Sbr73
Songster
So, today was a beautiful day until it started raining. In the morning, I decided to do an entire henhouse clean out before the cold set in for good.
As I began my clean out, I saw my one little hen Hedwig (EE), in the run laying behind a container that I put up to give her shelter from the bullying beast, Olive (OE). At first, I thought there was something wrong with her. Maybe she was ill. She was laying there not doing much of anything. I’ve never seen her in this spot before. I quickly went and told my husband, “I think something might be wrong with Hedwig.”
Anyway, a little background on the girls. I have 6 hens ranging in age from 6-7 months old. Three girls (2 EE’s and 1OE) have been laying in the nest box since September. Then, there were four girls laying in the nest box. I know exactly which ones are laying. Hedwig being the most recent one to lay. Lately, egg production has been down to three a day instead of 4. So, of course I’m thinking production is down due to weather and time change.
Anyway, poor Hedwig was laying there behind the container in the dirt. I felt so bad for her since she was always getting bullied by Olive. I thought maybe the stress of her getting bullied got to her.
Furthermore, Hedwig began losing feathers recently just like Olive. Olive began missing feathers from between her lower backside and tail feathers several weeks ago and she is perfectly fine. I could not figure out why her feathers were missing and when Hedwig started missing feathers in the same area, I began doing lots of research to figure out why. No signs of mites or lice, baffling. Now, Olive bullies Hedwig all the time but I have never seen her pluck Hedwigs feathers out, and if that were the case, then who is plucking Olives feathers out? Definitely not Hedwig!
( Mystery Solved)
I could not figure out why these girls were missing feathers and in the same area. During my research, I came across an article that I found interesting and could possibly explain the missing feather mystery. I suppose my girls are still figuring out pecking order because they are still quite young. According to the article, when it’s time for hens to roost and figure out their sleeping arrangement for the night, usually the hens on the roost will pluck the feathers out from the hens below because they are disrupting bedtime. Since the feathers are longer in that area, it is easier for the roosting hens to reach those feathers on the hens below them. Now, I don’t have two roosts, but I have a poop board under the roost. Suffice to say, the lower hens who are still trying to figure out what spot they want to roost. Olive was once the under dog! Could that be why her feathers began to be missing?
(Back to Poor Hedwig)
So, clean out began and it started pouring of course, but I finished the henhouse. Yay! Then, the plastic hanging on the outside of the run was not completely attached and was blowing wildly from the wind (Mistake no. 1). Sorry, we had some beautiful days and I wanted the girls to enjoy the weather.
Somehow I needed to get that plastic sheathing to stay down before it got ripped off and blew away. So, I got to work with hubby by my side in the pouring rain, and we managed to get that plastic secured. Well, as I was batten down the hatches, my husband calls me over and says, “What’s that? Are those eggs?” I went over by my hubby and low and behold, where Hedwig was laying, in the run, behind the container were 6 of her wonderful blue eggs. She must have covered them over with the material in the run. If it weren’t for the pouring rain and wicked wind, we may have never seen her eggs and they were in a spot that you can’t miss.
That’s what Hedwig was doing laying in that spot! Hoarding eggs. Now, I am not sure if she is broody because I do not see her laying there often or if she is laying eggs there because Olive maybe bullying her out of the nest box too. I’m not home when they are laying. My husband always goes out to the coop before he goes to work in the afternoon and I always go out in the morning before work and after work. I spend a few hours a day with my girls. We would have seen something. Don’t you think? She goes in the henhouse at night to roost and the eggs are left in their little homemade nest all night long.
When she began laying, it was in the nest box. That’s why I thought egg production was down because we went from 3 eggs a day to 4 eggs a day then back to three eggs a day. It wasn’t due to the weather and time change. Hedwig was not ill, hooray! She was hiding or hoarding her eggs. We are new to having hens and we are not sure if this is due to her being bullied or if she is broody. Also, are these eggs ok for human consumption? Six eggs, six days outside. An egg a day. How do I get her to lay her eggs in the nest box again? Any advice is greatly appreciated! On another note, two of the girls lay before my husband goes to work. The other two, who knows because we are at work. Guess which two lay later. 6 hens 2 nest boxes.
