NY chicken lover!!!!

[pharmchickrnmom]

Hi NY Chicken Lovers,

This will be my first winter with my 6 red sexlink hens who are 7 months old. I've decided not to supplement the light other than the natural light from a skylight and I'm wondering when I should plan on not getting eggs. This is the first week that I haven't gotten a daily egg from each of them and my extended family is getting very used to having fresh eggs delivered to them. I'm hoping I could save a stash of eggs for myself to last through the winter. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Jay

Hi Jay! I have red sexlinks this year as well and they show no sign of slowing down. It will be my first winter with them but I do have 2 year old hens that get no supplemental light during the winter and they do slow down. Yours may be starting a molt which is why you might not have gotten an egg. They dont always lay every day. My br and wyandottes layed during the winter but only 2 or 3 eggs a day. This will be the first winter with my rir and red sexlinks and I am hoping they will lay all winter long as I have read many posts that said they did. Time will tell. Anyways, chickens do need time off to molt and rest from all that egg laying as well. Some people supplement light, some dont. Its a personal choice. I choose to let the cycle be natural and my egg customers understand that when they have to wait for eggs in the winter.

Rancher---I like my chickens wayyyyy more than a lot of the people I have to deal with these days!

Adorava--how goes the hunt for sam and company? I keep hoping for the best but fear the worst.

All this rain is killing my joints. I feel like Im a thousand years old. Had to clean a whole lot at work today because the youngsters cant seem to see the things that I do. Ugh, what a job. Anyways, came home to find poor legolas had knocked over his waterer in his cage so I had to clean that up. Something is up with his eye and I am hoping his brother did peck it and hurt him. I have him in a nice cage by himself where he can rest without being harrased by his brother and am flushing his eye with eye wash. I trimmed the feathers around it so I can see it good. Poor guy.

The terrorists are being needy and want out. Now that the fence is 7 foot high with deer netting over the top, escape is not an option any more. I think they are also tired of all this rain. I hope its sunny and warm tomorrow so things dry out.

 

[Tab's chicken obsession]

I've made applesauce and just finished a batch of maple apple jam. I still have a couple big bags of apples left to go. I also have a couple boxes of tomatoes to make into sauce. And the pens could use a cleaning. There never seems to be enough time in the day! I'm thinking of being a little lazy and making spaghetti for dinner. Yay barilla box pasta!

 

[Glasshen]

I think that Wednesday IS Prince Spaghetti night (in Boston). So why not? I think it was an old marketing line from the Prince Spaghetti company. So Barilla would still work. Sounds like you have done tons.

 

[featherz]

Ugh.. One of my favorite NN pullets died. =( I can't be sure, but I think she found a mushroom that didn't agree with her. Only thing I can think of because otherwise she looked perfect.. No lice/mites, clear eyes and a red comb. No egg binding either that I could tell. Just wobbly and dizzy and dead within 24 hours. Wah! =(

 

[JayinCohoes]

Hi Jay! I have red sexlinks this year as well and they show no sign of slowing down. It will be my first winter with them but I do have 2 year old hens that get no supplemental light during the winter and they do slow down. Yours may be starting a molt which is why you might not have gotten an egg. They dont always lay every day. My br and wyandottes layed during the winter but only 2 or 3 eggs a day. This will be the first winter with my rir and red sexlinks and I am hoping they will lay all winter long as I have read many posts that said they did. Time will tell. Anyways, chickens do need time off to molt and rest from all that egg laying as well. Some people supplement light, some dont. Its a personal choice. I choose to let the cycle be natural and my egg customers understand that when they have to wait for eggs in the winter.

Rancher---I like my chickens wayyyyy more than a lot of the people I have to deal with these days!

Adorava--how goes the hunt for sam and company? I keep hoping for the best but fear the worst.

All this rain is killing my joints. I feel like Im a thousand years old. Had to clean a whole lot at work today because the youngsters cant seem to see the things that I do. Ugh, what a job. Anyways, came home to find poor legolas had knocked over his waterer in his cage so I had to clean that up. Something is up with his eye and I am hoping his brother did peck it and hurt him. I have him in a nice cage by himself where he can rest without being harrased by his brother and am flushing his eye with eye wash. I trimmed the feathers around it so I can see it good. Poor guy.

The terrorists are being needy and want out. Now that the fence is 7 foot high with deer netting over the top, escape is not an option any more. I think they are also tired of all this rain. I hope its sunny and warm tomorrow so things dry out.

