The Girls Are Turning 1!!

[WindcrestChickens]

Hey everyone...My first 11 hens are just about to turn 1. I have been reading various posts about some concerns and questions I have, but I think it would be easier to ask this way:

What types of things should I be doing/looking for at this stage in their life? For example (sorry, I have been stockpiling questions):

Egg eating - why are some of them doing it all of a sudden?

Laying - How often and how long will it continue?

Diet o.k.? - Layer pellets, egg shells, oyster shell, assorted "kid scraps" (dry cereal, bread or crackers, grapes...) Do they need something different at this age?

Can I let them out of their run into our field, and will they come back?

Will adding a rooster really boost egg production?

Do they need any yearly medical treatment or check? I hear people doing things like de-worming, spraying for mites etc.

How do I add to the flock? Will it cause chaos?

 

[pkeeler]

Egg eating happens by accident. An egg gets broken, chickens taste it, now eggs are considered food.

Around 1 year, chickens will molt and maybe stop laying. Not sure on the timing of birds that reach one year in Early Spring. It could be yours will not molt until the Fall. Or some will now and some later.

Chickens are born with a finite number of embryos. They will lay until they are all gone. The more often they lay, the faster they will run out. However, laying frequency will drop with age.

Diet needs shouldn't change at 1.

Chickens will return to the roost.

Roosters will not boost egg production. Of course, unless you mean by producing chicks which turn into additional layers ;-)

Generally you can add chicks and hens to a flock, I've not done it yet. Probably quite a few posts on the subject in the archive. Same with the medicine question.

 

[WindcrestChickens]

Nice...thanks! A friend said that he had a theory that the natural female instinct to "impress" a male would cause the hens to lay bigger and better eggs. When I was done gagging I had a good laugh, but he swear by it....

I did notice more feathers than usual lying around. Could be molting right? I will go seek out more info on that.

Thanks!