Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[featherhead007]

Good grief those dinosaurs of mine eat a lot. It seems like the longer days has triggered them all to start laying (I wish they wouldn't all lay every day), but also to eat like pigs. I swear they are going through a bag of the commercial chicken food at twice the rate.
I need to start noting the date when I start a bag of feed so I can log it accurately, but I am pretty sure they are eating at close to twice the rate they were in the winter.
I did switch from pellets to crumbles so I wonder if that is it (though I did that because I thought they might eat crumbles more slowly!).
And it definitely isn't mice as it is in a sealed canister in the coop and no mice have been spotted on the coop cams for a long while now.

Two words... Subway Sandwiches

 

[featherhead007]

View attachment 2569842

OR,

 

[Cynthia12]

Good grief those dinosaurs of mine eat a lot. It seems like the longer days has triggered them all to start laying (I wish they wouldn't all lay every day), but also to eat like pigs. I swear they are going through a bag of the commercial chicken food at twice the rate.
I need to start noting the date when I start a bag of feed so I can log it accurately, but I am pretty sure they are eating at close to twice the rate they were in the winter.
I did switch from pellets to crumbles so I wonder if that is it (though I did that because I thought they might eat crumbles more slowly!).
And it definitely isn't mice as it is in a sealed canister in the coop and no mice have been spotted on the coop cams for a long while now.

Mine are laying more too. One girl in particular has started laying more often. Oh, and I find they eat pellets less quickly. Plus, less waste because they can pick up what falls to the ground. Crumbles tend to work into the ground. Hope that makes sense.

 

[Cynthia12]

OR, View attachment 2569891

They're big! And beautiful!

 

[featherhead007]

They're big! And beautiful!

Only three weeks old today

 

[BY Bob]

Very odd-shaped egg today. Don't know who laid it, it looks worrisome! One end is formed like a tail. The other end seemed to have a weak shell. It didn't hold up to being moved around and gathered like they do when they lay, or maybe it was stepped on. Looked like there was a yolk and whites in there. There've been a few thin rubbery weak-shelled eggs, then everything is fine for awhile. This is their first laying season, first egg was early January. This is definitely something weird. A bad sign?
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I've also been watching for egg-eating on purpose since I found one or two strong-shelled eggs that looked poked, a hole in an otherwise fine shell, and I caught Popcorn with a yolky beak a couple of weeks ago. She came up to the nestbox to visit while I was inspecting a broken egg and dipped her beak in there to eat some more! I've been trying to gather them as soon as laid, which is near-impossible when the ladies get in there as soon as one leaves. Is it okay to reach under a hen while she is on the nest to gather eggs? I try to leave them their privacy. Today there were two hens, one at each end for a time. I haven't been able to really track who is laying what yet. This doesn't look like what I think Queenie lays, which is a smaller browner egg, so I think it is one of the Buckeyes.

Yes, talking about you, ladies!
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One if the reasons I put the ceramic eggs in the nest is because they won't break when pecked. They say that will deter them from pecking eggs. It is a cheap solution to this problem if it is so. I can't say if they work because I have always had them. I also have not had egg eaters. Of course, if the egg breaks, all bets are off.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Thanks. I will definitely consider that. Her fluff isn't too bad just not perfect for FBF portraits. So I was hoping to get away without a full on bath. I might be able to crumble it off with my fingers. Sorry, I know that sounds a bit icky.

I consider this stuff essential for me or anyone to learn about, so ick away! Well, I suppose if very gross use a spoiler.....If it doesn't break the feather, crumbling could work. I let it go too long, they had some cemented poo that had to be soaked and gently worked down, two had them close to the skin and there was no way I could do that without soaking or even safely cut them off.

 

[BY Bob]

Good grief those dinosaurs of mine eat a lot. It seems like the longer days has triggered them all to start laying (I wish they wouldn't all lay every day), but also to eat like pigs. I swear they are going through a bag of the commercial chicken food at twice the rate.
I need to start noting the date when I start a bag of feed so I can log it accurately, but I am pretty sure they are eating at close to twice the rate they were in the winter.
I did switch from pellets to crumbles so I wonder if that is it (though I did that because I thought they might eat crumbles more slowly!).
And it definitely isn't mice as it is in a sealed canister in the coop and no mice have been spotted on the coop cams for a long while now.

Mine are blazing through feed right now as well. Ironically I did just switch to pellets............

 

[ChicoryBlue]

One if the reasons I put the ceramic eggs in the nest is because they won't break when pecked. They say that will deter them from pecking eggs. It is a cheap solution to this problem if it is so. I can't say if they work because I have always had them. I also have not had egg eaters. Of course, if the egg breaks, all bets are off.

I have two ceramic eggs already in there. I think I have a third I'm not using. It had actually crossed my mind maybe the ceramic eggs were teaching them they could be rough without breaking them. Chicken brains don't work that way though do they? Is how to handle eggs instinctive or learned? I have seen Popcorn test-pecking a ceramic egg. Adding a third would increase the chances she'll get a fake one.

 

[Cynthia12]

Photo of me being ignored. ... Leave me alone, I'm busy! All girls laid today, that green you see at the bottom of the nest box is carpet. Some hens stand up high when it's time to drop the egg. So when they've dug around and made a bare spot in the middle of the nest box, the eggs have a soft landing when they hit. Can you see the fake egg? They look so real.