Thanks for the reply. I was on the fence about adding supplemental light. If I had more chickens and sold eggs I could see the added expense. But I give away my eggs to my siblings for free so they can't complain if I give my girls a little R & R and if I'll still get some eggs during the winter I'll be happy. Thanks again for the feedback.

 

[Sallysec]

Ugh.. One of my favorite NN pullets died. =( I can't be sure, but I think she found a mushroom that didn't agree with her. Only thing I can think of because otherwise she looked perfect.. No lice/mites, clear eyes and a red comb. No egg binding either that I could tell. Just wobbly and dizzy and dead within 24 hours. Wah! =( 

I'm so sorry to hear this, I am glad you mentioned it though. The other day I was wondering if chickens would eat wild mushrooms as I have tons in one section of my yard. There are multiple types and I was afraid they might get poisoned. Thank you for sharing as it helped me to know better. I thought it was a dumb question so I didn't ask.

 

[Adoravachick]

Hi Jay! I have red sexlinks this year as well and they show no sign of slowing down. It will be my first winter with them but I do have 2 year old hens that get no supplemental light during the winter and they do slow down. Yours may be starting a molt which is why you might not have gotten an egg. They dont always lay every day. My br and wyandottes layed during the winter but only 2 or 3 eggs a day. This will be the first winter with my rir and red sexlinks and I am hoping they will lay all winter long as I have read many posts that said they did. Time will tell. Anyways, chickens do need time off to molt and rest from all that egg laying as well. Some people supplement light, some dont. Its a personal choice. I choose to let the cycle be natural and my egg customers understand that when they have to wait for eggs in the winter.

Rancher---I like my chickens wayyyyy more than a lot of the people I have to deal with these days!

Adorava--how goes the hunt for sam and company? I keep hoping for the best but fear the worst.

All this rain is killing my joints. I feel like Im a thousand years old. Had to clean a whole lot at work today because the youngsters cant seem to see the things that I do. Ugh, what a job. Anyways, came home to find poor legolas had knocked over his waterer in his cage so I had to clean that up. Something is up with his eye and I am hoping his brother did peck it and hurt him. I have him in a nice cage by himself where he can rest without being harrased by his brother and am flushing his eye with eye wash. I trimmed the feathers around it so I can see it good. Poor guy.

The terrorists are being needy and want out. Now that the fence is 7 foot high with deer netting over the top, escape is not an option any more. I think they are also tired of all this rain. I hope its sunny and warm tomorrow so things dry out.

The silkies want out so badly, but my kids are sick so its a no go for the chickens. I can't stay outside to watch them. I am getting a bit of cabin fever myself.

 

[Adoravachick]

My mother raised chickens for meat and she mentioned stale bread and milk. She's long gone and I'm not sure what the feeding plan was. I'll continue with the little milk it takes to keep feed from being wasted. If they drop over dead then I might reconsider. I say whatever works for you. My chickens "main" diet is commercial feed.

As for mice, NOT A CHANCE! Many time when you read about salmonella problems there is a rodent problem too.

I agree, no mice!

 

[featherz]

I'm so sorry to hear this, I am glad you mentioned it though. The other day I was wondering if chickens would eat wild mushrooms as I have tons in one section of my yard. There are multiple types and I was afraid they might get poisoned. Thank you for sharing as it helped me to know better. I thought it was a dumb question so I didn't ask.

I can't be SURE but I found a mushroom with bites taken out of it and within 24 hours she was dead. She had signs of some sort of poisoning, and as my chickens range in a very defined area fenced with electric fencing they can't get into anything like household chemicals. Was just outside disposing of all the mushrooms I could find JUST in case.

I hope no one else ate enough to kill them although I saw no other sickies today. =(

 

[marquisella]

they aren't human. I'm not sure we have any way to know for sure. BUT I do know this. Milk and milk products are not natural to foul. Many old timers avoid milk products with chickens. The people who have raise foul for 40 to 50 years successfully are the ones I listen to.

I was advised to give powder milk sprinkled on feed for chicks with coccidia. Something about the milk does something to the cocc and kills iti.

Humans are the only animal species that drink milk & eats milk products after weaning...so based on that, milk for humans after weaning is also not natural...especially milk not from our mothers.

Chickens are omnivors, they can eat everything...years ago, farmers would fed excess milk from their cows to their chicks during the winter when they couldn't find bugs, etc. to eat. They survived.