Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[okallthis4eggs]

The Achickenwrangler will have your answer. Don't think she is online right now. Stay tuned or message her

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

I have a question. My hen hatches her eggs, and takes care of the chicks. That is nature, and that is great. How the heck do those chicks get out of the nesting box? Falling is the only thing I can think of, and it is making me think twice about having my nest boxes hanging.

They can take quite a tumble and be fine...I have many inches of litter on the coop floor, just in case...but, not to gamble, I keep them on enclosed shelves. The natural nest is on the ground though, and chicks stay away from edges. After a few days they can hop a foot or so and navigate obstacles like falling off a log. I have movable nest boxes, so if they go broody, I just move the whole kit and kaboodle. Raised nest boxes are a human invention to save backs...the chicks will stay in the nest for a few days before mama leads them out, but yeah, if the only way down is a drop off........I'd make a ramp.

 

[okallthis4eggs]

With sadness I have learned our good friend cheeka has lost two of her chicken friends today to a fox. We will be thinking about her and have decided to cancel the egg celebration for today. Hang in there cheeka

 

[BullChick]

I am not sure how I found this thread this morning, but sometime this evening I realized that Penny, the only pullet of my original six, would be laying by the end of this month or next. Imagine my surprise an hour ago when I found an itty bitty egg in the nest box!
Here it is with another hen's egg, next to a K-cup.

 

[okallthis4eggs]

I am not sure how I found this thread this morning, but sometime this evening I realized that Penny, the only pullet of my original six, would be laying by the end of this month or next. Imagine my surprise an hour ago when I found an itty bitty egg in the nest box!
Here it is with another hen's egg, next to a K-cup.

Congratulations

They love to surprise us sometimes. That does sound like it came pretty early.

 

[cheeka]

Motorcyclechick ~ what a cute little egg! that's such a wonderful surprise!

okallthis4eggs... thanks for the thoughts, it was so bizarre, i was Right There. BH has been fretting the loss bc he moved the gun... and i would have been at least able to shoot off a loud bang if not hit the fox... if it had been where it belongs. i miss my little friends... especially my BaBaBaBarney Boy, Lily was a pretty little pullet, never got to lay an egg. for 15 weeks 2 days, they had the best lives, and the end, however tragic for me, was thankfully, over quickly for them.
Let the Egg Celebration resume and continue every day!

it would be best
to find eggs in the nest,

but you'd still be floored
if one's on the poop board!

your chickens are great,
today you'll find 8!

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Sorry to hear about your loss cheeka, I know how that feels...several times over..I know OK makes fun of me for carry but it usually happens just that fast. Glad to have the poetry back though. I caved in and put a nest box on the poarch. I even carried the pullet to the hen house and put her in a nest. She plucked at the eggs a few times, then beelined it to a corner on the poarch. Am I just lazy? Eggs are easy to collect just outside the door. How convienent.

 

[cheeka]

thanks ACW, it's so tough... i love all wildlife, don't really want to kill the fox, but i don't want it coming back for more, or for my cats or my little dog... my BH asked me why i wasn't angry with the fox, i just can't be. it's nature. i have taken the necessary steps to ensure it doesn't get more chickens and i'm doing my best to keep the cats in ~ they do come in every night, they are well trained...
i chased that sucker all the way off my property and an acre or more into heavily wooded state land... he thinks i might have driven it off, i think i just drove it home. it'll be back. my guess is it will stalk around here about dusk tonight.
my one neighbor was walking up the street yesterday afternoon with some guys i didn't know. apparently they are new tenants, renting about .6 mile down the road and they have been missing one bird for each of the previous 4 days. they were hoping that they wandered up to my property and were hanging out with my birds... my thought is we have a mother feeding her kits, or a couple of fat brothers living large on the hilltop...

how cold does it get by you for winter? if the porch is protected from weather... heck yeah! easy peasy eggy pickin' squeezy!

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

About as cold as NY, the poarch is about 12 feet deep and it's in the corner of a bump out, so well sheltered, and nothing will step on there without the dogs knowing about it...in the winter I usually keep the food in the house and toss the scratch along the front, that way I can stay in my slippers. (Told you I was lazy) it's funny to hear the pitter patter of feet on the poarch and they are staring at the door waiting for it to open....usually if I'm late! Then I can grab breakfast while I'm out there...can't have them freezing.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

! I am getting an unexpected brown egg in the coop, so a green, a pink, and a tan egg, and one brown on the poarch! Surprise!