Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[lindz8504]

I got 5 eggs today, 4 from the G.Comets and 1 from Clarabelle.

Everyone got out and free-ranged today which is a first for the EE girls. They normally stay pretty close to the coop, but today they went all over the yard, and I actually saw them in the front yard today. It was a pretty good day, with the sun shining but it was still a little chilly.

 

[SullyD]

Mithious-Welcome to the best thread! If you haven't started at the beginning, it is a great read!

Thank you all for the kind words. I remembered to lock all the coops tonite!

I got my first blue egg yesterday and I got two more today! My AM and CL's are both laying! I will post some pictures when I get them downloaded (or is it uploaded?) onto the computer. I actually got 8 eggs today!

So my heritage layers started laying at 31 and 32 weeks. And my BR's were 25 weeks. I know the molting messed things up too. Any idea when Marans start laying? They are 19 weeks and just as big as the 8 month olds! Roosters are very red faced, pullets getting there!

I know there is a lot of mixed feelings on lighting for this time of year. What I do is put the light on as soon as it starts to get a little dark, then I do my evening chores of horses and chickens. When I am done and ready to go inside, I turn off the light. It might only be an hour, but it might help.

I may have found a buyer for my eggs!

There is a farm stand on my way to my parents house. They have wonderful produce and such, but the egg lady they were using lost some of her flock to a predator this summer so he is looking for a new supplier. He is going to pay me $3 a dozen (which I will probably spend at his place anyways!). Even though I am reducing the size of my flock, I will still have 24 pullets. I think by the time the new year rolls around, I will be getting a couple dozen a day.

Have a great night!

 

[showbarnmom]

Just thought id share a lady asked for some hatching eggs. So I'm gathering fresh for her. I'm only getting 3-4 eggs a day, and most are pullets. So it's taken me 4 days to get these lol

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Yay for new eggs and hatching eggs.

Sully-
Regarding winter lighting, I think Cheeka mentioned it before, but you should not use fluorescent lights with chickens. Their perception of motion is much more acute than ours, and apparently they see the flicker of fluorescent lights in a way that we can't detect. Imagine being under a strobe light for hours. It can drive them crazy

, and the stress can cause problems of its own. I have read that a low watt (40w) incandescent bulb is enough light to do the trick. Don't know about LEDs. Some people use a string of white Christmas lights and say that is enough.

Don't have an opinion about lighting otherwise. I don't think it hurts the chickens. My coop has no electricity, and I'm paranoid about starting a fire with extension cords. (Especially after reading about how Aoxa lost her animals in a barn fire. Heartbreaking.) I have also read that, like people, a pullets start life with all the eggs they will ever have. A hen that lives a long life will lay eggs for most of her life if she lays every other day or so with molting and winter breaks. An egg-laying-machine that lays 6-7 per week and does not break, will lay the same amount of eggs in 2 years and then quit, she's done, no more eggs, but she'll still want to eat! The slower layer may lay the same total number of eggs, it just takes her longer.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Welcome Vindi!

Cheeka, it sounds like you have been busy moving everyone! Hopefully everyone gets along and the moves continue to go smoothly!

I only got 4 eggs today, but after the whopper number yesterday I was expecting a low day. 3 of the G.Comets laid and one of the EE girls laid. Clarabelle took the day off.

Today has been a hard day for me. A year ago today, I lost my grandfather. He was my rock, and I have been a wreck today... Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Hi Everyone! You all have been very chatty! I loved reading to catch up and see all the photos that were posted.

I got my first blue egg today! The CL is 31 weeks old, talk about a freeloader! My mom likes to say my eggs are up to $75 each! I now have two BR's laying as well. And I got a "peanut" egg too. I have seen bigger marbles! Not sure who laid that one. I still don't know who is laying the medium brown egg but I am now suspecting the Delaware is laying too. She is 25 weeks old. I was doing my horse laundry today and while checking to make sure the dryer vent was working, I noticed 3 eggs in the planting area under the vent! It really is an egg hunt! Even though I am not sure when those eggs were laid, I brought in 7 eggs! That is more than I have been getting in a week! Finally! Like one of Cheeka's earlier posts, I have 38 chickens ranging from 33 weeks down to 8 weeks, (11 roos, 9 to be culled). So far I have only been getting eggs from the NH Reds (they lay almost daily and their eggs are almost an XL), then this past month the BR's started, the Delaware, and now the CL's. That is only 6 eggs a day from 14 girls that are at least 25 weeks and older. I also have AM's that are as old as the NH's and they haven't even squatted when the Roo comes. Actually, I never saw him mount her either. She is still pale. Someday she will lay. My Marans are just as big as she is and I bet they will lay before she does!