As I began my clean out, I saw my one little hen Hedwig (EE), in the run laying behind a container that I put up to give her shelter from the bullying beast, Olive (OE). At first, I thought there was something wrong with her. Maybe she was ill. She was laying there not doing much of anything. I’ve never seen her in this spot before. I quickly went and told my husband, “I think something might be wrong with Hedwig.”
Anyway, a little background on the girls. I have 6 hens ranging in age from 6-7 months old. Three girls (2 EE’s and 1OE) have been laying in the nest box since September. Then, there were four girls laying in the nest box. I know exactly which ones are laying. Hedwig being the most recent one to lay. Lately, egg production has been down to three a day instead of 4. So, of course I’m thinking production is down due to weather and time change.
Anyway, poor Hedwig was laying there behind the container in the dirt. I felt so bad for her since she was always getting bullied by Olive. I thought maybe the stress of her getting bullied got to her.
Furthermore, Hedwig began losing feathers recently just like Olive. Olive began missing feathers from between her lower backside and tail feathers several weeks ago and she is perfectly fine. I could not figure out why her feathers were missing and when Hedwig started missing feathers in the same area, I began doing lots of research to figure out why. No signs of mites or lice, baffling. Now, Olive bullies Hedwig all the time but I have never seen her pluck Hedwigs feathers out, and if that were the case, then who is plucking Olives feathers out? Definitely not Hedwig!
( Mystery Solved)
I could not figure out why these girls were missing feathers and in the same area. During my research, I came across an article that I found interesting and could possibly explain the missing feather mystery. I suppose my girls are still figuring out pecking order because they are still quite young. According to the article, when it’s time for hens to roost and figure out their sleeping arrangement for the night, usually the hens on the roost will pluck the feathers out from the hens below because they are disrupting bedtime. Since the feathers are longer in that area, it is easier for the roosting hens to reach those feathers on the hens below them. Now, I don’t have two roosts, but I have a poop board under the roost. Suffice to say, the lower hens who are still trying to figure out what spot they want to roost. Olive was once the under dog! Could that be why her feathers began to be missing?
(Back to Poor Hedwig)
So, clean out began and it started pouring of course, but I finished the henhouse. Yay! Then, the plastic hanging on the outside of the run was not completely attached and was blowing wildly from the wind (Mistake no. 1). Sorry, we had some beautiful days and I wanted the girls to enjoy the weather.
Somehow I needed to get that plastic sheathing to stay down before it got ripped off and blew away. So, I got to work with hubby by my side in the pouring rain, and we managed to get that plastic secured. Well, as I was batten down the hatches, my husband calls me over and says, “What’s that? Are those eggs?” I went over by my hubby and low and behold, where Hedwig was laying, in the run, behind the container were 6 of her wonderful blue eggs. She must have covered them over with the material in the run. If it weren’t for the pouring rain and wicked wind, we may have never seen her eggs and they were in a spot that you can’t miss.
That’s what Hedwig was doing laying in that spot! Hoarding eggs. Now, I am not sure if she is broody because I do not see her laying there often or if she is laying eggs there because Olive maybe bullying her out of the nest box too. I’m not home when they are laying. My husband always goes out to the coop before he goes to work in the afternoon and I always go out in the morning before work and after work. I spend a few hours a day with my girls. We would have seen something. Don’t you think? She goes in the henhouse at night to roost and the eggs are left in their little homemade nest all night long.
When she began laying, it was in the nest box. That’s why I thought egg production was down because we went from 3 eggs a day to 4 eggs a day then back to three eggs a day. It wasn’t due to the weather and time change. Hedwig was not ill, hooray! She was hiding or hoarding her eggs. We are new to having hens and we are not sure if this is due to her being bullied or if she is broody. Also, are these eggs ok for human consumption? Six eggs, six days outside. An egg a day. How do I get her to lay her eggs in the nest box again? Any advice is greatly appreciated! On another note, two of the girls lay before my husband goes to work. The other two, who knows because we are at work. Guess which two lay later. 6 hens 2 nest boxes.
