Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[valjean]

Mosquitoes are the devils of the insect world. Next to red wasps.

Yep, I'll just have to see if they lay with the light they get. I don't have electricity down there so hard to do supplemental lighting. I could probably take out some of the smaller trees around the coop to increase the light, and the large trees would still give needed shade. My mother and mother-in-law who were raised on farms with chickens think I'm crazy. "We didn't do anything but give them a coop and some nest boxes and some scratch - they were on their own! They did just fine!" blah blah. I haven't told them I have a battery candle on the shelf in the coop for when they "go to bed". Everyone should enjoy a little soothing ambiance.

Baby Mortie is adorable holding the egg!

I better get an egg this week...I'm envious of the 17-weekers laying, and dismayed by the 26-weekers who haven't yet dropped one. Comparing notes can be good and bad!

 

[mortie]

Oh I know. People be all "Oh my 15 week old just laid this quadruple yolker!" and I was all

. I still just have the one laying. Maybe next week, although they aren't squatting so who knows. I'm happy to be getting anything though. One tiny egg from one chicken will have to do for now. I'm pretty happy she's laying eggs with nice shells. I know some chickens have a few misfires before they get it right, she's been a machine!

 

[TNchickmom]

Hi it seems we are in the same boat with the waiting game! My 11 months old cream legbars aren't laying for me yet :'(. At what age do they molt?

 

[JW12]

2 today from the chickens. 2 out of 12 :/

Ducks still nothing. 0 out of 10

Silkies nothing. 0 out of 3

 

[topdycke]

I am joining this group too. I have 4 wyandottes which were hatched in March. I think its going to be a long wait for these girls though they seem to be slow developing. I like your coop ValJean and I hear you on the red wasps.

 

[valjean]

topdycke - my four were hatched mid-March - I don't know the exact date, so yeah, we shall wait together. Only one of mine looks ready. I can get two fingers between those bones by her vent, so she may be another week or two. I've done all the work, now I want the fun of egg-gathering!

 

[Scrambles55]

One from Penny today!

We are in another heat wave. 101 today....................

 

[mortie]

None under the deck
And none in the run
Although she did check
Today we laid one!

 

[BullChick]

OMG. I am sitting here in tears. I was ticked that I missed Mortie's first egg. I went back, and found the post. Then I saw the picture. I am really crying. I am so happy for you!!

 

[BullChick]

Jack O' Lantern is not an actual pumpkin, but IDK what exact kind this is. Just that it is about 18 inches across. There are now about ten pumpkins I think are going to make it. Quite a few rotted during a long period of rain. One of the ten is a normal sized pumpkin right now. I just want them for the chickens!


After five months, my husband finally helped me make a turkey pen. It isn't as wonderful as I had hoped, but it keeps them in, and the Bourbons are finally outside! They had had very limited outdoor space.





The dog was calmer than I expected him to be. Look how the turkeys dwarf him! He will even sit still when they are surrounding him!

Due to life happening, the BBW were in the pen before it was done. By the time the Bourbon Reds got in there, Thanksgiving was feeling territorial (it was one day). I expected him to be anyway. He was fighting with 2 Bourbons at the same time. He was actually pounding one into the ground. They are easily distracted, so I walked in, and that was that. This picture was before things got really interesting.