First Egg Countdown

[Pele]

Quote:
Aw

Trick em with lights!

I'm lucky that SLs take egg-laying more seriously than winter.

 

[ronott1]

Quote:
Aw

Trick em with lights!

I'm lucky that SLs take egg-laying more seriously than winter.

I have succumbed to chicken math, so my City limit of six hens has become 11 and I just bought an incubator

There is a place in Davis called Thistledown farms that sells Greenfire Black Birchen Marans hatching eggs for $30.00 per dozen...

So anyway, my 11 hens laid 7 eggs yesterday, which is enough for us. I just don't have enough to share or sell now.

That said, will an led light work, or does it have to be an incandescent bulb? I could run an extension cord and throw in a timer.

Ron

 

[Pele]

Quote:
You have to be careful with having too much light, or they'll start feather-picking. I'd just add a really low wattage 'soft' led bulb. I'll never forget the day that I bought a regular led by mistake, man that was eye-peeling and aweful.

Good luck!


Edit: Dur got my bulbs mixed around. Fixing post to make sense to sane people.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
Aw

Trick em with lights!

I'm lucky that SLs take egg-laying more seriously than winter.

I have succumbed to chciken math, so my City limit of six hens has become 11 and I just bought an incubator

There is a place in Davis called Thistledown farms that sells Greenfire Black Birchen Marans hatching eggs for $30.00 per dozen...

So anyway, my 11 hens laid 7 eggs yesterday, which is enough for us. I just don't have enough to share or sell now.

That said, will an led light work, or does it have to be an incandescent bulb? I could run an extension cord and throw in a timer.

Ron

Just enough light to read a newspaper without straining. It doesn't have to be super bright.

 

[wowmanacat]

I only have 3 that are laying at this time and I guess that is all I am going to be getting this year. I have 3 more that should be laying or are very close but I guess they will start in the spring. with DH being to one to eat 2 eggs a day we get enough for him, I only bake with them and eat very few.

 

[galanie]

I have a SQ orp hen that is 8 1/2 months old and still no squatting, no laying, no nothing.

Her comb and wattles are getting pretty red though. I have others laying, I just can't wait for Sugar to lay! I keep telling her, she just ignores me.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
Oh geez, I'd go nuts! (though I'm still waiting on a wellie that's 7 1/2 months old)

I hope Sugar lays soon for you!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
You'll still get eggs this winter, they are just maturing a bit slower.

 

[Crafty-Chicken-Lady]

I put daylight/full spectrum lights up in the coop and in the run. In the Northwest we get so little daylight this time of year and usually what we get is shadowed by clouds. At first I just placed one in the coop and then I thought, 'that's silly they cannot see to eat or drink', so I put a light in the run also. My run is completely covered so it works well and I am all set to place a bulb under the waterer to keep it fluid when the weather gets colder. My girls get up at 5 am. So they are getting about 13 hrs of daylight. I will set the light earlier if necessary. I need & love eggs.

 

[wowmanacat]

I got a shock today! I went out to dig up to areas of the coop so that they would have some soft dirt(rock free) to take dirt baths in and when I was done I checked looked in the coop at the nest box. Luckie a honey color with green legs(EE?)(only one to live out of 5 chicks)was in the nest box, I though she was just siting in there but low and behold around 20 minutes later I heard the song and there in the nest was a 38g(pee wee) greenish/blue egg.