Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[smhoekzema]

1 Egg so far today:/ Laid it in the run which is a bit strange.

 

[mortie]

I got none.

No eggs today.

Where is OK?

 

[newchickmomma4]

I have been following this thread for a few months now and have read ALL (yep, every one) of the posts. I love this thread, it is one of my favorites. I do have a question for all of you though. I have 4 2 year old hens that we adopted in March and 4 5 week old chicks. When we got the hens 3 of them were laying. They took a day or two off to deal with the stress of the move but the transition really was pretty seamless. The hen that was not laying previous to coming had lost a little weight before the move, and started moulting the first week she was here. About a month ago she started putting a little more weight on and started laying again 3 weeks ago. The other three ladies started a moult the 3rd week they were here. One if them stopped laying completely until 2 weeks ago and I've gotten 6 eggs per week from her both weeks. The other two have layed an egg here and an egg there throughout their moult but haven't gotten steady yet. Their vents look good, they have a 3 finger breadth between their pubic bones, etc. I do realize that they are on the older end if egg production, but up until they moulted they were good steady layers4-6 eggs per week each. I keep reading about many if you giving your ladies "pie". I'm curious to find out if there are any magical ingredients to include or if it is just bits and pieces of this and that leftover from the day? Also, is it better to give them "pie" in the morning or evening? Or does timing even matter?

 

[BullChick]

Hi, Newchick! Welcome!
The contents of the pie don't matter unless you are talking to Roger. She will eat anythhing, but then give her list of demands. Calcium is important, so be sure they have oyster shell or crumbled egg shell.
Egg shells can be baked to dry them out, and make it easier to crumble. You crumble them to be sure they are not recognized as eggs by the chickens.

 

[newchickmomma4]

Hi, Newchick! Welcome!
The contents of the pie don't matter unless you are talking to Roger. She will eat anythhing, but then give her list of demands. Calcium is important, so be sure they have oyster shell or crumbled egg shell.
Egg shells can be baked to dry them out, and make it easier to crumble. You crumble them to be sure they are not recognized as eggs by the chickens.

I do have a dish in the run that I put crushed egg shells in for them and they eat it empty every day. Yesterday I didn't have any egg shells to put out so I put oyster she'll out.....those picky ladies barely touched it . Thankfully the while family had eggs yesterday for breakfast so I have plenty to grind today to take out for them this morning. Now should I be adding the shells to the pie in addition to the dish or is the dish enough?

And I love Roger! She's a pretty cool hen

 

[smhoekzema]

They will take calcium from that dish as needed I just put the favourites in pie for my girls. Watermelon base, Greek yoghurt (great for healthy gut), red chilli flakes(supposedly helps getting them laying and sprinkled with sesame seeds and corn Whatever your girls fancy!

 

[chickenlindz]

Well my 1st hatching experiment is over.... and a very important lesson was learned.

So in summary...

Squirt went broody so I decided to get some hatching eggs... Opps ordered 12+ not 6+.

Time to buy another incubator.

4 eggs under squirt, 7 eggs in first incubator and a day later the last 5 went into the new incubator (tho both were new).

I tried to calibrate temperature but I got 3 different readings on 3 different thermometers... so I just gave up and went with the one that was with each incubator.

I have no idea what the humidity level was but I weighed the eggs and they all lost the appropriate amt of wt over the course of 18 days.

I candeled the eggs to start but couldn't really see the air sacs so I just put them all in. They all looked like they were developing.... that made me nervous. Aren't some suppose to be blanks?

I didn't see well as we got closer but none smelled so all went into lockdown... that made me more nervous.
Aren't some suppose to stop developing?

Hatch time came early for the first batch.
7 out of 7 with only 1 assist (that probably didn't really need it)

Squirt time
3 out of 4 with one crushed egg

This last batch took awhile (well really only one went a couple hrs longer than day 21)
5 out of 5 with the last one hatching last night/early morning

15 BABIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lesson learned that you should count your chicks before they hatch 'cause if they all hatch you better have a plan... AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Can't wait to see how they frizzle out!

My poor DH... I told him not to worry 'cause I'd probably not get that many.
What he said to me last night, "We won't make that mistake again..."
Ummm, yes I probably will!
Really hoping I can sell these babies.

Now time to clean up the incubators and put them away.

 

[mortie]

Congrats on the hatch! Pics or it didn't happen

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Hi everybody! Hope you all had a great weekend. My hub's nephew came for a visit from NY (on his way to Hawaii to visit parents and then on to Philippines to visit a grandma and finally to Japan to visit other family). He loved the new chicks, so it was nice to be able to show a world traveler something new.

