Montana

[DuginMT]

Here is a pic of yesterday's production. The first EE that laid lays a light blue egg, while the other one that laid her first egg yesterday lays a light green egg (on the left). So happy with the birds! Today, I installed the supplemental lighting system in the coop, consisting of a 60W equivalent (13 W actual) fluorescent light bulb on a timer, that will come on between 5:00 AM and 6:30 AM, to be further adjusted as the days get shorter. I probably don't need it this time of year but it is installed nonetheless. When it gets colder I will replace the bulb with a 40W or 60W incandescent that will come on in the cold, and also add some heat. My eggs only average 1.4 OZ currently so are slightly smaller than a "small" egg. They are getting bigger though. Have a great week!

Doug

 

[breezy]

Ok thanks anyway.

 

[montanachicks]

Ok thanks anyway.

What do you need to know about the area? I know a couple people who live out in that area.

 

[DuginMT]

Karlamaria, Rookiefarmer, and Royal T, are you guys still out there?

 

[DuginMT]

Got 10 eggs by 3:30 today - a new record! I suspect all 12 of my young pullets are now laying - some skip a day now and then. Originally I hoped to be getting 8-10 eggs per day by this fall. These girls are exceeding my expectations. You all are right, the wait for the first egg seems like forever, and they you start getting more eggs than you can eat! My eggs are only about 1.5 oz now, so instead of eating three eggs for breakfast, I just eat five or six! Also, it seems like every 10th egg or so is a double-yolker, which is a nice surprise. Feeling kind of alone on this thread for the past few days - miss you guys!

Doug

 

[montanachicks]

Doug: congratulations on all the eggs! The anticipation never gets old! I always look forward to coming home from work each day to see how many eggs I got. Monday I got 26, yesterday was 23. Not too bad, out of the 30 hens I have -- one of which I know won't be laying for awhile until her chick is grown enough to take care of itself, then she will quit the "mama" mentality and get back to business. It's been my experience with my hens that in the beginning, you get a lot of double yolkers, but eventually that turns into a once in awhile happening.

I was going to mention to you about the lighting you put in -- for your supplemental lighting, did you say you installed a fluorescent light? -- because if it is that (the kind you would have in your house), I have been told that fluorescent lights don't give them the "right" kind of light that they need. Just a regular 40 watt is the best thing to use -- and when I went to Big R to buy a bulb, the guy there told me that the "rough service" is better because it can withstand the cold better than a regular household bulb, so you don't have to worry so much about it being so cold out that it freezes, cracks, and shatters.... then you have other issues to deal with. And the heat lamps that are the best to use are the red ones -- white heat lamps are too bright for them and if you have to have it on all night for heat, they will be awake all night. Not trying to tell you how to do your coop, just wanted to let you know what I have learned, been told, and what works the best for me.

Hope everyone has a good evening!

 

[DuginMT]

Thanks for the feedback MontanaChicks! Yes, I am using a 60W Output curl-e-que fluorescent bulb for now as it only takes 13W to run it. I will replace it with a 40W or 60W rough use incandescent in due time, as the days turn shorter and the temp. drops. I think my chicks are getting plenty of light now due to their great output. I had not heard that the fluorescent lighting does not qualify as the proper light for the chickens, so thanks. I was afraid the chicks would "adjust" the timer by pecking at the little buttons but no problems with that yet!

 

[montanachicks]

You must have your timer near the floor -- mine is mounted on the wall next to the light switches,. I actually turned my lighting back on not long ago, as the days are getting shorter -- so they get an extra 45 minutes or so early morning & late evening. I'll adjust it as the days go on. There is no denying that using the heat lamp jacks your electric bill up --- but at the same time I don't want my birds to freeze or get too cold..... I'm insulating two walls and ceiling this fall and if THAT doesn't make a huge difference in retaining heat, I give up.

I also have a wall thermometer so it's nice to be able to see how cold or hot it gets in there. And an exhaust fan built into one wall that is SO nice at pulling hot air out on these days when it gets into the 90's (or more).

Glad you didn't take offense to the advice -- I know when I first got my birds, it had been so many years since I had raised chickens, and in Virginia at that, --- I was very glad to find this site and read what others were saying. really learned, too, that there's no such thing as a stupid question --- !!!

again, glad your girls are doing well for you.

~Cindey

 

[DuginMT]

Thanks Montana Chicks, my timer is actually above the roost near the ceiling but accessible to the birds because my coop is only 4' tall. If I need to I will cut up a coffee can and mount it as a shield around the timer. They haven't pushed any buttons yet! Since my second EE has been laying green eggs in the corner of the coop floor I removed the bedding from that corner tonight. I am hoping the bird will find the lack of nesting material objectionable, and move up to the nesting boxes!

 

[montanachicks]

Let me know if that works!!

I have 8 leghorns that are "set" in their ways and have had them for almost 4 weeks now and not one egg has ended up in a regular nest. They were laying them all over the floor, so I finally gave up and put a nesting box in the corner on the floor and it took about 2 days for them to discover they could use it, and ever since, that's where they lay all their eggs. I figured it was better than losing eggs that have been laying wherever, and someone deciding to have a snack, which is what was happening. And I have 1 EE out of 5 that refuses to lay her egg in a nest --- it either ends up in a corner (she won't even use the box the LH's use), or outside underneath a big lilac bush where everybody likes to hang out for shade. Very frustrating. I don't know how to break her of it, either. Along with those above-mentioned LHs that refuse to get up on a roost at night. They camp out on the floor. I hope they will eventually figure it out.