Eggs?

[Callender Girl]

My birds are free to wander around during the day, but are fenced between the house, the sheep and goats pens, the road and the back of the yard. I keep the windows open (there's no A/C in this old farm house) and look out frequently. Any sound and I -- and usually my yippy terrier -- are at the windows and searching. There's plenty of shade trees to reduce predation from the air.

Having said that, the back fence is in place because a mink -- that had already killed three chickens in a midnight raid -- took one of my ducks who was frolicking in a pool outside of my sightline. New hardware cloth was installed immediately and the fence erected.

As far as the question about eggs, I would GUESS it has to do with shorter daylight hours. I got three Cochin chicks in the spring, and only one has been laying. Isabel produced her first egg more than a week ago and is now laying (teeny little pullet eggs) almost daily. Her sisters have shown no inclination to do anything this year.

 

[Lynnmj]

Do you free range? It could be just because of the daylight hours going down as well. Thats what happened with my flock of EEs last year.

We let the girls out yesterday, we were outside most of the day doing yard work. They seem so much happier when they can free range. Another question should I put anything in the nesting boxes, I.e. Shavings?

 

[Lynnmj]

We let them out on Sunday, we were out most of the day doing yardwork. Yesterday they were in the coop and I heard a scratching noise, looked inside and one of the Barred Rocks was in the nesting box scratching. I left her alone, went back 15 minutes later and she had laid an egg not in the box and it broke. But at least she laid one. Should I put anything in the nesting box, i.e. pine shavings?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Should I put anything in the nesting box, i.e. pine shavings?

Yes, nest boxes should have some padding to prevent breakage.

I use empty feed bags, folded to fit, and then topped with shavings. That way if the chickens scratch away most of the shavings there's still padding underneath that they can't dislodge.