Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[mortie]

Oh my goodness, so many posts in the last few minutes!

Ok on the squatting. It is extremely characteristic. It's always a certain way. If they just duck or sit down, it's not a squat. If they are trying to waddle away from you as you pet them, even though they are low to the ground, it's not a squat. A true squat is easy to spot. The chicken freezes in her tracks, gets low to the ground and holds her wings out a little and stands very still. If you pet her, she doesn't move. I always give mine a good back scratch if they squat as I walk by them. Then they usually ruffle up their feathers and shake. When you look at them from above, they make kind of a heart shape with their wings. That's how you know.

Cheeka - it was chilly at the drive in last night. Some places in my state got FROST!

Clindz - I had to eat them early. About 10 weeks. Wasn't hardly anything on em but I had to because of the laws in these parts

 

[valjean]

Yes, they have oyster shell and I have given them fairly finely ground egg shells. I'm not concerned about it, just annoyed because I want the eggs.

I think the whole calcium deficiency thing is more a problem for chronically deficient hens who have been laying a while. I'm sure a chicken has plenty of calcium reserves to make hard shelled eggs for at least a while without supplementation before it becomes a problem. Even with today's birds that have been bred to far outlay their wild counterparts (who do not get oyster shell flung at them) I'm certain a bird who has never seen a calcium supplement in its life could lay for at least a few weeks before having an issue. Even if they didn't have it available, I'm sure Wil who has laid...3 good eggs could find it in herself to make a hard shelled egg. I think she just likes to mess with me. I'm going to throw the next one at Stephen next time I see him fly over.

I could be wrong, it's been known to happen. Bottom line though is she's not suffering from a lack of calcium. The timing of them indicates that she's just cutting loose too soon. Like yesterday she laid an egg at like 8 am and then she dropped a softie sometime after 8 pm. Too short a time for her to really have coated that sucker though.

Hershy where are ya. I want to hear about your egg!

I've wondered about the whole calcium thing, too, regarding how necessary it really is. It seems a chicken with a decent diet ought to be getting enough calcium for an egg. I've been checking all in the the coop for ANY kind of egg from the other three, soft, broken, etc. Nothing yet.

There is so much "do this" "don't do that" info out there it's hard sometimes to figure it all out. I actually could give them all layer feed now, I guess, since they are of laying age. Didn't mean to cause any confusion.

Do you have an EE? I'm looking forward to seeing what color egg mine lays.

 

[Scrambles55]

Jemma.... I think that she will the first of the pullets to lay.

Nugget.... #2 POL



Little Bit.... she was the first Ameraucana to hatch.

And finally, Minnie Pearl. She hatched 2 days after Little Bit. My guess is that she will be last for POL. You can see Rumples' head. so cute....

 

[Hershy]

[COLOR=800080]Jemma.... I think that she will the first of the pullets to lay.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=800080][COLOR=000000] [/COLOR][/COLOR][COLOR=800080]Nugget.... #2 POL[/COLOR] [COLOR=800080]Little Bit.... she was the first Ameraucana to hatch.[/COLOR] [COLOR=800080]And finally, Minnie Pearl. She hatched 2 days after Little Bit. My guess is that she will be last for POL. You can see Rumples' head. so cute....[/COLOR]

Beautiful girls!!

 

[Scrambles55]

Thank you, Hershy!!

That's all Folks!! TWO!!!!

 

[mortie]

wow, Jemma has some stunning coloring!

I think with the way these birds are bred to produce so much, they probably do need supplementation, but it would take a bit for the full tilt egg production to take enough of a toll on a bird to really have an effect when they are new to laying. One that's been laying 6 months at 5-6 eggs a day will be needing that calcium, I do believe.

A hard day of laying is done
It MUST have been hard -
we only managed ONE!

 

[TNchickmom]

Hey LOOK! That post was your 100 Post!

Oh wow it sure was! It goes by fast when you talk about chickens lol.

 

[subhanalah]

If I had layer, I wouldn't worry about feeding it to all my girls.  At their age it wouldn't hurt them.  How old are yours, TN?

feeding nonlaying birds layer is asking for trouble. It causes renal problems and even if it is not prolonged enough to kill the bird, it still causes damage. Even hens that are taking a break due to daylight or molt.

 

[TNchickmom]

If I had layer, I wouldn't worry about feeding it to all my girls.  At their age it wouldn't hurt them.  How old are yours, TN?

Well I have 3 of laying age and 6 at least 12 weeks and up

 

[Scrambles55]

I watch my girls from the bedroom window and just before going into the coop, they eat a bit of oyster shells. oh.. oh.... I hear fighting in the coop.....gotta go