How Many Eggs Did You Get Today?

[gtaus]

BTW, how many hens you have and how many eggs are you getting now?

I normally carry 10 hens over the winter. I get about 4-6 eggs per day in the winter with my hens that are under 2 years old. But that can depend on the weather, a lot, because egg production goes down to about zero if we have an extended period of -20F days, for example.

Also, I don't add any supplemental light to encourage egg laying in the winter. The short daylight hours are a big factor in the decreased egg production where I live. But I'm okay with that.

For me, winter is a time to let the chickens back off on the egg production and just use their energy to stay alive on those really cold days. Although egg production is down right now, we still get more than enough eggs for ourselves and even have excess eggs for sell to a few customers. That is enough to pay for my feed costs.

I have a mix of dual purpose and production hens. In my experience, none of them are good egg layers come their third winter. My current plan is to retire (freezer camp) all my hens after their second winter before their third, unproductive, winter.

I think the biggest benefit I get from my chickens is that they make tons of compost for my raised bed gardens. I have literally saved hundreds and hundreds of dollars using my own chicken run compost instead of buying bags of compost at the big box stores. I tell people that I have composting chickens and get eggs as a bonus.

Here is a picture of my compost processing setup...

 

[SkyAJK]

I call that "blorping out." Especially when they've settled in for the night and are extra puffed out. For some reason I imagine the puffing out making this sound: blorp.

View attachment 4038381

 

[SkyAJK]

guys big news and I don't even know why I'm doing this but

Tilly decided to go broody! She's definitely decided and picked a nest and I think it's fascinating because she picked the FAVORITE nest and *every single one of my ladies is respecting her choice* and while Tilly is not remotely the highest pecking order lady, not a single of of my girls has tried to bully her out of it and I'm so proud of them!

There were 11 eggs yesterday, but 3 I decided Tilly could try and hatch. She was so delighted when I gave her the 2 extra. Little coos and fluffing her feathers and pancaking, the whole 9 yards.

My favorite thing was discovering how much she likes us, because she raptor calls to everyone near her, except me and my husband and lets me pet her and do anything. She coos at me GOSH they sure know how to make you love em right back!

I didn't think she liked me that much but I always spoke super sweet to her, she was our runt. Her name is after the Little Engine That Could - because she had a rough time of it. She also honks, she's our only girl who sounds like a goose and we are just delighted by her in general. She waddles and is silly and is always running last behind everyone. She isn't small anymore though! haha

So she has an egg by Chocolate, Sophia (her Maran sister) and one of the Jersey Giants or Sapphire Gems, it's almost impossible to tell who lays what (of the brown egg layers, except for Jane who lays an oblong egg lol -- oh and Blanche, who has a very distinctive round shaped egg with a slightly diff color of brown, more peach than brown).

Will candle them in a week to see if any are actually developing.

Also caught Dorothy laying yesterday! So that's all 17 girls officially grown up!!

I read dozens of posts about it yesterday, I'm just going to let nature take its course and let Tilly do her thing and see what kind of mama she is. I wrote dates on the eggs (with pencil) and will start the countdown!

Our hen house actually is the perfect place to brood - loads of space and I will not change anything - free ranging, not removing her from the flock, it will be exciting and fun to see how it goes. I'm prepared for the worst and will accept whatever happens. They are livestock, but they also have great instincts, I trust them, so we will see how it goes!

You will enjoy watching your little Tilly does her mother hen thing.

Just be careful though that other chickens might kill her baby. I once had a hen hatched in the nest box in the coop and one of the big hen killed her baby. Since then I always have mother hen brood in a dog carrier and have her in my garage with enclosure around it.

This is a beautiful thing watching mother hen sitting on her eggs, hatching them and caring for her fluffy cuties chicks. The chicks nestled under mother hen is so beautiful.

I love it and love it to the moon with this process of mother hen doing her wonderful work. I love to candle those eggs, gee I candle them every day and every day, sometimes twice a day.

I drag mother hen out to eat and drink before bed time so that she gets 2 a day feed and exercise.

 

[SkyAJK]

3 eggs yesterday.
No broody hen at the moment, Oh Joy!!!!
The pullet still checking out all the nest box.... poor kid, she must be wondering what is going on with me? Non of my older hens are supportive type so this little pullet will go alone in this journey.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

11 eggs so far but as I was gathering eggs after cleaning poop trays, another hen hopped on a nest, so there's probably at least one more out there.

 

[Winderdear]

2 today, from Marzo and Brel

 

[akroberts1085]

3

 

[thistlewick]

9 yesterday!

It was also almost 70 yesterday god it was a nice small break from the freeeeezing temps its been here in NC.

 

[Paz]

Five today.

 

[Paz]

Correct except one difference between the chickens and the ducks I noticed that the chickens destroyed plantains, but the duck do not and for several years the duck pen was completely full of broadleaf plantain until I added chickens, then it was straight up dirt zero green. now I have separated the chickens out from the ducks and hope the plantains will come back to Green up the duck land

Mine used to love it too, when the cock was alive