TeaChick's Chicks

[chickenboy190]

Final Beauty Update:
I culled her after dark last night.
She fought hard, but she was done fighting.
First animal I've ever culled myself. I was determined to do it myself and not ask my husband to do it for me.

I'm still really sorry that you had to cull her

 

[TeaChick]

I'm still really sorry that you had to cull her

Thank you.

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

 

[TeaChick]

Experiment Update:
The experiment is over.

I was late getting up this morning (my LO [little one] had me up twice last night and in between that, his pup had us out of bed with flashlights looking all over the backyard for whatever she was barking her head off at, ugh). So, not enough sleep makes for a late start in the a.m. and bored chickens b/c we have to let the dogs run around before we let the chickens out (or the dogs will be running around after the chickens. lol)
Anyway, I went out there and found the bottom nesting box severely disheveled. Half the golf balls were in the top of the nesting material and digging around for the other 3, I found a brown egg; after a fair amount of more digging around in the straw (all the way down to dirt) I found the other three g. balls. I floated the egg and it's good, but it will be used next, b/c IDK when it was laid.
The only guess I can make is that two hens wanted to lay at the same time and a Comet won.

This evening I found another brown egg in the bottom nesting box, so...
Egg Count: 2 brown; 0 white (Those Leghorns better get busy or else!!!)

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

Experiment Update:
The experiment is over.

I was late getting up this morning (my LO [little one] had me up twice last night and in between that, his pup had us out of bed with flashlights looking all over the backyard for whatever she was barking her head off at, ugh). So, not enough sleep makes for a late start in the a.m. and bored chickens b/c we have to let the dogs run around before we let the chickens out (or the dogs will be running around after the chickens. lol)
Anyway, I went out there and found the bottom nesting box severely disheveled. Half the golf balls were in the top of the nesting material and digging around for the other 3, I found a brown egg; after a fair amount of more digging around in the straw (all the way down to dirt) I found the other three g. balls. I floated the egg and it's good, but it will be used next, b/c IDK when it was laid.
The only guess I can make is that two hens wanted to lay at the same time and a Comet won.

This evening I found another brown egg in the bottom nesting box, so...
Egg Count: 2 brown; 0 white (Those Leghorns better get busy or else!!!)

Hmm. Did you check around for white eggs being laid elsewhere? Good luck on the eggs!

 

[TeaChick]

Hmm. Did you check around for white eggs being laid elsewhere? Good luck on the eggs!

I had to pretty much dig up the entirety of the bottom nesting box, there weren't any in there and, just for good measure, I dug up the entirety of the top nesting box too.
I didn't check anywhere besides the nesting boxes; I guess I'll keep my eyes open for the next few days.
I think the decrease in egg production has to do with the overcast skies we had last week. Like an adjustment period. I guess.

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

Quote: Do you have artificial lighting? If not that is probably what is killing egg production. Also some of the new pullets in our flock have been laying eggs in the run because they just don't know any better yet. Maybe your chickens are laying them in a weird place like ours. I hope you finally get some eggs from those Leghorns. Maybe once they start they'll never stop?

P.S. I would send you some Leghorn eggs but I don't have Leghorns. Sorry about that. We use to though.

 

[TeaChick]

Do you have artificial lighting? If not that is probably what is killing egg production. Also some of the new pullets in our flock have been laying eggs in the run because they just don't know any better yet. Maybe your chickens are laying them in a weird place like ours. I hope you finally get some eggs from those Leghorns. Maybe once they start they'll never stop?

P.S. I would send you some Leghorn eggs but I don't have Leghorns. Sorry about that. We use to though.

No, I don't have artificial lighting. So, yeah, a few overcast days in a row and egg production takes a nosedive the next week.

Yeah, I've already taken them to Egg Laying Location School. They lay consistently in the nesting boxes. They lay almost entirely in the bottom box

Except when that one Leghorn can't hold it and lays in the top.

If you want Leghorns, I can send you some eggs once production is up a bit better. =)

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

Quote: Artificial lighting is the key in keeping egg production up through winter.

Do you have a Leghorn roo? I don't really want Leghorns, they spoiled my taste for them a few years back when they escaped every single day!

I like them, they just aren't right for me.

 

[TeaChick]

Artificial lighting is the key in keeping egg production up through winter.

Do you have a Leghorn roo? I don't really want Leghorns, they spoiled my taste for them a few years back when they escaped every single day!

I like them, they just aren't right for me.

Yeah. I'm just try to do things as naturally as I can. =)

My roo is half white Leghorn and half gold-laced Wayndotte. He's young, but so far, he's cool with the ppl and dogs and he wants to try to protect the hens. =)
I've only had one hen actually pull a Houdini on me. Otherwise, I've lost two b/c they up and decided to sleep in the woods. =(

I feel ya. If I weren't so interested in egg production at this point, I wouldn't even entertain having them. In fact, I was going to only hatch out my Comet and Cochin eggs and cull the Leghorns as they quit laying. But I figured I can do that each year; hatch out a bunch to get my winter egg production where I want it to be and then cull them for dinner through the rest of the year as necessary. *win-win* But they're so sensitive (especially to light, but also to changes in their feed and housing) that I'm hatching out a bunch of Comet and Cochin eggs and getting some hens of other breeds. I'm leaning toward Wayndottes and Plymouth Rocks.
Any thoughts?