The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

Thanks for that link, Sally. I was looking for those and I couldn't find them

 

[CourtsCacklers]

It wasn't one hen, it was 4 of the 5 eldest hens. Fortunately the younger ones didn't seem to be participating. I glanced when I went to add more water to their bucket, saw 4 eggs in the 'preferred next box' (a corner of the coop...they won't lay in the boxes for whatever reason), put the bucket up, turned around to Eggmageddon.

Grrr...that is so frustrating!!! So even if you make/buy a roll away one-- will they use it? I put wooden eggs in my nesting boxes so my hens have always found that the most attractive place to lay....mine just get so crazy moving around that sometimes they kick an egg out and it breaks....fortunately, I have always caught it right away before they have gotten curious and gotten a "taste" for it.... SORRY, I don't have much advice....maybe some of the veterens do.... that is frustrating.....

 

[fosterson]

I really appreciate the links too. Guess I need to go scrounge up a bucket with a lid...I've got plenty without! LOL!

 

[armorfirelady]

 
Is she laying yet?  Can you palpate her abdomen and see if any swelling?  If she is laying she may be egg bound? (just a guess)

You were right. 

Although I couldn't feel anything in her abdomen last night when I checked her before bed, this morning she had egg contents hanging out of her cloaca.  I popped her in a warm bath and was able to get the rest of the soft shell out intact from the middle of the prolapse. 

Now I'm off to read about prolapse and to see if anyone has long term success with a problem like this.

Thank you!

Wow glad you caught it. My older girls had small minor prolapse. I put some preperation h on them and they are much better. I had read to much calcium can be a cause but genetics can also be also. I took them off their layer feed and had them on grower & they haven't had any more problems (knock on wood) I now use grains as their feed and leave oyster shell free choice.

I would keep giving her garlic and basil (natural antibiotic) for a week or so. Sometimes if the egg broke inside it can cause infection and be fatal. I would keep a good eye on her and keep up the herbs. Hopefully it was just a one time problem. If she has continuous problems it won't fare well for her.

 

[fosterson]

Grrr...that is so frustrating!!! So even if you make/buy a roll away one-- will they use it? I put wooden eggs in my nesting boxes so my hens have always found that the most attractive place to lay....mine just get so crazy moving around that sometimes they kick an egg out and it breaks....fortunately, I have always caught it right away before they have gotten curious and gotten a "taste" for it.... SORRY, I don't have much advice....maybe some of the veterens do.... that is frustrating.....

I'm thinking that the younger birds could be trained to use it, even if the older ones can't. The only reason I still have the 5 eldest is that I wanted eggs. If I am not getting eggs, why feed the codgers? (They'd make great coq a vin!) It's worth a try, even if it's just stop gap till the youngsters get going. I've got 5 Barred Rocks who are recovering from a MISERABLE molt who are only a year old...so I don't have them under lights. Once spring is here they'll start back up, plus I have 4 more pullets PLUS the chicks I hatched at New Years (praying I don't have 5 cockerels, but I think I have 2 cocks and 3 pullets).

 

[ki4got]

Here's a link for an inexpensive home-made one:

Quote:

And another:

Quote:
http://texas-smith-family.blogspot.com/2013/01/roll-away-nest-boxes.html

Google: Roll away chicken nest box for lots of videos and plans for others. You can buy them ready-made too.
those look like good ideas... for my horse trailer, because of space limitations, i'm thinking of doing this too, but having them roll forward to collect. I don't have a problem with egg eating, just egg hiding. LOL but i'm getting close to a point where i'll have them penned until after work then turn them loose for a while once I've gotten my eggs... maybe that'll break the hiding habit.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Grrr.

I hate to say this, but I cannot WAIT until my younger pullets start laying again. Because my five older birds are about to get an invitation to dinner. Here I was thinking they were just taking time off for the winter and I caught them eating eggs. They're eating between 4 and 6 a day by my estimation! I might as well eat THEM since I'm not getting those eggs anyway. Does anyone know if there's a sort of 'egg drop' cage that would channel the egg away from the hens so I can at least put eggs aside to hatch? This is driving me up the wall.

Here is one link ... but just search for "roll out nest" ... http://www.qcsupply.com/422235-fron...m_medium=cpc&gclid=CNaSweH1irwCFc6Tfgody3gAIQ

Here is from the strombergs site: http://www.strombergschickens.com/prod_detail_list/Roll-Out-Nest-Boxes

I saw an ad for a 2 hole roll out nest on e-bay, but didn't click through to see if it was an active auction. Just useful info to know they are "available."

 

[Leahs Mom]

Here's the ready-made one from Premier. You add the roll out try into it.

http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=78703&cat_id=165

And if you go a little past half way into this video it shows the installation of the roll-out tray:

 

[Leahs Mom]

Karen - that roll-out tray rolls to the front and outside of the nest. There would probably be a way that you could use one and rig it into your own home made nest...or make something similar.

 

[ki4got]

Karen - that roll-out tray rolls to the front and outside of the nest. There would probably be a way that you could use one and rig it into your own home made nest...or make something similar.

whatever I build will be from scratch. currently I have milk crates sitting on the floor under a shelf. but they're a PITA to get eggs out of since I don't bend so well anymore.