Speaking of chicks...


Fanny with her 3 chicks.


She's got them eating all sorts of good things on day 2.


Training for synchronized pecking.


Had to make her nursery next to the older chicks' cage. Fanny started picking on the older chicks.

One broody Serama left on the nest with a broody Cochin companion. 4 of the 5 eggs look good, so that would gives us an even dozen chicks if they all hatch. The last hatch should be this Thursday. Hoping I can combine these two groups by then so I'll have an easy place to put the newest ones. Space is getting tight. Wish they didn't have such cannibalistic tendencies so I could just put them all out together. The rooster is particularly anxious to be with the chicks, and I think he wants to feed them. He is a good guy, but I'm not quite ready to risk him getting confused and end up eating them instead.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Flo, sidekick of Fannie, aka Bakery...
21 Eggs today

So pretty! Chicken in Paradise.

Whew... we got home a couple of hours ago. I checked on the Mean One and he needed water and food. When I reached into the dog crate.... he bit me.. twice! The big girls were out free ranging and Rumples was in the pen, so I thought that I would see what Mean One would do when I let him back with his siblings. Well.... He IMMEDIATELY attacked the other male Lav. It was aggressive! I tossed him out with the big girls. Until I can rehome him, he will sleep in the dog crate and free range with the big girls. I am pretty sure that 2 of the Lav Ams are male. The other is a pullet. Little Bit I believe is a pullet.
Fishing was ok. On Friday I had the lead catfish in the women's division of the Derby. 6#2oz. The next day I caught a 7#14oz, but was beat out by a 8#15oz. Such is Life.

Sounds like somebody has more than his fair share of hormones! My EE cockerel that-was-supposed-to-be-a-pullet got a little mean, but the lady that took him hasn't had a bit of trouble in 2 years. Like Cheeka said, relocation can readjust a cocky attitude (pun intended).

Is your fishing derby catch and release or does everyone have a big fish fry at the end?

I got none.

No eggs today.

Where is OK?

Roger probably framed him on bogus animal cruelty charges.

No internet access in jail.

We will fight back with the Free OK campaign.

I have been following this thread for a few months now and have read ALL (yep, every one) of the posts. I love this thread, it is one of my favorites. I do have a question for all of you though. I have 4 2 year old hens that we adopted in March and 4 5 week old chicks. When we got the hens 3 of them were laying. They took a day or two off to deal with the stress of the move but the transition really was pretty seamless. The hen that was not laying previous to coming had lost a little weight before the move, and started moulting the first week she was here. About a month ago she started putting a little more weight on and started laying again 3 weeks ago. The other three ladies started a moult the 3rd week they were here. One if them stopped laying completely until 2 weeks ago and I've gotten 6 eggs per week from her both weeks. The other two have layed an egg here and an egg there throughout their moult but haven't gotten steady yet. Their vents look good, they have a 3 finger breadth between their pubic bones, etc. I do realize that they are on the older end if egg production, but up until they moulted they were good steady layers4-6 eggs per week each. I keep reading about many if you giving your ladies "pie". I'm curious to find out if there are any magical ingredients to include or if it is just bits and pieces of this and that leftover from the day? Also, is it better to give them "pie" in the morning or evening? Or does timing even matter?

Hi!

I've seen you on here a few times. Glad you joined us! Hope all your hens start laying more consistently. One of mine stopped in her second season and another quit this year (her third season). Both hens are 2 yrs old now. So of the 11 laying hens I'm feeding, I get about 4-5 eggs a day. 2 non-layers, one still broody, one with thin shells, which leaves 7 hens for our egg supply.

As for the magic of pie, I think it's the enjoyment they get as much as nutrition. Gives them something to liven up their chickeny lives, keeps them busy for awhile, and so relieves stress. I can just imagine what they think. Ahhh, that was delicious. I'm stuffed. What should we do now? I know, let's go lay some eggs!

Well my 1st hatching experiment is over.... and a very important lesson was learned.

Lesson learned that you should count your chicks before they hatch 'cause if they all hatch you better have a plan... AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Yes indeed! Well, I thought I had a plan, but you know, the best laid plans..... blah blah.... Murphy's Law... blah blah....
In the end, Chicken Math wins and we are it's willing victims!

Congrats on the hatch! Pics or it didn't happen

x2!!!