Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[chickenlindz]

hugs MC!

I know it'll happen eventually but I'm trying to do everything in my power to reduce the likelyhood of it happening.

I have to admit that I thought everyone on BYC was crazy in their regards to their chickens... I was thinking "they're just birds"... BUT on my!!! I've only had chickens for 4 weeks now and I'm totally in love.

My husband sold another dozen/week eggs at $3/doz. I think we're up to 4 orders at a dozen/week. Ummmmm my babies are only 4 weeks old... I've got a looonnnggg time to wait. I'm glad he is getting into this and seeing the value of having chickens because when I said I might not have enough he replied "well get some more". LOL Think I should tell him I'm getting 2 geese (hopefully)? Nahhhh... I think I'll just wait until I get them and they beg forgiveness... LOLLLLOOOLLLOL

I made a rookie mistake! I'm so mad at myself. I was so entralled with by babies that I fed them some treats from my hand! Arggghhhhh my little buff polish only took 1 time for that to mean that everytime I stick my hand in there it means she's getting a mealworm. Lesson learned. I'm an animal person, can't believe I was so silly.

I don't know if it's a breed difference or not at this age but I see such a difference with my EE babies that are a week old (even comparing them back to the others at a week). They are sooo much sweeter than my polish, marans and silkies. I can pick them up (when checking for pasty butt) and after they don't automatically try to get away. They'll sit in my hand for a few moments... I love it!

 

[Wishing4Wings]

I discovered my first predator casualty about half an hour ago. By bantam Cochin was laying by the pop door to the big run. I don't go into that room until I collect eggs in the evening. I still found 7 eggs. Poor thing. She really was cute.



She is the one on the left with the white fuzzy butt. She somehow never made it into other pictures.

Oh, sorry MC. That's so sad. What do you think got her?

 

[TeaChick]

Here are some of my favorite PIE pictures.

The first 3 are from the thread starter and Roger's dad, our good friend OK (okallthis4eggs).

Here are a couple from Cheeka with the lovely Ruby to help. (My unlovely dogs would have gobbled that pie!)

Mine are not very imaginative and are actually more of a glorified salad. I still call it PIE so the girls don't feel cheated.

Oh, that make more sense than feeding them Spiced Pumpkin Pie or Grandmother's Apple Pie, etc. lol
I just throw the stuff out there, no dish, no nothing.
I hope they don't get on here and feel left out. lol

 

[TeaChick]

Welcome Jess and TeaChick

Thank you! =)

 

[TeaChick]

I wanted to mention that adding the new chickens could also have slowed Coal down a bit. They are remarkably sensitive to change. Changes in the weather, food, the coop, a predator scare... pretty much anything can cause enough stress to interrupt laying. Then again, some are bomb proof and will lay regardless.

The only rule to which there's no exception is that there's always an exception! (There's probably an exception to that.

)

Yep. That pretty much describes my chickens' lives since they came of age to lay. Everything was fine until I thought they were supposed to be laying (about six months old, which was Sept). All of Sept and most of Oct, I was cooping them for three days to a week at a time, (they had been free ranging), that changed their food from bugs and leave to dog food, then I changed that to fermented corn (which they didn't like for the first week), THEN I built them a new hen house, THEN I had to coop them there for the first week, then they didn't go in, so they were grounded until Sunday.
Last night and tonight, I had to chase down my BCF and stick her in the new digs, but then all the others went in too. (IDK if she's at the top of the pecking order or if the other LF hens feel like she needs their protection???)
Anyway, I'm able to find their eggs even when they lay outside the hen house, so I'm just going to free range them during the day (throw Snoodle into the hen house every evening until she gets it that the new place is "home" now) and hope I'm finding all the eggs.
We should have the pen set up in a few weeks.

*pants....

 

[TeaChick]

I think it could be the celery. They haven't had greens in a week or so. And since I am alone here, and ran out of whipped cream (the dog ate it! Seriously. He really did) the chickens got the pie. I will be expecting lots of eggs today, or they will be in a pie!

lol I didn't think that any specific food could get them laying.
I don't think the dog really ate your whipped cream. I don't let the dogs around my house anywhere NEAR the dairy fat; that's ALL for me (and the other humans lol).
I've been thinking about threatening them into laying, but I figure I'll let things settle down for a while first.
I'm not fond of the daily egg hunt, but I'd rather free range them than to have them cooped up.

I'm rambling. Sorry!

 

[TeaChick]

Is it weird that I used my toothbrush to stir my coffee this morning?

I use a pen. If I were in the bathroom and my coffee needed a stir, I wouldn't hesitate to use my toothbrush.
That probably means it's weird.
Sorry.

 

[TeaChick]

I discovered my first predator casualty about half an hour ago. By bantam Cochin was laying by the pop door to the big run. I don't go into that room until I collect eggs in the evening. I still found 7 eggs. Poor thing. She really was cute.



She is the one on the left with the white fuzzy butt. She somehow never made it into other pictures.

I'm so sorry!!!

 

[JesNflock]

Yep. That pretty much describes my chickens' lives since they came of age to lay. Everything was fine until I thought they were supposed to be laying (about six months old, which was Sept). All of Sept and most of Oct, I was cooping them for three days to a week at a time, (they had been free ranging), that changed their food from bugs and leave to dog food, then I changed that to fermented corn (which they didn't like for the first week), THEN I built them a new hen house, THEN I had to coop them there for the first week, then they didn't go in, so they were grounded until Sunday.
Last night and tonight, I had to chase down my BCF and stick her in the new digs, but then all the others went in too. (IDK if she's at the top of the pecking order or if the other LF hens feel like she needs their protection???)
Anyway, I'm able to find their eggs even when they lay outside the hen house, so I'm just going to free range them during the day (throw Snoodle into the hen house every evening until she gets it that the new place is "home" now) and hope I'm finding all the eggs.
We should have the pen set up in a few weeks.

*pants....

Then there's hope for her yet lol It would be much easier I think if I had multiple ladies that were near time to lay then I wouldn't be dependent on one lady's temperament.

 

[lindz8504]

5 of the G.Comet girls laid and one of the EE girls laid. So my egg total for the day was 6! Woo Hoo!