NY chicken lover!!!!

[armorfirelady]

grr stupid leghorn. How do you break a chicken from laying out side the coop. We opened the coop up at 11 and the dang bird beelines it straight to the barn and is moveing around in an open crate that we found the other eggs in. I went to pick her up and she got by me. I need a run this is getting old. I think my double yolker from her that we found in barn is from her skipping a day in the coop then next day laying in the barn. Its wierd where she lays in the box is V'ed not flat and no straw or anything in it maybe i need a V box in my coop hmm. Or more nest boxes i have 4 boxes and only like 8 layers atm.

I have been using golf balls & ping pong balls in the nesting boxes to encourage Edie to lay in the nesting boxes. Its worked pretty well. She has only laid 2 times outside the nesting box.

Perhaps you need to grab her before letting the others out and keep her in the coop till she lays for several days in the nesting boxes?

I wouldn't build a run to confine them if you can sucessfully allow them to free range. They def get better benefits & eat less feed when you can free range them

 

[JLaw]

i have wooden eggs brown and white in the nest boxes and she was laying in there till this week or last she desided to start laying in the barn. Think i'll build a wooden nest box and turn the box so it lays point up and down. three of the nest boxes are the wall mounts from TSC and the 4th is a cat litter container on the floor i put for my light sussex but now she uses a wall mount. I hate locking them in the coop but may have to untill she relearns where to lay her eggs and only let them out after she lays an egg.

 

[Sally8]

Since I usually have more than 1 new to laying I leave the first 2 - 3 eggs in the box . I mark them with a marker so I know which ones to leave. (And they are usually quite small) After a couple days I'm usually good. I'm thinking of buying a few of those boxes from TS and I can hang them where I might not put a box normally. Right now I have too many chickens

 

[Lynzi777]

Well good news, I emailed the woman I got the drake from this morning and she said she would take him back, along with adopt my other drake if I wanted her to. So I just got back from dropping two drakes off to her. She's such a sweet woman. She's actually the woman I got our first three chicks from last year. And her husband actually mowed our lawn a few times last summer before we were able to get a push mower. They're nice people. Have all sorts of animals over there, ducks, chickens, cows, goats, alpaca...now to venture off and find two more female ducks to add to my pair!

 

[ChickPrincess]

Right now I have too many chickens

Never heard of this problem.

 

[armorfirelady]

Since I usually have more than 1 new to laying I leave the first 2 - 3 eggs in the box . I mark them with a marker so I know which ones to leave. (And they are usually quite small) After a couple days I'm usually good. I'm thinking of buying a few of those boxes from TS and I can hang them where I might not put a box normally. Right now I have too many chickens

I think I remember you saying you have a cat? I used empty litter box totes for nesting boxes for my guys. Buckets would work to. You can screw right thru the plastic to attach them to anything you want. And they are super easy to clean if needed & no places for bugs to hide

 

[Sally8]

I think I remember you saying you have a cat?  I used empty litter box totes for nesting boxes for my guys. Buckets would work to. You can screw right thru the plastic to attach them to anything you want. And they are super easy to clean if needed & no places for bugs to hide  

Are the buckets big enough. Some of my hens are large marges. Not sure if they'd go into them. They like those big totes but even the smaller ones are large compared to the chickens. I just need to sit down and place an ad on

ChickPrincess, let me explain "too many chickens" in 1 word. Incubator. lol

 

[armorfirelady]

Quote:
Red is the smallest of my PR but they all fit in there and can turn around in it without a problem.

 

[Overhill Flocks]

Is it possible to still have cicada's around? I just found this today out back, still alive and kicking. I also saw one of my chicks eating a huge bug yesterday, I didn't think much of it but I'm pretty sure it was the same thing....

I found one on the run earlier this week. Chickens got to it promptly. I'm still hearing them as well.

 

[Sally8]

Red is the smallest of my PR but they all fit in there and can turn around in it without a problem.

Hmmm..never thought they would work. Much cheaper than $19.99 since I buy kitty litter anyway. I'll try and let you know.