Feeling for eggs

[Newfarmer36]

My few sneaky Easter Eggers started laying in the barn this week after being good and laying in the coop all winter. 1 does it and now 5 are laying in the barn as of 2 days ago, so I locked them all up for most of the day yesterday and got more eggs in the coop, locked up today, but hubby thinks I am mean and he let them out an hour ago. I'll be hunting this evening. I admit they do look so happy out there running around. He says they have sad eyes when I leave them locked up til late.

I kept them locked up until about 11:45. There was 7 eggs in the coop. Smh little twits. Anyway! I followed a couple of them. I saw one of them come out of the woods. I went in there but found nothing. There's 1 more place I can check but I still have 2 hens roaming over there.

 

[Newfarmer36]

I'd make hubby go on the egg hunt if he insists on letting them out... "Honey, will you make me some eggs for breakfast?" "Sorry, Sweetheart, I have been unable to find them since I can't keep them up long enough to teach them to lay in the nest boxes. If you want eggs for breakfast, you need to go find them."

Lol! Yeah, I can just see my hubby searching the yard! "These are YOUR birds, Melissa!" That's what I get!. BUT when it comes to them acting goofy or when he sees the rooster sprinting across the yard, it's, "I love "our" chickens and ducks, Missy." Lol!!

 

[Newfarmer36]

Well, we'll, well!!! Found em!! RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DANG WOODS!!! With the snakes, spiders and bugs!!!

 

[bobbi-j]

Lol! Yeah, I can just see my hubby searching the yard! "These are YOUR birds, Melissa!" That's what I get!. BUT when it comes to them acting goofy or when he sees the rooster sprinting across the yard, it's, "I love "our" chickens and ducks, Missy." Lol!!

"If they're MY birds, we will manage them MY way. Now STEP AWAY FROM THE COOP!" Funny how that works, isn't it?

 

[Newfarmer36]

"If they're MY birds, we will manage them MY way. Now STEP AWAY FROM THE COOP!" Funny how that works, isn't it?

Sure Is! Lmbo!

 

[Bonniebooboo]

Well, we'll, well!!! Found em!! RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DANG WOODS!!! With the snakes, spiders and bugs!!!

sometimes you just never know. We have to become detectives/private eyes. Last fall I thought my newly laying EE pullets took a week or two break. HA! something wasn't right.
so I had to be sneaky too.

 

[RWise]

It is the time of year here the girls want to hide the nests. I too keep them in and watch for hens to want out very badly, then follow them to their nest. I have also brought a hen inside in a cage and watched her, then set her loose, worked every time.
Mine are mostly EEs, but the one that wants to hide out the most at this time is a GEM. I watch her frantically searching for a place she likes, like under the rabbit hutch, yep in the poo. Now if she spots me watching her, she runs, I mean runs to the coop and into a nest!
I had one sneaky girl that organized a lay out, it looked like a sudden drop in eggs. Now my girls being EEs all lay different colour eggs. She had 1 or 2 eggs from several hens, and so I would not catch on to it, they were all still using the nest in the coop. I sold her off and told teh new owner what to expect. She is also the only hen I have ever had that got 100% hatch and survival, I kinda miss her.
I did this to a hidden nest, I put a fake black ceramic egg in it, not one of them used the nest after that!

 

[aart]

I've read where you can feel around the vent of a hen and feel an egg inside but I've also read that you cant.. What's y'alls opinions?

In certain situations, egg binding, that's appropriate...
... butt(haha!) most times, no don't do that!

Guess you'll have to keep them confined for longer,
might need to confine them 24/7 for a week to reestablish the habit of laying in coop nests. If the fakes are being kicked out, you might need higher nest fronts and/or heavier fakies.

 

[Newfarmer36]

sometimes you just never know. We have to become detectives/private eyes. Last fall I thought my newly laying EE pullets took a week or two break. HA! something wasn't right.
so I had to be sneaky too.
View attachment 1300809

My duck lays faithfully every morning. So i went in and got my ducks out. The chickens are still in there and will be until about 2 or so. I hope no one ever walks up on that coop on the mornings. Bc I was griping them out! They kept clucking and I told them that they wouldn't have to stay put up if they'd do what they're supposed to! Smh I talk to them more than to most people I know!

 

[Newfarmer36]

In certain situations, egg binding, that's appropriate...
... butt(haha!) most times, no don't do that!

Guess you'll have to keep them confined for longer,
might need to confine them 24/7 for a week to reestablish the habit of laying in coop nests. If the fakes are being kicked out, you might need higher nest fronts and/or heavier fakies.

Ya know, out of all the nest boxes that I've seen, I never paid attention to the front part. So i don't have that. Guess I need to find a 2×4 or something to add that.