Organic Approaches to Getting Feces Less Messy

[Molpet]

This real interesting. Pullet designated Maple is broody and still in lay! She does spend more time off nest and is eating most of the feed being applied. She is eating more feed now than when she was simply in lay, totally in the face of what I have always "known". Late deposited eggs will not hatch in time to leave nest with balance of brood. I have seen many larger clutches with embryos that fail to hatch because late in developing. That may be a function of some laying into broody cycle. Conditions are artificial where the pullets are confined. I wander if pullet doing this might be the ones most likely to sleep eggs into nest of others, a form of cuckoldery.

Last year I had a turkey hen that continued to lay for a week after she went broody.... All other turkeys had been broody for week or more and not adding to any clutch

 

[centrarchid]

Last year I had a turkey hen that continued to lay for a week after she went broody.... All other turkeys had been broody for week or more and not adding to any clutch

Most go completely to incubation mode only. Maple has been consistently lighter in weight compared to her sisters. I am still learning stuff!

 

[Molpet]

Most go completely to incubation mode only. Maple has been consistently lighter in weight compared to her sisters. I am still learning stuff!

I wonder how often this happens. With chickens, I always assumed some other hen added an egg or 3. Mine are all together and this was the first time I could be positive

 

[centrarchid]

I wonder how often this happens. With chickens, I always assumed some other hen added an egg or 3. Mine are all together and this was the first time I could be positive

I do not know. All that appears to be is that a broody hen can still lay at least early in the incubation cycle. Total new to me.

I also assumed other hens did it all the time because some of the time I had genetic markers that pointed to more than one hen laying in a nest. Other times no markers so not able to determine what was going on.

 

[centrarchid]

Two Roost Configurations Not Worked

I have had students quickly come up with two modifications to roost intended to keep pullets roosting and lats that will be over poop board. In first two images the birds are piling badly. Peices of narrow plywood covered by a vertical yet flimsy piece of chicken wire were intended to block birds trying to roost on 4 x 4 's. Pullets either roosted on chicken wire or on ground between lats.

Next day students removed chicken wire and they then replaced it with three strands of wire like used on electric fence. Wire too loose and one pullet was actually roosting on wire, far smaller in diameter / thickness that they thought chickens would roost on it plywood. Bird in back actually suspended about an inch above 4 x 4 because holding on to wire with feet.

We will also need to get out before 0600 if collecting feces this week.


We ain't licked yet, but the social distancing makes working as a team with college agriculture students tough. Speckled Sussex are not smart.

 

[centrarchid]

We have a roost now that works. Feces collection will start soon.

Little trial involving three pullets that have been broody is largely complete. Letting pullets hatch off broods before getting ready to do a more detailed job concentrating on feed intake rates during lay verses while incubating.

Butterscotch started hatching last night. This little squirt was pulled from nest around 0600.

 

[centrarchid]