Texas

[dstinett]

I forgot my black Australorps i i have had always were great layers of large eggs.

 

[RustedOak]

Need suggestions from those who hatch??? Have a friend whose father's chickens were killed by a possum and she found a clutch of eggs that are chirping! What can she do to insure their survival besides keeping them warm?!

 

[dstinett]

Put them in a plastic container with a lid covering mist of the top. Leave a small space for ventilation. Place on top of heating pad set on low. Play container of water the size of baby jar or so in container for humidity. I've hatched many that way. Or stick them in my bra until they start to hatch

 

[Bazy]

Need suggestions from those who hatch??? Have a friend whose father's chickens were killed by a possum and she found a clutch of eggs that are chirping! What can she do to insure their survival besides keeping them warm?!

Put them in a plastic container with a lid covering mist of the top. Leave a small space for ventilation. Place on top of heating pad set on low. Play container of water the size of baby jar or so in container for humidity. I've hatched many that way. Or stick them in my bra until they start to hatch

and do all that FAST!! right now!

 

[dstinett]

Yes, pronto! Stick them against tour body heat immediately while you make arrangements. If they chirp they are due within 24 hrs

 

[Bazy]

Yes, pronto! Stick them against tour body heat immediately while you make arrangements. If they chirp they are due within 24 hrs

you know how to get a brooder ready for them when they break out? they need to be kept around 95 degrees for the first week, but especially until they dry out! While they are hatching over the heating pad( try not to open it too much and let the heat out, but keep it cracked so they don't suffocate), find something like a small Styrofoam cooler and provide them a source of heat..a lamp with the shade removed hanging about 6 or 8 " from the floor of the cooler. just make sure the cooler is big enough that they can get at least a foot or more away from the light bulb if they get too hot. Line it with paper towels to absorb their poo. Get a small very, very shallow water dish ready (they fall asleep on their feet and will drown in the water dish if it is too deep. and dip their beak in the water when you put them in the cooler. They won't need food until you can get some chick starter food and a proper brooder lamp the next day.

YOU are going to be up ALL night!

If anybody makes it(hatches), post up in emergencies and everyone will tell you what to do next. Look up "pasty butt" so you know what to watch for.


GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[magpiesing]

What breeds do you like for best egg production and size and also tolerate the heat well? I have a flock of heritage breeds who are pretty to look at and lay pretty eggs but now I need to ramp up production to keep up with demand of family and neighbors. Also who lays well in both heat and winter? Or two breeds of which one lays well in summer and the other in winter?

We have 6 Rhode Island reds, 5 production reds and two mixed hens,,,these are mature layers. The RIR lay the largest eggs most are large to XL. The PRs usually large some medium. My mix hens lay quite large eggs also. So far they have done well this summer. They have plenty of shade in their yard and fans in the chicken house. We have 3 SLW, one brown leghorn hens that aren't yet laying but should be. We get 5-6 eggs from the layers a day, one day only two. Hopefully egg production will go back up to the 12-14 we were getting in the spring. We also have some red mix pullets coming up in a couple of months. I have regular customers at my church and my ladies can't keep up right now.

 

[SlipsWife]

What breeds do you like for best egg production and size and also tolerate the heat well?  I have a flock of heritage breeds who are pretty to look at and lay pretty eggs but now I need to ramp up production to keep up with demand of family and neighbors.   Also who lays well in both heat and winter?  Or two breeds of which one lays well in summer and the other in winter?

Our Turkens (naked necks) laid well over the summer and winter without doing anything extra. Also red sex links, they are laying machines.

 

[henless]

What breeds do you like for best egg production and size and also tolerate the heat well? I have a flock of heritage breeds who are pretty to look at and lay pretty eggs but now I need to ramp up production to keep up with demand of family and neighbors. Also who lays well in both heat and winter? Or two breeds of which one lays well in summer and the other in winter?

I have 15 hens, 14 are laying. I get on average 10 - 12 a day. I have 3 of each of the following: SLWs, Barred Rocks, Black Aussies, EEs and Orps. One of my Orps isn't big enough to lay yet. I got them as chicks back in Feb of this year. I got my first egg at around 4 months. They are all hatchery chicks. I like all my chickens, but the BAs, BRs and Orps are my favorite. I like my EEs, but 2 of them are flighty, but I will get more just for the egg colors. My SLWs are pretty and lay well, but they are NOISY!!! Very loud, and bawk, bawk, bawk all the time! I doubt I will get any more of those.

They have plenty of shade and I turn the barn fan on for them to help circulate the air. I also hose the coop/run down every few days to keep the dust down. It's so dry here.

I still feed them starter, with girt and oyster shell available for them free choice. I also feed them treats. In the mornings, it is cabbage, watermelon rind, leftovers, fishing worms, meal worms, raisins, fruit etc. In the evening, they get half a coffee can of scratch.

What kind of chickens do you have and what age are they? I plan on getting a few more next spring so that they will be of laying age next fall when my current flock starts to slow down.

 

[3chickchicks]

leghorns are the laying queens but in the winter i would say a speckled Sussex or Plymouth rock and it really depends on the chicken you have some do or don't lay in the winter. if you want chickens to lay in the winter add extra lighting to the coop and insulate it well; almost any chicken will lay though the winter but this burns out the chicken laying ability's faster. Also some rhode island reds lay in the winter (they also lay well in the summer and are good with heat) so it is up to you

I read a deal from a vet (Dr. Mike Petrik, DVM) specializing in laying hens who said supplemental lighting won't burn them out faster. They have more eggs than they can lay in a life time (said it would take decades of daily laying to run out) and that it is old age that makes them stop.
He did say that they must be allowed to molt because it lets them increase their fat stores, allows for healthy bone and get reconditioned feathers.

"I've heard people comment that artificial light will decrease the hen's lifespan, or decrease the number of eggs she lays during her lifetime. There is no evidence of supplemental lighting decreasing longevity, provided you supply adequate nutrition, and allow the birds to molt every 12-18 months. The molt is necessary to replenish bone stores, rebuild feather strength, and let the hens gain some muscle and fat stores. Otherwise, the hen is perfectly capable of healthily laying eggs throughout the year. As for her "lifetime" supply of eggs, she is born with the number of possible ova (yolks) already set. These number in the hundreds of thousands, and would take decades of daily egg production to deplete. A hen will stop laying because of old age (and therefore produce less eggs in her life) long before she would ever run out of ova to produce eggs."
From: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/09/supplemental-light-in-coop-why-how.html?m=1