First Egg Countdown

[babowman3]

My girls are 14 weeks (not that anyone is counting weeks, days, hours...) barred rocks and golden buffs are getting redder and redder! Buff Orps are still pale. The two EEs aren't looking too excited to lay either. =( Ah I want some eggs!!

 

[kpsocalchicks89]

I posted it in the duck thread also but is it a duck egg or chicken egg (brown one is my chickens egg )

 

[LadyCluck77]

I posted it in the duck thread also but is it a duck egg or chicken egg (brown one is my chickens egg )

I have gotten a chicken egg that color before, sort of tan, but it was only once and whoever it was went back to regular brown after.
Really cool color, actually, I wish she had stuck with it.
I can't be certain it's definitely from a chicken, but that's my guess. Congrats!

 

[mckenzy]

One of my buttercups has started to lay. I'm so proud of her! The other doesn't look anywhere close to laying yet. Weird. Same age.

 

[chickadee5002]

I posted it in the duck thread also but is it a duck egg or chicken egg (brown one is my chickens egg )

I had one like this also but I know why it happened. Our dog attacked the chickens and she was in the last stage of egg development which is pigment of the egg. When she got so stressed out she skipped the egg pigment stage. Which made it almost a tanish grey color.

 

[chickadee5002]

One of my buttercups has started to lay. I'm so proud of her! The other doesn't look anywhere close to laying yet. Weird. Same age.

Yay! Congrats!

 

[belljmr]

Advice needed happy chooks or others: it is getting down to 3 degrees Fahrenheit tonight here in Missouri. We had to decide to either have heated water in the coop or put in a heat lamp as we only have one outlet. We figured water was more important as they weren't leaving the coop to use the waterer outside. Will I have frozen chickens in the am? Coop is completely enclosed except for 8, 2 inch diameter ventilation holes at the very top. Thoughts?

 

[fosterson]

Advice needed happy chooks or others: it is getting down to 3 degrees Fahrenheit tonight here in Missouri. We had to decide to either have heated water in the coop or put in a heat lamp as we only have one outlet. We figured water was more important as they weren't leaving the coop to use the waterer outside. Will I have frozen chickens in the am? Coop is completely enclosed except for 8, 2 inch diameter ventilation holes at the very top. Thoughts?

In my own experience, once they're in bed, they don't get up to get water till the light comes on in the morning. That said, my chooks have been just fine in their well ventilated coop. I give them a late warm snack of some sort of cooked grain (rice, oatmeal, even a bit of cooked pasta) so they have some warmth and moisture in their crops and despite our bitter windchill the past few days, they've done well except for one roo, who got frostbite when he went outside for about 15 minutes.

I went out tonight, and stuck my hand under the hens that were already roosting and though it annoyed the hens, they were nice and toasty under there!

 

[belljmr]

It would be a pain but we could do lamp at night and water during day?

 

[Happy Chooks]

One of my buttercups has started to lay. I'm so proud of her! The other doesn't look anywhere close to laying yet. Weird. Same age.

Congrats!

Advice needed happy chooks or others: it is getting down to 3 degrees Fahrenheit tonight here in Missouri. We had to decide to either have heated water in the coop or put in a heat lamp as we only have one outlet. We figured water was more important as they weren't leaving the coop to use the waterer outside. Will I have frozen chickens in the am? Coop is completely enclosed except for 8, 2 inch diameter ventilation holes at the very top. Thoughts?

How old are they? Normally, fully feathered chickens will do fine in the cold, provided there are no drafts. They won't need water until the morning, and an electric tea kettle will quickly defrost the waterers.