Should I worry??

[DixieChickie]

Cause I am a bit worried...but do I have a reason to be?

I have 5 redstars, they have just turned a year old. Last year when they started laying I received 5 eggs a day every day, don't remember them missing any.....I did not put a light in their coop for the winter, and they stopped laying over the winter. They started laying again about a month ago, and as soon as they started I was immeditaly getting 5 eggs a day, every day. The last 2 days I have only gotten 4. One hen was lying around yesterday evening, but the sun was going down, so I figured it was getting about that time for them, she did get up when I rattled the coop door. Later I went out and checked and she was up roosting with the other 4 ladies. So do I worry? How do I know if she's egg bound? And if she is, what do I do? I heard soaking in warm warm water for 20 minutes?

They get Purina's Layena and free choice oyster shells and grit. They have a large 5 gallon bucket of water with a poultry cup drinker (I will never buy a nipple drinker again, I love this cup drinker) They all know how to use and activate it...I've seen them return to their coop, when loose, just to drink out of that instead of the rainwater bucket.

 

[hennyannie]

Don't worry, just watch. Sounds fine to me and remember redstars should be slowing down a little at that age.Where did you get the cup drinker?

 

[carrlr]

I wouldn't worry. My redstars often miss a day here and there and they're also just ove a year old. Unlike the last poster, I've never heard they slow down at just one year.

 

[DixieChickie]

Quote:
I found them on ebay....a 6 pack for 20 something I think it was. They screw into pvc pipe or the side of buckets, just like the nipple drinkers screw in underneath whatever you want them on. I have a 5 gallon bucket with lid, I set it up on blocks, and edged it in teh corner where my indoor coop pens meet, I put a cup 1/4 of the way up on the redstars side, and a cup on the very bottom of the bucket on my bantams side. and the cups stick into the coops, but the bucket is in my storage area...that way I can just pop the top off it and refill without fighting the chickens, cause they wanna see what I have. LOL