How was your winter?

[TheEggCollecter]

Where in mass are you? It's been freezing where I am

Im located on the south coast. Bristol County. Less then an hour from the Cape.

 

[whittychick]

Yes its windy where i live right now. not as windy as the cape though. extremely cold again!  

Spring is almost here! Trying to stay positive! Woke up this am to it being 9 degrees outside

 

[TheEggCollecter]

Ugh i know now we are supposed to get three inches of snow tmmrw! Happy Spring!!

 

[lazy gardener]

Oh I saw maine was suppose to get a lot of snow again

how much did you get?

Which time? I haven't looked at the forecast recently, but it got down to 5* last night. More nasty cold coming Sunday. Hoping that any other snow fall we get will be the kind that just makes things sloppy for a day or 2, but we don't have to pay the plow guy.

 

[whittychick]

Ugh i know now we are supposed to get three inches of snow tmmrw! Happy Spring!!

Yes I saw that

 

[posoh]

I feel for the Mid-Atlantic. You guys have been rolled around, beat up, and dipped in grit this year. It's certainly not the norm for people in my part of the country to feel bad for your winters, given our own. Usually about this time we're telling ourselves that astronomically, spring has to come no matter what. Weird to be ahead of you guys in weather. My auntie in Philly is just about sick of it. There haven't been "normal" winters there for a good 20 years, maybe 1 or 2 good snows at best on avg and done. Seems us moving changed all that. Sorry folks.

 

[TheEggCollecter]

I feel for the Mid-Atlantic. You guys have been rolled around, beat up, and dipped in grit this year. It's certainly not the norm for people in my part of the country to feel bad for your winters, given our own. Usually about this time we're telling ourselves that astronomically, spring has to come no matter what. Weird to be ahead of you guys in weather. My auntie in Philly is just about sick of it. There haven't been "normal" winters there for a good 20 years, maybe 1 or 2 good snows at best on avg and done. Seems us moving changed all that. Sorry folks.

Yeah tell me about it! Each winter gets worse and worse. It's killing me

 

[Jerrbear]

We live in North Idaho, but the winter was very mild. We have 11 hens of various breeds, and all but 4 of them quit laying. We got them all as chicks last May, so they're young, and we're new at this. Will they begin laying again? Is this normal? Is there anything we can do to get them back to work? Thank you all in advance for your help.

 

[TheEggCollecter]

We live in North Idaho, but the winter was very mild.  We have 11 hens of various breeds, and all but 4 of them quit laying.  We got them all as chicks last May, so they're young, and we're new at this.  Will they begin laying again? Is this normal? Is there anything we can do to get them back to work?  Thank you all in advance for your help.

I'm glad you had a mild winter! My flock muscles through a tough winter and they also stopped laying all together with an egg here or there. Recently they have began to start up again. Look for signs of squaring and constant vocalazations like the egg song. A couple of weeks ago I noticed these signs and then they began to lay again. Another thing you can do is feel your hens pelvis bones below the vent. Since they are not laying they are about one or two finger widths apart but as they start to get back in action lol there pelvis bones will widen in able to fit eggs through there pelvis. Once they are three or four finger widths apart you know they are or will soon be laying. Make sure they are getting high protein layer pellets, fresh water, and a source of calcium.

 

[posoh]

I've read that light, by some, is considered a factor in egg production. But living far enough North in WI, most winter days the sun doesn't even reach a zenith. Just sort of rides a low path and disappears. My girls seemed to slow down more in extreme cold bouts. But 20 or so and they were going to town! I'm new, first year, with this after several years of studies. And I am starting to think many things gather to create each of our circumstances. Maybe that sounds too vague or even Zen, but most of what I anticipated from reading has gone out the window. Good luck, follow your gut, and use that good old common sense when in doubt. Maybe I got lucky but it's working for me.