Esther and Winnie~ Emerald ~ Momma Time~ UH-OH Egg Overload P46

[barg]

The last couple days I've opened the door, giving the two groups access to each other for limited periods.
I wanted to see if there has been any change in Winnie’s attitude; so far she seems just as afraid of the big girls.
Emerald, probably lowest in pecking order, seems the most interested in showing them who’s the boss.

At this point, I’m’ not keeping them apart because they fight , I’m keeping them apart because the little ones don’t fight back, they do not show any signs that they can stand their ground yet.

Lately, Winnie is very active in asserting her dominance over Esther; she needs to learn to channel that energy toward the bigger chickens.

No new eggs yet.
We have had a couple of the chickens, Domineak-who laid the first eggs and Mrs. Nezbit, checking out the box and acting like they are going to lay, but they haven’t done anything yet.

Added: A few days ago we banded Emerald with a green zip tie. The White area, where she damaged her beak a while back, is not completly gone yet, but it will be soon.

 

[barg]

13 Weeks and 21 Weeks Big Day today!!

It is very hard to get the younger ones to pose for me.

The older girls have no problem at all cooperating,
Except when it comes to being nice to the little ones.

From Left: Emerald, Mrs.Nezbit, Hazel and Domineak

Mrs.Nezbit's First Egg was laid today!(Unconfirmed but all the evidence leads to that conclusion)

Later in the day, Domineak laid for the second time, this time the egg was a "Real Egg". (confirmed)

 

[ozark hen]

way to go||!!!!| Hoo Rah!!!!!

 

[ml]

First eggs are so wonderful to get. Thanks for the update too.

Seems do to the heat the eggs are not formed just right. Being first eggs too may take her a bit to get it just right.

Do you have any free choice oyster shell around too?

ML

 

[domromer]

I put mine together yesterday. Lots of fighting, picking at the chicks, then brief moments of calm. We'll see what happens today. The little blond girls were so shook up they all wanted to cuddle last night after being released from the tractor. I hope today is better. yesterday was pretty nasty.

 

[barg]

I think I left mine with the big girls too long on my first attempt.
Trying to get them over their fear of them has been the biggest challange.
I still don't know what the answer is but, I would think carefully about what the overall impact may be in the long run and, have a super soaker ready.

 

[barg]

Mystery Egg

This was laid today between noon and 2, it could have come from any of them.
Earlier, Mrs.Nezbit had been sitting in the nest box but left without laying. Emerald had been poking around in there too.
This egg was apperently laid from the roost just outside the nest box. When I first found it, there was no speckleing that I could see.

The second photo was taken many hours later and the speckles have appeared

The second photo is the only egg photo that was shot in indoor lighting.

Question: Do all breeds have the potential to lay speckled eggs?

I'm not sure I'll ever solve this mystery, this is the only egg we got today.

Update on Esther and Winnie
They are still seprated in the day but tonight we had to go out for a few minutes around bed time.
We ran a little long while we were out so I expected to come back and find the chicks yelling for me to remove the seperator so they could go in; instead I found them inside the coop already; their night light was on and all the chickens were in there, non of them were fighting

Somehow, the chicks had moved the seperator enough to slip through; not an easy task since the older ones are always trying to figure out how to get in the tractor.

I closed them all up and shut off their light, as usual.
I'm not sure what to do with this development.

 

[barg]

Cont. from above
Just before 2 A.M. I went out to check the chickens and found this.

The long one was on the floor and from it's position, looked like it came from Domineak, the smaller one I found under Domineak.
If you compare the two to the first two eggs she laid, there seems to be a trend.
The first two were suggested, by some, to be a single double egger.
The first set did'nt look like a single egg to me and I think this confirms that.
The long one has a very thin spot in the middle on both sides; both are very thin over the whole surface but thiner in the middle.

She has laid one normal egg between these two sets of two odd ones.
I am left wondering what will happen with her next.

 

[SpottedCrow]

When they're starting up, you can get all sorts of strange eggs...
If you'd feel better, you could give them Oyster Shell free choice and ACV in the water.

 

[barg]

They are getting free choice oyster shell now, she seems to just have an odd laying cycle.

This is mostly for my own record as I try to figure out who's laying and who hasn't.

This one was laid before 11 A.M., I checked at 11 and found this one, still warm.
I have no idea who laid it, except that it probably wasn't domineak, and it came less then 24 hours since the one I found on the coop floor.