Hello all, thanks for having me. I am hoping to learn a lot from you all! Currently I have 2 RIR Roos and 3 Leghorn hens. I have had them now for about 6 months and to date... no eggs. I keep them in a 10x10 kennel with a coop and a shade tarp. I live out in the country and have dogs so I worry about letting them roam free. Jin and Sawyer are my Roos. Jin is starting to be a problem, he is mean and tries to peck my feet. I am worried that my poor hens are getting ganged up on! Jin has got to go but I do not have the heart to eat him so I am trying to re-home him. Sawyer is tall and gorgeous, but my hens dont seem to be maturing as I expected. I feed them NatureWise layer feed and all of our kitchen scraps. We juice so I cant imagine they aren't happy with the plethora of cucumber, kale, beets, lettuce, strawberries and blueberries they get on a regular basis. I clean out their coop once a week and make sure they always have fresh water. Jin is still a brat though! I had hoped that my chickens would be more affectionate towards me... but they are scared of me! It kind of sucks! Anyways, when can I expect eggs and how do I make my chickens love me???!!!
Hi and I'm sorry you're having problems with your roo, and best of luck with rehoming him. You can expect eggs very soon-- sometimes it takes them a little longer to start laying, and six months is right around the time they should start. And as for their skittishness, food is a great way to get chickens used to you. I would suggest that you hand-feed them treats for a little while so they begin to associate you even more with the yummy snacks! I hope that you are enjoying fresh eggs soon, and thanks for joining us!
Greetings from Kansas and . Pleased you joined our community. If you haven't already, the Learning Center is chock full of great chicken topics spanning all aspects of chicken raising. Here's a link....https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center In terms of your hens getting ganged up on...very likely this is so. Most on BYC would say you certainly have one rooster too many...some would say you have two too many for just 3 hens and that even one will rough them up. I'd think of relocating at least one. In terms of making your hens like you, leghorns aren't exactly cuddly to begin with...more spooky and nervous (no doubt made more so by the harassment of the roosters). First step is getting rid of one or both of them. After that, slow, gentle movements, calm voice and treats to start to tame them down a little. Best of luck to you.
agree about too many roos. Hens will continue to lay just as many eggs without a rooster and be much less stressed as well.
Thanks all for the warm welcome!! I have found a new home for Jin!! I am going to keep Sawyer around for awhile but if he gets too frisky I reckon I will rehome him too. Happy to be here!!
