Still no eggs...

[rancher hicks]

When I got Lucy it took her exactly two weeks to the day to lay an egg for us. I think it stresses them out. New environment and all...

Haven't gotten to the end but this is true. Many things can throw them off. This is why I recommend a calm demeanor when around your birds. It could take a week or more. Too, avoid all treats for a while. I realize that they are your "babies" but they are chickens first. Let them get used to you for some time before you pick them up. Don't try to force them to go outside. Let them decide for themselves.

Remember there are only two things chickens really need. Feed and clean water. If you are prone to treats, or things other than feed you can expect them to lay less than they would otherwise. If you are getting enough eggs then this will not be a problem. Also keep in mind that different breeds lay more or less than others, but definitely not an egg a day.

I wish you well,

Rancher

 

[BettyBlueSilkie]

IF YOU HAVE A DECK OR ANY STUCTURE CHECK UNDER THERE BECAUSE THEY COULD BE LAYING UNDER THERE. IT ALSO COULD BE STRESS IF YOU JUST GOT THEM.

 

[ispydmc]

Your girls might need a light in their coop or house. I found that it was getting dark so early in the evening my egg production was dropping ( getting close to zero). About a week after I put a light in their house I was getting an egg from each hen almost every day

. I leave the light on all night and the girls are arguing over nest box first thing in the morning. I will be adding another nest box to alleviate the early morning shrieking.

 

[Banriona]

Your girls might need a light in their coop or house. I found that it was getting dark so early in the evening my egg production was dropping ( getting close to zero). About a week after I put a light in their house I was getting an egg from each hen almost every day

. I leave the light on all night and the girls are arguing over nest box first thing in the morning. I will be adding another nest box to alleviate the early morning shrieking.

I haven't yet fact checked this so I don't know if it's true or not..... but someone on here somewhere said that leaving a light on for the girls in the winter can shorten their life span? Not sure that it's relevant to me since I don't reckon they'll survive the dinner table long enough to live to retirement anyway. Again, not even sure that's true. Maybe someone with more experience can provide further info on this.

 

[Alwayswantchics]

I have not had a girl give me an egg for a bout two weeks now.I give them a game feed because I also have quail. I have given some calcium as a supplement bit nothing.. I have noticed some extra feathers around so they can could also be molting. Pls help., Tired of freeloaders

 

[hosspak]

I have not had a girl give me an egg for a bout two weeks now.I give them a game feed because I also have quail. I have given some calcium as a supplement bit nothing.. I have noticed some extra feathers around so they can could also be molting. Pls help., Tired of freeloaders

Same here, don't let your children move back home.. It seems to multiply the aging process.

 

[hosspak]

I haven't yet fact checked this so I don't know if it's true or not..... but someone on here somewhere said that leaving a light on for the girls in the winter can shorten their life span? Not sure that it's relevant to me since I don't reckon they'll survive the dinner table long enough to live to retirement anyway. Again, not even sure that's true. Maybe someone with more experience can provide further info on this.

Leaving the light on all night causes undue stress on the chickens because they need to sleep, but if you add extra light for longer days, it can shorten the egg laying years as chickens are hatched with a limited number of embryos they have for life.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

I haven't yet fact checked this so I don't know if it's true or not..... but someone on here somewhere said that leaving a light on for the girls in the winter can shorten their life span? Not sure that it's relevant to me since I don't reckon they'll survive the dinner table long enough to live to retirement anyway. Again, not even sure that's true. Maybe someone with more experience can provide further info on this.

Chickens are very photosensitive, and many need a minimum of 14-16 hours of light a day to lay well. More than 18 hours will actually slow down egg production, and light 24/7 will cause lots of stress and possibly cannibalism. All animals must have a dark period each day for their bodies to function properly. http://umaine.edu/publications/2227e/ is a good discussion on poultry lighting for all stages of a bird's life.

I have not seen any research that shows that the chickens' life span will be affected by supplementary lighting, although here is an interview with an avian vet that says it does not: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/09/supplemental-light-in-coop-why-how.html.

