Peeps in Europe!

[chickengr]

My chickens are calmer since the small big boss of the flock vanished. There is less shouting for food and they often hang out quietly in the run together.

After a week of confinement (after spotting a buzzard) I let them free range again a couple of hours. They come home again by themselves after 2-3 hours. And if I call them they come home within a few minutes.

I dont get much eggs these days. 0, 1 or 2 due to shorter days and a few birds moulding. For now this is okay. But I hate it if I have to buy eggs in the shop for a long period.

If they all stop to lay eggs I’m going to make LED lights in the coop and make a schedule (timer) for extra light in the morning to stimulate egg laying. According to others on this forum I should get eggs again within 6 weeks.

mix some cayenne pepper with their feed. mine lay all year around without any lights, just with help of cayenne pepper.

 

[BDutch]

mix some cayenne pepper with their feed. mine lay all year around without any lights, just with help of cayenne pepper.

Thanks chickengr. I will try cayenne for sure. Just as I tried to give hemp seeds last year (another tip). But that didn’t work perfect either. Maybe I should give both to keep them laying.

I think some breeds probably don't lay in winter while other breeds and laying hybrids do. I have 4 older hens who taker longer breaks during winter. Because I like eggs in winter too I was searching for small bantam breeds that lay during winter.

 

[abpatchy]

All you have to do is add a little light. Just a little in the morning unless you have a dimmer. As soon as I added light they started laying in January. It just took a few days.

 

[Erba]

I candled my eggs again yesterday, day 12. One of my own turned out to be a double yolk and didn't make it. Looked really weird too like two black balls floating around but no veins. And two of the shipped were not developing either, so I am down to 4 of mine and 12 shipped, but they are all looking good. Forgot to put the turner back on, but noticed this morning, so hope I haven't ruined them, but we are past he critical tuning time, so I don't think it will matter.

 

[abpatchy]

Hi guys!
3.5 weeks before I have to take my birds to Erfurt for the show. At this point I am not sure if it will really happen with the covid infections increasing. There are lots of restrictions at this point one of them is no reviews of each animal by the specialty club. The review is the head of the speciatly club going thru each bird discussing the good and the not so good features of the bird. You really learn from that. I was looking forward to learning more and more in detail what I need to look for. Oh well, health is more important.
Don't know if I will need them but I got my transport boxes for them. If not... next year!

The rooster pens are coming along as well... we started on the coop flooring and close some areas with hardware cloth. We're getting there and it's exciting to see it take shape.

 

[Erba]

That looks really cool! Is that on the Chicken Club property? Do those boxes fit one bird each? I hope you get to go, and it is not canceled. I just heard the Avian Flu has broken out in Holland...like we need that like a bullet in the head, on top of Corona...

https://www.topagrar.com/gefluegel/...zwei-faelle-in-den-niederlanden-12382781.html

 

[abpatchy]

That looks really cool! Is that on the Chicken Club property? Do those boxes fit one bird each? I hope you get to go, and it is not canceled. I just heard the Avian Flu has broken out in Holland...like we need that like a bullet in the head, on top of Corona...

https://www.topagrar.com/gefluegel/...zwei-faelle-in-den-niederlanden-12382781.html

Thanks!!
Dito that!! Another reason to hurry up with those rooster pens. It will give me about double the "inside" space if the avian flu hits. They have been saying for weeks it will come. And we sure don't need that this year! Not that we ever NEED it... but this year is a bummer year to start with.
Yes, this is inside of my rooster run... well what is the rooster run at the moment. I don't let them into that section at the moment. Don't need poop all over.

 

[BDutch]

That looks really cool! Is that on the Chicken Club property? Do those boxes fit one bird each? I hope you get to go, and it is not canceled. I just heard the Avian Flu has broken out in Holland...like we need that like a bullet in the head, on top of Corona...

https://www.topagrar.com/gefluegel/...zwei-faelle-in-den-niederlanden-12382781.html

There were only two swans with this N5H8 . But all farmers have to keep their chickens inside now to prevent clearing (killing) many thousand chickens, like they ‘had’ to do before. There are too many huge chickens farms in the NL. Its all about economic decisions.
Hobby farmers don't have to lock the chickens in their cages.

 

[abpatchy]

There were only two swans with this N5H8 . But all farmers have to keep their chickens inside now to prevent clearing (killing) many thousand chickens, like they ‘had’ to do before. There are too many huge chickens farms in the NL. Its all about economic decisions.
Hobby farmers don't have to lock the chickens in their cages.

wow... they have to lock them up already? But I understand... who wants to lose their investment by taking chances.
I really really hope it won't come to a lock down for the chickens.

Nice picture!! @BDutch

 

[Erba]

When I went to the Chicken Club Market in Kandern , where you can buy and sell birds near Lörrach, all birds had to come from our area. No cross border or out of State birds were able to register for sale or show. That was 2017 though.

KandernKleintiermarkt wieder mit Geflügel
Weiler Zeitung, 04.05.2017 - 00:59 Uhr
Kandern. Ab dem kommenden Kleintiermarkt am Samstag, 6. Mai, darf in Kandern dank der Unterstützung durch das Landratsamt wieder Geflügel angeboten werden. Bis zum Ausbruch der Vogelgrippe Ende 2016 war dies eine der Hauptattraktionen des Kleintiermarkts.
Allerdings gibt es wegen des Geflügelvirus H5N8 einige Punkte zu beachten: Geflügelverkäufer müssen sich eine Stunde vor Marktbeginn, also um 7 Uhr, einfinden. Es darf nur Geflügel aus dem Landkreis Lörrach und den angrenzenden Landkreisen verkauft werden.
Die Verkäufer müssen beim Landratsamt registriert sein, eine aktuelle Impfbescheinigung vorweisen und sich mindestens acht Tage vor dem Kleintiermarkt telefonisch anmelden. Nur angemeldete Verkäufer sind zugelassen.

Erst nach der Begutachtung durch das Veterinäramt wird um 8 Uhr der Verkaufsraum für Besucher geöffnet.

And just for cuteness, here is one of the chicks, the prison breaker. Now safely behind bars once again.