Montana

[Adalida]

What a darling little egg!! It looks totally round, is it oval?

 

[Granny368W]

What a darling little egg!! It looks totally round, is it oval?

Yes, it is oval...just so tiny... Rae

 

[Granny368W]

I have been having a problem since the weather turned so cold....I put the red light in so they could have some heat and since I turned it off, they are not making it back in when it is dark, the automatic door closes and only 2 made it in and 12 still in the run...So we have to open the door and put them in.....I'm not too sure how to fix this problem.... Rae

 

[Adalida]

It took my chickens three weeks to learn to go inside their house at night. I had to pick them up one at a time and put them inside every evening. Now they've learned to be inside as soon as it gets dark. The ducks were trained in two days- they saw me coming and filed inside by the second evening. But the chickens took a bit longer to learn the routine. They also seemed to like their house better once we put a window in.

 

[Granny368W]

It took my chickens three weeks to learn to go inside their house at night. I had to pick them up one at a time and put them inside every evening. Now they've learned to be inside as soon as it gets dark. The ducks were trained in two days- they saw me coming and filed inside by the second evening. But the chickens took a bit longer to learn the routine. They also seemed to like their house better once we put a window in.

Well ours have been going into their hen house every night for months...it's just been since it has been winter...like it's dark all day long...Rae

 

[Adalida]

We finally got more than a dusting of snow- we've got four inches now. I let the chickens out to see what they thought of it, since this is their first winter. The white Orpingtons plowed determinedly through it, and went under the porch (about twenty yards away) to take dirt baths. One of the Reds followed them and the other Red flew as far as she could towards the porch, squawking loudly every time she landed. The two Buff orpingtons stood in the doorway of the chicken house until I gave them a ride to the porch, then they started scratching happily. It's funny how different chickens have different tolerances for the snow. I had to carry the Buffs back to their house in the evening, they would not cross the snow even though they clearly wanted to go home. The Reds crossed it but protested the whole time, and the whites didn't care at all.

 

[3littlechicken]

I need help lol, so I have 11 hens and one roo, I had been getting eggs galore but all the sudden boom non, since the days started getting shorter I put a light on during night so the would continue laying, this worked last winter but they just won't lay now, they get fresh food and water everyday and lots of scratch in the mornings they also have unlimited supply of oyster shells haha, any ideas? The coop is heated

 

[Adalida]

3littlechicken, I'll be following responses to your post with interest because my six girls haven't laid an egg since before Thanksgiving! Mine have the same diet as yours, as well as lots of scraps of fruits and veggies daily. I did read a post on here where a lady said she sprinkled cayenne pepper on her chickens' food and that would make them start laying again. I haven't tried it though.

 

[wamtazlady]

Hens are more apt to lay during their first winter. Starting with their second winter they are more affected by the season. If you see more feathers than usual in and around the coop, then your girls are molting as is common this time of the year. You say you have a light in the coop. If this is on all night then it could be causing stress to the birds as they will not know when to sleep. The scratch you are feeding should make up no more than 10 percent of their diet. It's a treat only. They should be mostly getting layer pellets or All Flock with supplemental oyster shells. If your hens are molting then a feed such as Feather Fixer might help the hens get through most faster. Other factors affect laying. My girls had slowed down to one egg a day. The ddy. neighbor went came over to my house to help solve the problem with the house sitter. They decided the girls were unhappy with their run turning muddy. Sand and pine shaving solved that problem and they are back to laying 6 eggs a dat.

 

[wamtazlady]

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