Funnybones
Chirping
- Jun 8, 2023
- 7
- 67
- 51
I'm so glad to be here. I know very little. Was a small town girl growing up and a city girl all my adult life until the last year and a half. Now I live in rural southeast KY. I have lots of gardens and grow organic food. This is my first time to own chickens. I had ducks once when I had a pond in Colorado.
I decided to get one year-old layers to start with to break into it a little more easily. I have 3 Marans and 3 Easter eggers (Amercauna??? I really don't know) and another great big red mama. Her name is Bertha of course. They all lay well except for two of the Marans (?). One is a transgender. She thinks she's a rooster (she laid previously) and is the boss of the group. She crows first thing in the morning from a tall roost I made for them outside of the coop. She never lays now. She looks after the other 6 as if she's the rooster. She lets them eat first when I bring grubs and treats. The other one lays tiny eggs - quail size. They are usually all whites (no yolk) with sometimes a little 'nugget' attached. Just weird.
The other Maran lays beautiful brown spotted eggs....until yesterday. I saw her laying in the next box in the coop in the late afternoon and thought I'd fetch the egg in the morning if I didn't get out there in time for them to go to bed. I did go and check, but she was still laying in there when it was time to get them all in for the night. This morning, I went out to turn off the electric fence and let them out, and she wouldn't come out. It took a lot of prodding to get her out and she just kept wanting back in. She wasn't interested in all the routine things they do in the morning. I had some small repairs to make to their 'playground' while they were eating and exploring and I periodically went in the coop to try and get her to move along out. She would not. I got a cage out and fixed it with litter and straw, put it in the shade and built a tarp/tent over it for more privacy. The others are interested in what is going on with her in a cage, but now they can freely go into the coop to lay without her squawking at them, etc. I will leave her in the cage for a couple of days and see how she does. I live in Kentucky, so it gets hot and humid in the summer. I've got water, food, shade, and privacy for her. She has plenty of straw and litter as well. I hope this is all the right stuff to do. I know I worry way too much about these ladies.
I decided to get one year-old layers to start with to break into it a little more easily. I have 3 Marans and 3 Easter eggers (Amercauna??? I really don't know) and another great big red mama. Her name is Bertha of course. They all lay well except for two of the Marans (?). One is a transgender. She thinks she's a rooster (she laid previously) and is the boss of the group. She crows first thing in the morning from a tall roost I made for them outside of the coop. She never lays now. She looks after the other 6 as if she's the rooster. She lets them eat first when I bring grubs and treats. The other one lays tiny eggs - quail size. They are usually all whites (no yolk) with sometimes a little 'nugget' attached. Just weird.
The other Maran lays beautiful brown spotted eggs....until yesterday. I saw her laying in the next box in the coop in the late afternoon and thought I'd fetch the egg in the morning if I didn't get out there in time for them to go to bed. I did go and check, but she was still laying in there when it was time to get them all in for the night. This morning, I went out to turn off the electric fence and let them out, and she wouldn't come out. It took a lot of prodding to get her out and she just kept wanting back in. She wasn't interested in all the routine things they do in the morning. I had some small repairs to make to their 'playground' while they were eating and exploring and I periodically went in the coop to try and get her to move along out. She would not. I got a cage out and fixed it with litter and straw, put it in the shade and built a tarp/tent over it for more privacy. The others are interested in what is going on with her in a cage, but now they can freely go into the coop to lay without her squawking at them, etc. I will leave her in the cage for a couple of days and see how she does. I live in Kentucky, so it gets hot and humid in the summer. I've got water, food, shade, and privacy for her. She has plenty of straw and litter as well. I hope this is all the right stuff to do. I know I worry way too much about these ladies.
to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC!
