The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[CoopChick719]

Had a wonderful surprise today......found the top egg nestled in the leaves. (the bottom egg is Stella's for comparison) Seems Sophie my 33 week old BCM decided today was a good day to lay her 1st egg

perhaps tomorrow she will try the nesting box. I showed my son & he rolled his eyes.....oh well I was excited and needed to show someone

Hooray for Sophie!! It's a very pretty egg! I know what you mean AFL, my kids roll their eyes too with my chickens news.

 

[lalaland]

armorfirelady, congrats on that egg!

 

[armorfirelady]

armorfirelady, congrats on that egg!

Thank you. I am excited she is laying. She has been red for almost a month so I knew it had to be close. Now is she would just stimulate the others to start laying again......their molt seems to be taking forever. You would think with temps in near the single digits it would encourage their body to molt faster

 

[lalaland]

hopefully the others see her laying and get going.

Had the funniest thing just happen - was out with the flock, and bringing the empty cider jug back to the house for more water. Booster, junior roo, who has always been very deferential to me, started to advance. I was shocked! I started talking to him and advancing on him, and instead of backing up, he raised his neck ruffle and he FLOGGED the water jug. I couldn't believe it. I started to try to tap him with the jug while walking at him, and he got really upset, flew up and really truly flogged the jug. I was yelling, and Buster, senior roo, came flying out of nowhere and jumped Booster and then jumped the water jug!

You can guess I'm not using that jug again. I don't really know what set them off about it, its a gallon jug, round with a bale handle.

I usually use milk jugs to bring the water out....

 

[delisha]

egg start up is always such a relief.
Congrats on the long awaited egg!

My chickens are still laying so I am hoping that is a good sign. I lost one of the chicks in the house last night.

 

[fosterson]

I usually use milk jugs to bring the water out....

Well, there's your problem. I had to replace a tatty old water pan (which was blue) and all they had at the store was red.

My hens attacked it for a week straight before they realized that's where the water was!

 

[Highcotton]

hopefully the others see her laying and get going.

Had the funniest thing just happen - was out with the flock, and bringing the empty cider jug back to the house for more water.  Booster, junior roo, who has always been very deferential to me, started to advance.  I was shocked!  I started talking to him and advancing on him, and instead of backing up, he raised his neck ruffle and he FLOGGED the water jug.  I couldn't believe it.  I started to try to tap him with the jug while walking at him, and he got really upset, flew up and really truly flogged the jug.  I was yelling, and Buster, senior roo, came flying out of nowhere and jumped Booster and then jumped the water jug!

You can guess I'm not using that jug again.  I don't really know what set them off about it, its a gallon jug, round with a bale handle.  

I usually use milk jugs to bring the water out....

You never know chickens are strange. Almost anything new and different can start them? Especially roosters. I recently put up some lights with motion sensors so that I would have light when I went out after dark. The first night I went out kind of late you would have thought there was a fox in the hen house.

 

[lalaland]

Keeping my fingers crossed on the rest of the chicks, Delisha. Hopefully you are getting some of this slightly warmer weather and that will help reduce the stress on the hens a tiny bit.

 

[TeaChick]

Delisha, I can't imagine.. hope the chickens pull through with nothing long lasting and you didn't lose too many.

Finally got a pretty enough day today for sprucing the coops up. Thank goodness for temps in the 40s today. I think I have some dud chickens that will never lay and I'm debating if I should switch from a layer feed since I only have 3 of 11 laying. The only thing I have found in all flock is 6 dollars more a bag.

I would go w/ the layer feed just b/c that means the ones that are laying will be getting what they need, it's not bad for the others, and it's less$.

 

[ki4got]

Quote:
personally, I give everyone free choice oyster shell and crushed egg shells (when I have them) and feed 'Rockin' Rooster' pellets and fermented pellets/grains. I don't feed a layer formulation since so many birds aren't laying or old enough to lay, or they're roosters who will never lay. the few eggs I AM getting right now all have great shells, so something's working right.