Hamburg thread!

[UrbanEnthusiast]

Anyone had any luck getting their SSH hens to lay in nest boxes even while free ranging? Please share your methods!

 

[Alaskan]

I don't free range.... Sorry, no help

 

[Alaskan]

Oh, golf balls or other fake eggs in nest boxes always help. My grandmother (no hamburgs though) would keep everyone locked in the run until lunch, and only after lunch let them out to free range.

 

[UrbanEnthusiast]

Oh, but morning is when they are the most active and anxious to be free, also when they do their best foraging! I find that most chickens don't lay until early afternoon anyway. I've already got the fake eggs thing going.

 

[Alaskan]

Well... I guess that you could call them in with treats in the afternoon and lock them up then?

 

[chicksurreal]

Anyone had any luck getting their SSH hens to lay in nest boxes even while free ranging? Please share your methods!

My SSH's are around 3 years old now, so maybe they are settling down a bit. They used to lay in the woods, down in the creek under a fallen log, in dead trees, in the woodpile, under brush...pretty much in the most inconvenient places. I'd have to try to secretly spy on them to see where they were laying because once they knew that you'd found their newest laying spot they would immediately find a new one. They would throw a fit to get out in the mornings (which they still do) and refused to lay until they were free to do it anywhere they pleased.

This year, however, they have started laying in their coop and in their nesting boxes that are underneath the coop. I try to make the nesting boxes attractive to them, fresh wood shavings every week and all that. About half of them lay in the nesting boxes now and the other half lay in the coop. I still get a Hamburg egg on the porch every now and then just to remind me that they can lay wherever they choose, little sillies. They are still my favorite breed.

 

[angelikimarie]

Anyone have Hamburg hatching eggs?? PM me please

 

[jsnhkstr]

Looking for some ss Hamburg eggs as well. What do the hatchery birds look like?

 

[Alaskan]

The hatchery birds that I have gotten were pretty decent...might be easier going that route.

 

[yoopergirl1211]

Hi! I have been searching this site high and low trying to figure out what breed my new bantams are. I'm relatively new to chickens and only had standard birds till this weekend. I think I finally figured it out! I have two girls I believe are silver spangled Hamburgs. But I also have a white hen and a frizzle roo and I'm not sure if they are Hamburg's as well? Can you even have frizzle Hamburgs?

The white one has black in her tail. They are all around 6 months. Hopefully I'm done looking any thoughts?