The Freeloader Diaries - Freeloading Revisited

[Chellester]

As many of you know, I own a bunch of freeloading chickens. Out of 44 chickens, NONE are laying. Yes, a lot of them are still too young to lay, and that's okay. But some should definitely be laying by now, and just plain refuse to get to work!

Anyway, to help with my frustration over this, I decided to start a daily journal about my freeloading chickens in the hopes it will embarass them into laying. I will post an update daily, and update the stats on the freeloaders (age of just the chickens I have that are old enough to lay) weekly.

Feel free to post your suggestions, comments, or whatever; even if you want to post and gloat about how many eggs you're getting every day from your good little layers (that's what karma is for).

STATS FOR THE WEEK STARTING ON 01/27/08:

2 Silkie hens, about one year old, both broody, so no eggs.

3 Mille Fleur D'Uccle hens, 26 1/2 weeks old, no eggs.

3 Delaware hens, around 20 weeks old, no eggs.

3 EE mutt hens, around 20 weeks old, no eggs.

5 Silkie hens, 19 1/2 weeks old, no eggs.


DIARY ENTRY FOR THE DAY OF 01/28/08:

A nice, sunny, warm day today; a welcome break from all the rain we've been getting for the past week. You'd think the nice day would get my freeloaders to finally start laying; but no, of course not. They have every sign of egglayers (except eggs): red combs and faces, wet vents, and squatting. Been doing all that for weeks now. But no eggs.

It really makes me wonder how they can live with themselves... I feed them, care for them, had my DH build them a big fenced yard to keep them safe from predators, give them nice big nests in nice warm coops to lay their eggs; but I get no eggs for all love, all my hard work, all my commitment to them.

Sigh.

 

[Cuban Longtails]

Wow... your ladies have it made. Mine don't have near all that nice stuff and I still got four eggs yesterday out of 17 standard egg layers. None from my bantams, but maybe today. They tend to skip days.

 

[karri25]

Chellester you crack me up!!!!
I too am currently waiting on my Millies which are about the same age as yours. I wonder whose will lay first???? How big are yours' comb??? Mine are about 1/2 an inch. One is much more red than the others. I can't wait to get a Millie egg!!!!!

Good luck on eggs! I would lay an egg for you if I could but...if I could I would lay an egg for ME!!!!!

 

[Wildsky]

Mine were freeloading for a while there

 

[gmc]

I have 29 standard hens that 1 day out of every week I get 29 eggs. Their daily average right now is 26, but my hens are mature enough to be laying, in their prime at 34 weeks. I do supplement their light, feed them only the best, free range when I can, treat them every chance I get with; bird seed, sunflower seeds, alfalfa and whatever yummy stuff that comes off the table. If anyone's freeloading here its probally me gathering all those yummy eggs everyday without giving more than I do in return.

gmc

 

[Bawkadoodledoo]

did my freeloader thread start this?

 

[CovenantCreek]

Hmm..........sounds like they're doing to you what mine did in the beginning -- they found a lovely little spot outside, away from the coop, behind the barn, where they built themselves a little nest. By the time I found it (I was looking for one of the girls when she appeared from this hideout making one heckuva racket) there were a dozen little eggs in there. They all got to spend the next several mornings in the coop considerably longer than usual until I was convinced they knew what the nest boxes were for.

 

[chickenlover210]

Quote:
Wow lots of chickens
i dont know if this helps but some chickens start late and some don't lay
the non layers keep as close pets

 

[Chellester]

DIARY ENTRY FOR THE DAY OF 01/29/08:

Today was a wet, cold, miserable day. Not a great day weather-wise for egglaying. And, suprise suprise; no eggs! I had to fill up their feed container again today... they sure eat a lot of laying mash for chickens that aren't laying!!!

karri25, my Millie's combs are red and HUGE, and have been for weeks. They are so big, they almost look like roos! (Yes, I'm sure they're really hens.)

Bawkadoodledoo, your freeloading thread did get me thinking about starting this thread. I really needed a place to vent about my freeloaders, pardon the pun! (And if you caught the pun there, you're really twisted!)

CovenantCreek, all my banty freeloaders are in breeding pens, so unless they're burying the eggs, there's no place for them to hide them.

As far as my standard freeloaders, I have them in a 8 x 9 coop and a 2500 sq ft fenced yard. There are 4 trees in the yard, but the rest of it is just bare ground; no grass, bushes or any other good spots for egg hiding. I did walk around the yard today and looked around the trees, just in case the freeloaders were being extra-stealthy, but in the end they are just being freeloaders, because there were no eggs.

EGG COUNT FOR TODAY: 0
PROJECTED EGG COUNT FOR TOMORROW: 0

 

[CovenantCreek]

Your girls are determined, aren't they?