Minnesota!

[holm25]

Aleza I think its normal for pullets to lay eggs with blood on them. I think they probably pecked the eggs. I am sure they are still confused as to was is going on and have to peck the odd thing that just came out of them lol.

 

[MinnesotaNice]

Hello this is Jason I just like to ask a couple of questions if I could
I have an 8 by 8 coop with an 8 by 27 foot run
How many chickens would I be able to have?
Do you guys feed and water in the coop or do you feed and water in the Run?
How close do chickens tend to roost together comm, half of mine sleep on the roost half on top of their Hutch

Will they free range at all or is the coop/run their daily home? I would think a dozen or so would be okay. It's really up to you. I keep feed in the coop - I have PVC feeders. I keep water in the coop year round and add another fount in the run during the summer. We have a pond and there's always a pool going for the ducks, so that's the watering hole when everyone is free ranging all summer. My chickens all roost rather closely together. You'll begin to notice a pecking order at night. Some will be closer than others.

 

[MinnesotaNice]

Ok.. im back. I think I'm done with being chickenless. And going to the wabasha swap April 1. That being said who is going to have what for fluffy butts this year?

What happened to your chickens?

 

[lilmynx13]

What happened to your chickens?

A bad predator run had neighbors taking down buildings and another that might as well have a junk yard.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Minnie your Welsummer Patsy up here in my flock had a large egg for her first egg. Poor dear. They are not pullet sized at all.

I am not surprised. My Wellies often have good sized eggs right from the start! They look so pretty! Is that hers in the back? And a New Hampshire egg with them? My NHs are often on the darker side of brown, though not as dark as Wellies. Lovely blue eggs too! What color is the EE laying, is one of them hers? I have one really dark olive layer out here. I am hoping to make a few more this year

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I am not surprised.  My Wellies often have good sized eggs right from the start!  They look so pretty!  Is that hers in the back?  And a New Hampshire egg with them?  My NHs are often on the darker side of brown, though not as dark as Wellies.  Lovely blue eggs too!  What color is the EE laying, is one of them hers?  I have one really dark olive layer out here.  I am hoping to make a few more this year

Yes her dark copper egg is in the back there. Just gorgeous egg. She had a good sized blood streak on that first egg. The lighter one is from Lucy the BLRW- now a 3 year old- an egg every other day like clock work since February.

The olive and blue eggs are Ameraucanas from Jerryse. He has a cabin right by my house as luck would have it.

About three weeks ago I lost our precious June Carter. The black EE. She was a doll and I'm not sure what got to her. She was slow to recover from her egg hatch Shannon had said and she was a bit behind everybody foraging though she did well over all. Maybe just a weaker immune system and got something? Not sure. She was so sweet though. Oh my gosh that bird.

 

[AlezaJ]

It could be that in their scratching around in the nest box that they crack them.  It happens here once in a while.  It isn't unusual to see some blood on the eggs at first, their vent needs to stretch and for some that means some irritation.  My Welsummers and Buckeyes sometimes start out with some pretty good sized pullet eggs and if I didn't know better would think they are from full grown hens.

Do the blood streaks happen every spring or just the very first eggs they ever lay? I'm pretty sure it's my big red ranger. The first 3 eggs were cracked the next 2 were not. She's laid 1/day since she started; all tan with white speckles, except today it has a pinkish hue with no speckles. Maybe a different hen and the first one took a day off? Or does egg color change slightly when they first start?

Im getting some buckeye chicks(and a few other breeds) in a couple weeks from Fleet.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Do the blood streaks happen every spring or just the very first eggs they ever lay? I'm pretty sure it's my big red ranger. The first 3 eggs were cracked the next 2 were not. She's laid 1/day since she started; all tan with white speckles, except today it has a pinkish hue with no speckles. Maybe a different hen and the first one took a day off? Or does egg color change slightly when they first start?

Im getting some buckeye chicks(and a few other breeds) in a couple weeks from Fleet.

Usually when they come back into lay or when they first start as pullets you see some blood streaks, but you can see them now and then if their vents are dry or they have some other irritaion going on. I have a bantam hen who get her vent pecked at as a pullet and she often has blood on her eggs, but she keeps going.

 

[Momof3plustwins]

AlezaJ I just saw we are fairly close to each other! We drive through Bagley multiple times a year.

 

[The BlanchRanch]

Hey guys. Haven't been around for a while. But I have a question. Anyone know where I can get Silkie hens?