There is a possibility (I've not seen any research one way or the other) that the hens will stop laying at an earlier age if they have lighting in the winter. It seems like it is basically a choice between getting most of your eggs in the first 2-3 years or spreading that number of eggs out over more years. Hens, like humans, have a finite number of ova and so you can't make a hen lay more eggs than her body is hatched with. For those of us who keep chickens for egg production (not just as "pets with benefits") and replace them at 2-3 years, it ABSOLUTELY makes sense to use supplementary lighting.

I have some broody hens that are going on five years old, and they still look great even though they have supplemental lighting every winter. I have no idea how well they lay, as there's no way with my flock to really know who lays what, when, but that's not why I keep them around, anyway.

Anyway, whether or not you provide lighting in the winter seems to be a personal choice, dictated by economics (you willing to buy eggs all winter while still feeding hens?) and personal choices about the hens' lives (do you feel like the hens need a break every winter, for longer than their natural moult period?). My hens moult every fall, and get their rest then. As soon as I see them moulting, I turn on the lights for a bit longer every week until we're up to 15 hours of light. Most of my flock lays right through the winter, which pays for their feed. For me, there is no other choice. You'll have to make up your own mind.

 

[Phoenixxx]

When I am get home from work and get my son from football practice and have no more running around to do I let them out to run around the yard until dark but they don't seem to go on their own. I want to get them in while I still have light to see and maybe that is a little too early for them to go on their own. I only have 2.3 acres and my fence rows are all brushy and they love to get in those and scratch around. They also use that for cover when I am trying to get them put up. My pullets are Golden Laced Wyandote and they are a fast bunch compared to the Rhode Island Reds. I can corner them and catch the Reds easier. I can't wait for the pullets to be able to mix in with the other chickens where I can leave both their pens open to the run. They are only about 4 months old still. My son is 12 and he is pretty decent at gathering up the chickens and fast enough to chase them if they are being difficult. My wife will not run after the chickens.

If you wait until dusk, they'll go in on their own. If it's too dark that you need a flashlight and you go too soon to lock them up, though, they'll come running back out - at least, mine do - so i wait at least half an hour after they've gone in. I have some chickens that never got the "this is your new house so to teach you that you're locked up for a few days" treatment because they were too smart, great fliers and escaped within minutes of bringing them home. However, even their first night without the locking-up new home rehab, they were smart enough to figure out where home was by simply following all the others back in at night. (After the instant escapes I was like, what the hell, may as well... and let everyone out!)

As for the "friendly" thing, everyone is right - it basically comes down to the personality of the bird. I raised some chicks and still can't hold/touch a single one, yet I got two pullets that grew up totally free-range from birth on a big farm and they are absolute sweethearts! They'll fly onto my arm, let me pick them up, sit on my lap, etc... Of my old girls, two steer clear (of us) but one INSISTS on coming in the house everytime the door opens... and then there's the phoenixes, skittish beyond belief - I'm not holding my breath on them!

 

[Phoenixxx]

As for the hidden nest thing (I call them sneak-nests), you'd be surprised. My "house chicken" (she's not actually allowed in, mind you) used to lay in the coop but at some point this spring she decided that was no longer good enough. Wondering where the heck all my eggs were, I decided to hunt my property. Found several broken shells and an egg! For a few days after, I got an egg a day in the same spot - then nothing. After a couple weeks I figured maybe she moved her sneak-nest so off I went hunting again... more broken shells (coons or fox) led me to a nest of 11 eggs, 9 of which were still good to eat! Again, after a few days of collecting there, she moved her sneak-nest YET AGAIN, this time to the opposite side of the property! After looking around here (byc), I found out about the fake egg thing so I placed a pingpong ball in the latest laying locale... So far, so good - she hasn't moved her nest since.

Kitty-wise (someone brought that up), I have at least 3 neighbourhood cats that come around. They used to even come in my yard but since getting chickens they no longer come on the property. The cats will check out the chickens when they happen to come across each other in neutral territory but I've never had an incident.