Texas

[ATXInstantFlock]

They must be first year layers.

Most definitely! My entire flock is less than 6 months old, and my uneducated guess about who is laying (based on sporadic observations of girls going in/out) is that it's been the same 2-3 that have been frequent layers with a few layers just coming online this week. I almost don't want to setup the cameras so I've got an excuse to go hang out with the flock and poke around every day, though I haven't quite had enough energy to try and do vent inspections.

They will lay all through the winter, most likely. Second year layers slow down the next winter.

I'm glad we have mild winters here, but that doesn't prevent me from daydreaming about making a complex set of egg delivery pipes that drop them off in a small basket right outside my back door.
Realistically, I should just solve this the old fashioned way... make my junior chicken farmer go get em.

With the kids gone, I've went from 9 chickens to 3. Two of those three aren't laying at the moment. Pancake is old, guessing 7 years, but need to verify. White Face is molting. Kept one pullet from this year's hatch and the other three went to a friend who is having predator issues. They think they have it under control now.

So from 4 eggs daily to 1 egg most days. Should be good.

Since we're not homesteaders, the vast majority of our food comes from the grocery store, as-is. Not enough hours in the day or land to grow our vegetables, let alone meat/fish. So if we have to supplement with store bought eggs in the winter we'll be fine with it.
In the grand scheme of things, as long as we get "enough" eggs that we can cover their bills moving forward, anything above/beyond will be a bonus to us.
I don't even want to look at the past 2 years of vet bills for my 4-legged cancer survivor, and she doesn't even lay eggs!

The thought of hatching our own chicks someday is pretty appealing, but I'm pretty sure we're basically at the limit of how many chickens we're allowed to have in our city. I still remember hatching chicks in elementary school and it was certainly fun for my little chicken farmer to do last year, so that's what started this whole adventure. It'll be funny if my younger junior chicken farmer gets to experience this at home before doing it at school.

 

[RUNuts]

Most definitely! My entire flock is less than 6 months old, and my uneducated guess about who is laying (based on sporadic observations of girls going in/out) is that it's been the same 2-3 that have been frequent layers with a few layers just coming online this week. I almost don't want to setup the cameras so I've got an excuse to go hang out with the flock and poke around every day, though I haven't quite had enough energy to try and do vent inspections.

In the grand scheme of things, as long as we get "enough" eggs that we can cover their bills moving forward, anything above/beyond will be a bonus to us.
I don't even want to look at the past 2 years of vet bills for my 4-legged cancer survivor, and she doesn't even lay eggs!

Um. A couple of things. It's cheaper to buy store eggs. They are loss leaders and we can't compete with economy of scale. Having said that, ours taste better. Are more healthy. Are closer to home. Gotta love that.

If you are doing the math, there are options for free or near free food for them. Still, we should supplement for a full diet. The more yard they have to roam with a varied selection of flora (weeds are good eats) the better. A grassy back yard is not a good diet. Compost piles are wonderful and provide many bugs.

Watching chickens; I call Chicken Zen. It is a thoughtful form of meditation and I highly recommend it. Preferably while sitting in the shade with a refreshing drink. A handful of feed is helpful to keep their attention. Puts things in perspective. Also, this form of meditation is near priceless. The eggs are lagniappe.

 

[ATXInstantFlock]

Um. A couple of things. It's cheaper to buy store eggs.

Oh, I'm well aware. I appreciate the comment and concern, but I did that research before I owned a single chicken. I have zero expectations that the chickens will be free, but I am always mindful of the bottom line. Can't teach your kids about fiscal responsibility, or at the very least awareness, if you don't practice what you preach.

Like I said earlier, I just hope they lay enough eggs to offset ongoing recurring costs, not to recoup my initial outlay or even make a profit. The land costs here would cause any profit driven motives to be futile, without accounting for anything else.

If you are doing the math, there are options for free or near free food for them. Still, we should supplement for a full diet.

