Icelandic Chickens

[Mahonri]

Only got one Icelandic egg today.. but today is two weeks since Drekki Jr went to Heber so I hope it's still fertile.
I have had a light for many years in my coop that goes on YEAR ROUND at 6AM and goes off at 8PM. Works for me.

 

[janelle18]

We set up lights about a month ago, once the days started getting shorter. Some of the chickens still go to roost, but will come down and go back up... I find they are getting more used to it now and staying down longer. The lights go on a 6am i think... until 9pm.

I got 2 icelandic eggs today! I usually get 2 every other day, so still waiting on one the the hens to start laying

 

[lmatvey]

I kept worrying about the low number of eggs last year, until I realized that there was not too much daylight left.

I set up lights and an timer for them.

Thank you ron! I do have light and a insulated coop that is HUGE! (my hubby loves me) But I also have a greed problem stemming from only having four hens, and one of them went broodie on the 30th of october. However, today I discovered that Mrs Broodie (named lucy) has been donated to. As in she is sitting on at least 10+ eggs. I live in the bitter cold north (we just had a hail storm with pea sized hail before I wrote this) and have some concerns about her caring for the young. Any Ideas? Anyone?
I have a heat lamp (240 watts) going nearby but I want to put her nest box on the ground, however the floor is dirt. Will that gum up the works?

 

[Jake Levi]

Put the hen into warm brooder.

 

[lmatvey]

Great Idea! Thank you.

 

[kimmie6067]

We set up lights about a month ago, once the days started getting shorter. Some of the chickens still go to roost, but will come down and go back up... I find they are getting more used to it now and staying down longer. The lights go on a 6am i think... until 9pm.

I got 2 icelandic eggs today! I usually get 2 every other day, so still waiting on one the the hens to start laying

What do you use to turn the lights on and off?

Kimmie

 

[Mahonri]

you can buy "timers" at Home Depot or Lowes... People put them in their homes to make it look like people are there... turning the lights on in the early AM and off at night.

 

[kimmie6067]

Oh just a regular timer, ok thanks

 

[janelle18]

Oh just a regular timer, ok thanks

Yup just a timer, The other morning they were crowing at 5 am so my dad had to adjust it again. The one room where we have a mix of breed didn't have a light on it, and we were only getting one eggs every other day, even though there are 4 hens in there. We hooked up a light in there so it will be interesting if that propels the other girls to get laying.




ALSO!!! I mentioned a while ago that i had one bird, that looked like a roo but i thought it might be a hen because of it's small size and small comb... ANYWAYS yesterday i saw one of our roosters breeding said 'mystery' gendered chicken... Do roosters ever get 'confused'?

 

[Hangtown Farms]

so my icelandic rooster was reduced to a pile of feathers and a beak.
I am sure he died protecting his girls. I have a huge chicken compound made of chain link fence.
My feeling is a hawk got him.. to bad the rest of the chickens had to see it.
I do hope it makes them more alert.