Meyer Hatchery Chicken pics anyone??

[COChix]

Another good egg day! So exciting. 3 of 3 laying girls' eggs! And a few golf balls lol.

Nice eggs and golf balls, lol. I stil keep golfballs or fake eggs in the nest boxes even though all of ours are laying now. Figured it can't hurt!

 

[KatD]

So its been six months. What are your four surprises?

 

[rnchick74]

Still no eggs from anyone, though the activity in the run is quite frantic. No one is lethargic or acting egg bound...I'm checking my "squatters" daily & I think I feel eggs down there, just nothing imminently heading out! They are all eating, drinking, moving, and quite active!

The girls who are squatting are quite uneasy - chattering, can't get comfy, swarming around me like I can help!

JUST LAY THE DARN EGGS ALREADY!!!

 

[autumnhearth]

Still no eggs from anyone, though the activity in the run is quite frantic. No one is lethargic or acting egg bound...I'm checking my "squatters" daily & I think I feel eggs down there, just nothing imminently heading out! They are all eating, drinking, moving, and quite active! 

The girls who are squatting are quite uneasy - chattering, can't get comfy, swarming around me like I can help! 

JUST LAY THE DARN EGGS ALREADY!!!

While most people probably prefer to take the hands off approach and perhaps that's less crazy, I would recommend sitting down in their coop cross legged and let them sit in your lap. It may take an hour or so, so bundle up, bring your phone and let the small human help if he wants. If nothing happens in a few hours or tomorrow (your call) you may consider soaking their bottoms inside. I would only focus on the other girls at this time though. And make sure your first aid kit includes latex gloves and ky jelly Our first two layers were very anxious and Clara especially wanted to bury herself in my lap. She didn't like the nest boxes and eventually made we own nest in the corner of the coop. But when it started getting really cold two weeks ago she resigned herself to laying in a nest box like everyone else.

 

[NotableNancy]

Still no eggs from anyone, though the activity in the run is quite frantic. No one is lethargic or acting egg bound...I'm checking my "squatters" daily & I think I feel eggs down there, just nothing imminently heading out! They are all eating, drinking, moving, and quite active!

The girls who are squatting are quite uneasy - chattering, can't get comfy, swarming around me like I can help!

JUST LAY THE DARN EGGS ALREADY!!!

So frustrating.... but hang in there. First time layers sometimes pace a lot. Mine go into the coop and pace in front of the nests and look up then head out to the run and pace in the corners always looking up. I don't know why they look up but mine do. I'm the hands off approach and just let it be. They'll lay when they are ready. They can't cross their legs and hold it in LOL. But sometimes if they are pacing outside I will put them in the coop so they get the hint.
Do you have golf balls or fake eggs in the nest? Maybe that will give them the right idea?

Can't wait to see a pic of your first eggs.

 

[NotableNancy]

So its been six months. What are your four surprises?

was this for another thread or did I miss something?

 

[rnchick74]

While most people probably prefer to take the hands off approach and perhaps that's less crazy, I would recommend sitting down in their coop cross legged and let them sit in your lap. It may take an hour or so, so bundle up, bring your phone and let the small human help if he wants. If nothing happens in a few hours or tomorrow (your call) you may consider soaking their bottoms inside. I would only focus on the other girls at this time though. And make sure your first aid kit includes latex gloves and ky jelly

Our first two layers were very anxious and Clara especially wanted to bury herself in my lap. She didn't like the nest boxes and eventually made we own nest in the corner of the coop. But when it started getting really cold two weeks ago she resigned herself to laying in a nest box like everyone else.

i'm all for being crazy with the chickens & I do spend a lot of time with them, but it's FREEZING out there! No way am I sitting on the frozen ground any longer than I have too!!!

I think I'm going to be a little more hands off in this one, unless someone is in obvious distress...

 

[rnchick74]

So frustrating.... but hang in there. First time layers sometimes pace a lot. Mine go into the coop and pace in front of the nests and look up then head out to the run and pace in the corners always looking up. I don't know why they look up but mine do. I'm the hands off approach and just let it be. They'll lay when they are ready. They can't cross their legs and hold it in LOL. But sometimes if they are pacing outside I will put them in the coop so they get the hint.
Do you have golf balls or fake eggs in the nest? Maybe that will give them the right idea?

Can't wait to see a pic of your first eggs.

Yes, there are golf balls out there. Used/consignment sporting good stores usually have a bucket of balls for cheap instead of having to buy a box - 25 cents a piece!

This evening, everyone is more calm...

 

[autumnhearth]

i'm all for being crazy with the chickens & I do spend a lot of time with them, but it's FREEZING out there! No way am I sitting on the frozen ground any longer than I have too!!!

I think I'm going to be a little more hands off in this one, unless someone is in obvious distress...

Totally understand. It was more mild here, mid-high 40s and sunny, plus our coop is easy to sit in. Of course I sometimes think a hands on approach may draw things out longer. When I got home a little after 3, Victoria was in the nest box and I went to hang out with the girls, well they all gathered in the coop and Victoria didn't like this interruption of privacy one bit, even though she was the one to sit in the coop while the other girls laid their first eggs. So I led the others out to free range, only Victoria wanted to come too, despite the fact she obviously had to lay. She finally laid her egg at 4 but on the bright side I think that extra time helped tint her egg, they have been quite white so far, though we were expecting cream. Hope you get egg(s) tomorrow!

So frustrating.... but hang in there. First time layers sometimes pace a lot. Mine go into the coop and pace in front of the nests and look up then head out to the run and pace in the corners always looking up. I don't know why they look up but mine do. I'm the hands off approach and just let it be. They'll lay when they are ready. They can't cross their legs and hold it in LOL. But sometimes if they are pacing outside I will put them in the coop so they get the hint.

A few of our girls did the looking up thing, Clara definitely seemed to want to jump up by the vents opposite the roost, though there was nothing to land on. And Amelia jumped up on the top of the coop the morning before she laid her first egg, lol!

 

[jtn42248]

So frustrating.... but hang in there. First time layers sometimes pace a lot. Mine go into the coop and pace in front of the nests and look up then head out to the run and pace in the corners always looking up. I don't know why they look up but mine do. I'm the hands off approach and just let it be. They'll lay when they are ready. They can't cross their legs and hold it in LOL. But sometimes if they are pacing outside I will put them in the coop so they get the hint.
Do you have golf balls or fake eggs in the nest? Maybe that will give them the right idea?

Can't wait to see a pic of your first eggs.

Maybe they are looking up waiting for the Stork to make a delivery.

Whatever the case, patient perserverance is the only way to wait for eggs. It is a long and drawn out process with long days and warm weather. This time of year just slows down everything. Mine have gone from 22 eggs a day to less than 10 but they deserve the time off after their spring and summer output.