Regarding lighting, earlier in the fall, when egg production dropped off, I experimented with a light in the coop to see if it would help. Instead, it just seemed to confuse them, and made them less likely to go into the coop at dark (the light spilled into their run, so they figured it was still daylight and time to stay outside). I didn't notice much difference in egg production before giving up on the experiment. So, count me among those sticking with "natural light." (And, actually, egg production has started to swing back up the past couple of weeks, so I think they were just going through a seasonal "phase" for lack of a better term ... one hen seemed to be bordering on going broody, the other was molting, so I ended up chalking up the egg drop-off to those factors.)
Does anyone else use any supplements in the water? I don't do it with every fill up, but at least half the time, I mix in some Vitamin & Electrolyte powder from Durvet. Not sure if it really makes any health difference, but it has a list of vitamins and minerals and seems harmless. What do other board members think about supplements?
Roberta ... now that a couple weeks have passed, how is George making out? All settled in with the rest of the gang? Has he toned down his noisiness? His brother, Conway, really hasn't been crowing all that much. Every few days I'll hear him once or twice, but he's pretty quiet and laid back (thought I think he's reaching, um, maturity, as he seems to be "bothering" the hens quite a bit recently ....).
Adding the two new Plymouth Rocks to the original flock of Japanese Bantams went pretty smoothly. With a couple weeks gone by, the one JB hen, Loretta, is still pretty aggressive, but she's not actually hurting the others, so I'm letting them be. There's still a good bit of chasing, nipping and squawking, but no blood or feather loss. The PR's do not fight back, they just run and hide. I have two feed & water stations, so the two groups can keep their distance if need be. Hopefully they'll end up being one big happy family, but for now, I'll accept them at least tolerating each other!
