be found at the following link:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=283812
I started construction of the Chicken McMansion just over a year ago, and my "micro-flock" of 6 has been laying since June. I thought it might be a good time to review how my coop has produced so far this year.
I added a 250 watt halogen spotlight to the outside front of the coop so that the chicken yard in front stays lit until 6:00 in the evening, and again when I turn the lights on in the coop and in the covered run at 6:00 AM.
As a result, my hens are still laying an average of 4.56 eggs a day as of Thanksgiving Day.
2010 numbers to date...
June 2 Eggs AE 42 Grams 84 Grams Total 2.963 Oz. .185 lbs
July 86 Eggs AE-51.3 Grams 4,415 Grams Total 155.735 Oz. 9.733 lbs.
Aug 154 Eggs AE 52.7 Grams 8117 Grams Total 286.310 Oz. 17.895 lbs
Sep 134 Eggs AE 56.1 Grams 7512 Grams Total 264.978 Oz 16.561 lbs
Oct 140 Eggs AE 63-7 Grams 8923 Grams Total 314.749 Oz. 19.67 lbs
Nov 114 Eggs AE 63 Grams 6961 Grams Total 246.60 Oz. 15.412 lbs (Through Thanksgiving Day)
Through Thanksgiving Day, The Chicken McMansion has produced approximately 79.456 POUNDS of fresh eggs. We have had the very best tasting eggs all year long, and some real prize winners along the way. I got into the habit of keeping an egg log every day. I have a small digital scale, and I weigh each egg in grams, and record the approximate time it was laid, who laid it, and any comments. The biggest egg to date was from one of the Golden Sex Links around the first of September, and it weighed 93 Grams!
I use 28.3495 Grams to the Ounce for you nit-pickers out there,( and you know who you are...) so a 93 Gram egg weighs in at 3.28 ounces! I don't know if it hurt, or felt really REALLY good when she laid it, but the GSL stood on the roost and bellowed out the windows that morning for half an hour...
The only skip in production we have seen since June was day before yesterday when the temperature suddenly snapped down to around 11 degrees F overnight. The sudden stress of that cold caused five of our six to hold their eggs, and total production for November 24 was exactly 1 egg; the single worst production day since the hens started laying back in June.
My plans going forward are to add a thermostatically controlled, 18" square heat panel to the cleanout door of the coop just below the roost. It will provide warmth right where it is needed, will be easy to clean, and the thermostat outlet will be an easy way to control it. I will put up a separate thread on heating the Chicken McMansion next month when the heat panel arrives. Pictures to follow. I'm also looking at other alternatives to the watering system, as the automatic waterer froze up pretty fast. I just got the old brooder waterer out and made sure it didn't freeze up for a couple of days, no big deal.
Our weather has been relatively mild here but the sudden cold stressed the hens, and they immediately held their eggs for a day. I think that because I guarantee them 12 hours of light every day with the use of the coop light, they have not gone into molt along with the cessation of laying until Spring. Six hens still averaging 4.5 eggs a day in late November ain't bad no matter where you are.
This is going to be our first whole winter with the McMansion, and I am looking at ways to improve it's weatherization to keep up production through Winter. Details to follow, and I will update monthly production numbers on this thread from now on.
Cheers to all and Happy Thanksgiving!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=283812
I started construction of the Chicken McMansion just over a year ago, and my "micro-flock" of 6 has been laying since June. I thought it might be a good time to review how my coop has produced so far this year.
I added a 250 watt halogen spotlight to the outside front of the coop so that the chicken yard in front stays lit until 6:00 in the evening, and again when I turn the lights on in the coop and in the covered run at 6:00 AM.
As a result, my hens are still laying an average of 4.56 eggs a day as of Thanksgiving Day.
2010 numbers to date...
June 2 Eggs AE 42 Grams 84 Grams Total 2.963 Oz. .185 lbs
July 86 Eggs AE-51.3 Grams 4,415 Grams Total 155.735 Oz. 9.733 lbs.
Aug 154 Eggs AE 52.7 Grams 8117 Grams Total 286.310 Oz. 17.895 lbs
Sep 134 Eggs AE 56.1 Grams 7512 Grams Total 264.978 Oz 16.561 lbs
Oct 140 Eggs AE 63-7 Grams 8923 Grams Total 314.749 Oz. 19.67 lbs
Nov 114 Eggs AE 63 Grams 6961 Grams Total 246.60 Oz. 15.412 lbs (Through Thanksgiving Day)
Through Thanksgiving Day, The Chicken McMansion has produced approximately 79.456 POUNDS of fresh eggs. We have had the very best tasting eggs all year long, and some real prize winners along the way. I got into the habit of keeping an egg log every day. I have a small digital scale, and I weigh each egg in grams, and record the approximate time it was laid, who laid it, and any comments. The biggest egg to date was from one of the Golden Sex Links around the first of September, and it weighed 93 Grams!
I use 28.3495 Grams to the Ounce for you nit-pickers out there,( and you know who you are...) so a 93 Gram egg weighs in at 3.28 ounces! I don't know if it hurt, or felt really REALLY good when she laid it, but the GSL stood on the roost and bellowed out the windows that morning for half an hour...
The only skip in production we have seen since June was day before yesterday when the temperature suddenly snapped down to around 11 degrees F overnight. The sudden stress of that cold caused five of our six to hold their eggs, and total production for November 24 was exactly 1 egg; the single worst production day since the hens started laying back in June.
My plans going forward are to add a thermostatically controlled, 18" square heat panel to the cleanout door of the coop just below the roost. It will provide warmth right where it is needed, will be easy to clean, and the thermostat outlet will be an easy way to control it. I will put up a separate thread on heating the Chicken McMansion next month when the heat panel arrives. Pictures to follow. I'm also looking at other alternatives to the watering system, as the automatic waterer froze up pretty fast. I just got the old brooder waterer out and made sure it didn't freeze up for a couple of days, no big deal.
Our weather has been relatively mild here but the sudden cold stressed the hens, and they immediately held their eggs for a day. I think that because I guarantee them 12 hours of light every day with the use of the coop light, they have not gone into molt along with the cessation of laying until Spring. Six hens still averaging 4.5 eggs a day in late November ain't bad no matter where you are.
This is going to be our first whole winter with the McMansion, and I am looking at ways to improve it's weatherization to keep up production through Winter. Details to follow, and I will update monthly production numbers on this thread from now on.
Cheers to all and Happy Thanksgiving!
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