We knew it was getting to be time, but hadn't really seen any "signs" The chickens are all free range, well, they were until yesterday when they came under a Husky attack. This morning I didn't get them out of the big pen to range. These past 2 weeks my Roo's have started to get frisky with the girls now.. driving me crazy! Anyhow, today one hen got in a nesting box and made herself comfy. The rooster got in first and fixed things up. Kinda "nested" the bedding. I'm going to keep them in the pen for a week or so to see if they are laying, and if so we're going to go ahead and build a 50' X 50' SQ run for them. They aren't interested in hopping a fence and they're really too fat at this point so I think that much room is good for only 14 chickens.
The strangest thing today was that I tossed one of the Roo's back in the henhouse so I could put the pen back up against it, and he started yapping clucking and stuff. When I opened the door, he didn't come out, but the hens went back in like Robots! Really weird! As if they were answering his call? Is that what they were doing?? Will the Roo's only start to get lovey dovey (actually butally lovey dovey of course) if the hens are laying?
I don't really feel like going on a egg hunt into the weeds and woods behind my house, too much space to cover. Does this seem like egg laying behavior to any of you? They are 17 weeks old today.
The strangest thing today was that I tossed one of the Roo's back in the henhouse so I could put the pen back up against it, and he started yapping clucking and stuff. When I opened the door, he didn't come out, but the hens went back in like Robots! Really weird! As if they were answering his call? Is that what they were doing?? Will the Roo's only start to get lovey dovey (actually butally lovey dovey of course) if the hens are laying?
I don't really feel like going on a egg hunt into the weeds and woods behind my house, too much space to cover. Does this seem like egg laying behavior to any of you? They are 17 weeks old today.