Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[taprock]

I am a bit overwhelmed today. Last fall I interviewed for a job as the Youth Librarian at our local library. I was not surprised when I didn't get the job because they wanted someone with a degree in child development, which I do not have. Today they called and offered me the position because the person they hired decided they would be better suited in the local school system. They also liked the idea I mentioned, Beaks for Books, using chickens to promote reading like they use dogs in Paws for Reading. This is a good thing since I haven't been working for two years, but means a bit of reorganizing as we homeschool. Good thing just overwhelming since they would like me to be trained the end of this week. I think I will go hold a chicken and try to organize my brain.

 

[ladyrsanti]

Congrats!

 

[gladahmae]

WOW! Exciting about the job!


I'm having trouble with my hens I think laying while on the roosting bars. Every day for about a week I've been finding eggs broken on the floor of the coop, or frozen and cracked on the floor of the coop. I usually don't check for eggs until 2pm or later since most of them don't lay until after lunchtime as far as I know. Looks like I'm wrong with that thinking though! Do you think that they are laying them early in the morning, and just aren't getting off the roosts to lay? Do I need the lights to come on in the morning for this??? Today's egg count would have been 4, but 2 were cracked and frozen, one broke while I was washing it (really thin shell) and the other went in the fridge unscathed.

 

[BobBry]

Girls are the same all over, aren't they, Opa?

I can not believe that Sam has ever had that problem.

WOW! Exciting about the job! ditto


I'm having trouble with my hens I think laying while on the roosting bars. Every day for about a week I've been finding eggs broken on the floor of the coop, or frozen and cracked on the floor of the coop. I usually don't check for eggs until 2pm or later since most of them don't lay until after lunchtime as far as I know. Looks like I'm wrong with that thinking though! Do you think that they are laying them early in the morning, and just aren't getting off the roosts to lay? Do I need the lights to come on in the morning for this??? Today's egg count would have been 4, but 2 were cracked and frozen, one broke while I was washing it (really thin shell) and the other went in the fridge unscathed.

I can never tell who is laying what, where or when. Except the new (relatively) Welly pullets that have the terracotta shell color. However were getting three to five eggs almost daily now. Long time no eggs at all.

 

[1muttsfan]

Glad, your hens may be having trouble holding the egg through the long night. A light coming on a few hours before dawn will probably help. Laying hens lay one egg in a little over a day - about every 27 hours - but will not lay during the night (usually), so have to hold the egg until they can get into the nest box the next morning.

 

[gladahmae]

Glad, your hens may be having trouble holding the egg through the long night. A light coming on a few hours before dawn will probably help. Laying hens lay one egg in a little over a day - about every 27 hours - but will not lay during the night (usually), so have to hold the egg until they can get into the nest box the next morning.

OK. I'll have my husband re-program the timer tonight so that it comes on in the morning as well as in the evening.

My poor little polish girl is almost completely bald now. Poor thing. I'm completely at a loss as to what to do about it. Both she and my houdan are getting all of their crest feathers plucked out, leaving their poor heads with bloody feather shafts poking up. I'm guessing I'll have to separate them if I want their cute little puff-ball crests to grow back?

 

[Opa]

Opa- Where are you fishing? We like Chemung for Pike. I sure would like to hit the river this spring!

On Wednesday I'm hoping to fish the Grand between the north and south Lansing dams for both steelhead and walleye. On Thursday I'll probably fish the Huron below Flatrock for steelhead.

 

[1muttsfan]

It is best to add light in the morning and not at night, as that allows the birds a normal twilight and gives them a chance to settle on their roosts while they can still see. To achieve 14 hours of light a day this time of year, which should optimize egg laying, the light should come on around 2 1/2 hours before sunrise, or around 4 am. That time gets later as the weeks go by - right now we are gaining about 3 minutes of light a day.

 

[RaZ]

My ISAs laid from the roost in early December but stopped after a few days. I did use a morning light then.

Today the hens laid eggs in 3 different places, including smack dab in the middle of the coop. I wish my BLA would start laying again. She quit when the last duck flew south. I think she is missing her friends.

 

[gladahmae]

I'm also thinking I have some new layers, so maybe they need help figuring out WHERE to lay.