Lady in Texas with many questions??

[lindasuelopez]

I inherited chickens--geese--turkeys?
A friend was getting divorced and I got all the birds--I have a small horse & cattle ranch in Alvin TX! Started off with 18 hens & 1 rooster--1 turkey--4 geese!
The geese are scaring everyone @ my house--I love them--they are staying--my family hates them!
The turkey--I thought was lonely--so I bought him a girlfriend a younger female--he hates her--wants nothing to do with her--he has taken up with a chicken and they are boyfriend & girlfriend!
The chickens were doing great--18 hens & 1 rooster--then one day--4 come up missing--next day 4 come up missing--next day 2 more--so we closed in one of the stalls of my horse barn and they are now safe!
Bought 6 more hens (Sex-links). I now have 6 Sex-Links, 3 Black Australorps, 1 Dominique, 4 Leghorns, 2 roosters (not sure what they are-1 is beautiful multi red colors & the other is mostly white, with black & brown streaks.
When we moved them into the horse stall they pretty much quit laying eggs--the 6 new ones are not laying age yet? I was told?
I have been talking to people to make sure I'm doing the right thing in caring for them--they all seem healthy--they have a maze of perches and plenty of nesting boxes--they get in them all the time--but never lay in them. I feed them daily & change the water daily--I play with them--they let me hold them--except one of the roosters!!! Chicken coop expansion is no in process--closing in the horse run--sides & top so they have dirt & grass to play in.
Why did they quit laying? Will they start again? Went from 14-15 eggs per day--to 1 maybe 2 eggs per day??
Can anyone recommend a good book of information? I just am doing the best I can & hope to do better with additional information!!!
I also want to get more chickens--which are the best layers? Other than ordering from a catalog, where else can I get chickens? The last 6 I got came from a feed store and I would like other options, other breeds?
HELP?

 

[dreamcatcherarabians]

I inherited chickens--geese--turkeys?
A friend was getting divorced and I got all the birds--I have a small horse & cattle ranch in Alvin TX! Started off with 18 hens & 1 rooster--1 turkey--4 geese!
The geese are scaring everyone @ my house--I love them--they are staying--my family hates them!
The turkey--I thought was lonely--so I bought him a girlfriend a younger female--he hates her--wants nothing to do with her--he has taken up with a chicken and they are boyfriend & girlfriend!
The chickens were doing great--18 hens & 1 rooster--then one day--4 come up missing--next day 4 come up missing--next day 2 more--so we closed in one of the stalls of my horse barn and they are now safe!
Bought 6 more hens (Sex-links). I now have 6 Sex-Links, 3 Black Australorps, 1 Dominique, 4 Leghorns, 2 roosters (not sure what they are-1 is beautiful multi red colors & the other is mostly white, with black & brown streaks.
When we moved them into the horse stall they pretty much quit laying eggs--the 6 new ones are not laying age yet? I was told?
I have been talking to people to make sure I'm doing the right thing in caring for them--they all seem healthy--they have a maze of perches and plenty of nesting boxes--they get in them all the time--but never lay in them. I feed them daily & change the water daily--I play with them--they let me hold them--except one of the roosters!!! Chicken coop expansion is no in process--closing in the horse run--sides & top so they have dirt & grass to play in.
Why did they quit laying? Will they start again? Went from 14-15 eggs per day--to 1 maybe 2 eggs per day??
Can anyone recommend a good book of information? I just am doing the best I can & hope to do better with additional information!!!
I also want to get more chickens--which are the best layers? Other than ordering from a catalog, where else can I get chickens? The last 6 I got came from a feed store and I would like other options, other breeds?
HELP?

Are your birds under lights in the barn? If not, if you get a light bulb in there with them, bright enough to see a newpaper by but not necessarily bright enough to really read well by, then they will probably start laying again for you. Might take a couple of weeks. I forgot to light up in my coop and we dropped production before I noticed and it's been about 2 weeks since I hooked up the light and we're just now increasing the laying. Some say put the light on in the morning, I put mine on in the evening, from 4:30 - 9:30 pm. It seems to work.

For the very best egg laying, I like my Easter Eggers or Ameracaunas but I also like to keep a mixed flock just for variety's sake, which it sounds like you have aplenty! LOL! I have Wyandotts, Welsummers, EE's, Cochins (for eye candy only, they are not good layers), a couple of buff orpingtons and 1 Seabright who also isn't the most prolific layer but is the only survivor from my first flock of hens. I've also had Polish, again fun to look at not all that productive. I'd like to get some other varieties but I've got 29 birds now, it's enough! I order what I want from a hatchery and have been pretty satisfied, though they are not show quality birds, I'm not really into that aspect anyhow.

Hope this helps some!



Here's a typical day's gather of eggs:

 

[lindasuelopez]

Thank you so much for the information! I will install a light first thing tomo! Wish me luck!!
Your pictures are really nice--nice hens and that rooster is handsome!
That sure is lots of eggs for one days haul! WOW
Again thanks--information is greatly appreciated!