We strive to provide as much balanced commercial feed as we can, while letting them pick through kitchen scraps (mostly fruits and vegetables) which they clearly enjoy.
IMO, the more they eat that would have been destined for the city compost pickup, the more we're pitching in to reduce the cost of hauling garbage. Too hard to put a personal cost/benefit on that in dollars, but the city has certainly tried to do the math and has encouraged backyard chickens.

I'm mostly happy to be paid in good vibes and entertainment, but I also don't want to delete my finances while doing so!

The more yard they have to roam with a varied selection of flora (weeds are good eats) the better. A grassy back yard is not a good diet. Compost piles are wonderful and provide many bugs.

We're aiming for their pen to become something like a deep litter setup that eventually has plants growing inside of it. Lots of examples here on BYC and elsewhere, but we'll need more time to make some of that happen. Time will tell if my attempt is successful.

The chickens are currently doing the bulk of the hard work, happily scratching through the dirt, our used coffee filters, and off cuts of fruits/veggies that no one has eaten. For better or worse, I've seen the bugs coming out at night when I've had to do late night tuckins. I'm fairly certain the flock is eating "some" of them to supplement their prescribed feedings.

 

[ATXInstantFlock]

Happy Sunday!

Me: ugh these chickens are such a pain. Why won't they go back in their coop at night without being tucked in?

Also me: I wonder if these chickens will like some herbs and orange peels to go with their frozen watermelon and egg shells.

 

[CCsGarden]

Happy Sunday!

Me: ugh these chickens are such a pain. Why won't they go back in their coop at night without being tucked in?

Also me: I wonder if these chickens will like some herbs and orange peels to go with their frozen watermelon and egg shells.
View attachment 3949608

They can't have orange peel.

 

[ATXInstantFlock]

They can't have orange peel.

Everything I've read suggests they can have orange peel, they just usually won't eat it.
It's often touted as a natural repellent for numerous nuisance insects and my flock has been happily pecking/scratching it into their litter for a few weeks.

 

[CCsGarden]

Everything I've read suggests they can have orange peel, they just usually won't eat it.
It's often touted as a natural repellent for numerous nuisance insects and my flock has been happily pecking/scratching it into their litter for a few weeks.

Never knew that.

Just a note:
Not Sure if its true,
In some of the how to care for chickens videos and books I've read they couldn't eat citrus as it could give them a stomach ache or sour crop.

Seems like yours are enjoying it

 

[ATXInstantFlock]

Never knew that.

Just a note:
Not Sure if its true,
In some of the how to care for chickens videos and books I've read they couldn't eat citrus as it could give them a stomach ache or sour crop.

Seems like yours are enjoying it

Thanks for the helpful words of caution, I'll keep that in mind. The humans eat most of the actual citrus, so we should be okay. Other than watermelon rinds, their favorites are probably carrot and cucumber peels and ends. I give them the ends of lettuce and celery, too.
They really seem to enjoy the frozen treats to help stay cool in the summer.

 

[WingItRanch]

Question for my Texas folks!

Have you noticed your pullets and cockerels mature much slower in the heat?

I'm somewhat close to Lake Livingston and I have 11 pullets and 1 cockerel. All almost 25 weeks old. The cockerel started crowing and mating a week or 2 ago. Definitely a late bloomer- he didn't have male specific feathering until close to 18 weeks old. Only ONE pullet is laying. All the others are taking their sweet time. The weird part is I have a variety of breeds so I would expect at least more than 1 to lay by now.

 

[ATXInstantFlock]

Have you noticed your pullets and cockerels mature much slower in the heat?

Newbie chicken owner here, so I have no frame of reference, but if it helps my cockerel started singing ~2-2.5 mo.

Of my 9 girls:

• 1st pullet started laying ~4 months
• 2nd pullet started ~4.5 mo
• 3rd pullet started ~4.75 mo
• 1st 6 egg day ~5 mo
• 1st 7 egg day (today) ~5.5mo, but the day's not over.

Felt like a relatively mild summer here in Austin.