- Jan 19, 2012
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I am a complete rookie to all of this so please forgive my ignorance...
I took a well built coop as a hand me down from an experienced chicken guy who was moving. So in mid Dec. I went and bought a Rhode Island Red hen. The guy at the feed store said she came in about 3-4 days prior, and was not yet laying. He attributed that to the fact that it had recently got cold (cold for Southern CA anyways) and the days were shorter. I took him for his word. Got the chicken in her new home and my wife and kid affectionatelly named her Noelle. We quickly noticed she was loosing a lot of feathers. Did some research. Not to worry, it seems she was just going through the normal process of molting, which usually occurs with the onset of winter and shorter days. OK, this is all making sense. And apparently it is common for a hen to stop laying while molting.
Now it appears that she is done molting, or at least is almost done as she is not loosing many feathers anymore, but still, NO EGGS.
So then I read that sometimes hens are happier with a buddy. OK, maybe that might help her lay, I thought. So back to the store I went a couple days ago and I picked up another hen. Bad idea. Noelle just beat up the new hen. It was ugly. I tried to give them a couple days to get used to each other, but it became apparent that Noelle was gonna kill this new hen if given the chance. So I gave the new one to a guy down the street with hens.
So that is where I am at now. I want some return out of my investment! Should I give Noelle more time to start laying after molting? Or do I have a hen that is just gong to be unproductive? Should I try to get another hen that she won't fight with? She has a large, clean coop with plenty of feed and clean water. She roams the backyard during the day and stays in the coop at night. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.
I took a well built coop as a hand me down from an experienced chicken guy who was moving. So in mid Dec. I went and bought a Rhode Island Red hen. The guy at the feed store said she came in about 3-4 days prior, and was not yet laying. He attributed that to the fact that it had recently got cold (cold for Southern CA anyways) and the days were shorter. I took him for his word. Got the chicken in her new home and my wife and kid affectionatelly named her Noelle. We quickly noticed she was loosing a lot of feathers. Did some research. Not to worry, it seems she was just going through the normal process of molting, which usually occurs with the onset of winter and shorter days. OK, this is all making sense. And apparently it is common for a hen to stop laying while molting.
Now it appears that she is done molting, or at least is almost done as she is not loosing many feathers anymore, but still, NO EGGS.
So then I read that sometimes hens are happier with a buddy. OK, maybe that might help her lay, I thought. So back to the store I went a couple days ago and I picked up another hen. Bad idea. Noelle just beat up the new hen. It was ugly. I tried to give them a couple days to get used to each other, but it became apparent that Noelle was gonna kill this new hen if given the chance. So I gave the new one to a guy down the street with hens.
So that is where I am at now. I want some return out of my investment! Should I give Noelle more time to start laying after molting? Or do I have a hen that is just gong to be unproductive? Should I try to get another hen that she won't fight with? She has a large, clean coop with plenty of feed and clean water. She roams the backyard during the day and stays in the coop at night. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.
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