On a "I can't believe I was so stupid note", I have had my brother, his wife and their three young boys (6, 3, 15mos), here for the week so I was distracted, and I forgot to close up the small coop. As we were sitting around enjoying a glass of wine last nite, I let the dog out and heard horrible chicken screams! My brother and I ran out to the coops and opened up the top door and there was a 'possum in there! OMG, my adrenaline was pumping full steam! I managed to get all the chickens out and my brother managed to get the 'possum out, but the chickens had scattered. I thought I found them all, but I missed my favorite #2 rooster that I was growing out. Unfortunately I found some of his remains this morning. I can't tell you how stupid and guilty I felt. I am supposed to provide protection from predation. It is not the predators fault, he found an easy and tasty meal. I don't even think he got the one that wandered to the front of the house. It was a very small 'possum, hardly bigger than a squirrel (well, a southern squirrel, not one of those plumped up northern ones

). Not to be too graphic, but all I found were some feathers with meat attached, what was in the crop, and some sort of intestine thing (I didn't look too closely). Everything else was gone. So I think something bigger got him. I hate learning valuable lessons the hard way and at the expense of a living creatures life

We have all had that "oh noo" moment, and I am so sorry. It is a very hard learning curve.
It gets easier to think ahead as you have them longer. But we are human, and make mistakes.

W4W not sure how it will go, she is very friendly one day, and pretty aggressive the next.
If she is ok with an adult buck then I will keep her. We are adding to the livestock so she isn't going to be a pet.
Loved the pic! just too sweet. I am still not sure if I can do it again or not.
Raised them in the early 90s and upset me too much.
DH swears he will help, so he can be grim reaper on this.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

So, for anyone who has family long distance, I have to put a plug in for Skype. The boys and I have been using it to talk to my hubs while he is in China. It's so cool. He walks around and shows us stuff and it's like we are there a little bit. It's free, too! He just told me that the power went out (there's live messaging too) but it's back on. Almost 10pm on Thurs in California and is 2pm Friday for him. Crazy. Like being on the Jetsons!

Oops, another message. Gotta go. Try Skype if you haven't already. Believe me, if I can learn how, anyone can!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

lol, thanks W4W... butt crack of dawn comes a few ticks after stupid o'clock...

I managed to get home around 3, which is a lot earlier than I expected - I let everyone out as soon as I arrived, knowing that I would have to catch at least 12 chickens to return them to where they now live... turned out to be only 8. the 2 D'Uccle boys never came out, Sam and Gil have always lived there so I wasn't counting on having to catch them... and I didn't... it wasn't too difficult all in all, and it was gorgeous this afternoon, so I'm glad they got some time out. Got some nice pics too... Morgana was literally posing... here she is:

gimme Pie and I'll pose

Sillie is getting big, but is still no bigger than a LF fluffy butt... I got a good glimpse of gorgeous bright blue earlobes today, couldn't get a pic of them, but I will soon!!!

Sillie is a pullet, I bet a free hen on it!!!

Love Morgana's colors!

Quote:
X2!!

Welcome new folks!!! its a lot of fun on here, and several wonderful people.
And then there's ROGER

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

So, for anyone who has family long distance, I have to put a plug in for Skype. The boys and I have been using it to talk to my hubs while he is in China. It's so cool. He walks around and shows us stuff and it's like we are there a little bit. It's free, too! He just told me that the power went out (there's live messaging too) but it's back on. Almost 10pm on Thurs in California and is 2pm Friday for him. Crazy. Like being on the Jetsons!

Oops, another message. Gotta go. Try Skype if you haven't already. Believe me, if I can learn how, anyone can!

It does work really well!

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Janet, how are your parents doing? Any decisions made?

I think it would be harder to do in a bunny than a chicken. It's a test I don't want to take!