The road less traveled...back to good health! They have lice, mites, scale mites, worms, anemia, gl

[galanie]

I do that exact thing. Calendar by the back door is the only way I'll keep track and keep it written down. Dairy? Nope. computer file? Nope. Notepad? Nope. Notebook? nope. The calendar is the only thing I'll consistently use lol.

 

[Wax Myrtle]

Next project this winter will be to shop the hardware store to find something resembling the Rabbit Wringer, but appropriately sized for a chicken...I'll let y'all know when I find it.  Would like to have everything prepared for spring culling of the nonlayers.  Now that we sold the old truck, I have no good place to practice the dislocation of the neck, hang and bleed out ease that the old tailgate provided me.
 

I'd bet an appliance handle would do well, like an old freezer or fridge door. Or perhaps cabinet hardware.

ETA: After just watching a chick get its head momentarily stuck in the line-o-holes trough feeder, I'd also bet that just an oval shaped hole in 1/4in ply would also work well...

 

[armorfirelady]

I do that exact thing. Calendar by the back door is the only way I'll keep track and keep it written down. Dairy? Nope. computer file? Nope. Notepad? Nope. Notebook? nope. The calendar is the only thing I'll consistently use lol.

I keep everything on my calendar on my I phone but its harder to find chicken info that would be much easier at a glance on a calendar. Plus I can keep it in the chicken binder I have for OT valuable info

 

[Wax Myrtle]

Thank you for posting the pics......Your hens look to be about the same size as mine.....& they def have bigger combs and wattles. Hmmmmm guess my math  is off on calculating their age.  They were feathered out when I got them so I know they were not newborn chicks when I got them....


Here they are when I brought them home August 4th....which if my math is correct should make them about 13 weeks with a hatch date of May 7th.  ??   Math is not one of my strong points lol

This photo is from Aug 4th? Yeah, I think I'm not the only one bad with time. They look much younger than 13 weeks in that pic, to me. But I've only ever had two PTs - one is comingup on 19 weeks and the other is just at four weeks.

I use the old fashioned calendar, too - but I only have one age marked per month - so Oct 2nd has "15" pencilled in, for the older pullets, and I just count from there. All my important records get written on paper - budget, bills, chicken info, homeschool, kids appointments, family & friend birthdays, etc. I love my computer, but I also like to not worry about a crash.

 

[Nomibear]

Thank you for posting the pics......Your hens look to be about the same size as mine.....& they def have bigger combs and wattles. Hmmmmm guess my math  is off on calculating their age.  They were feathered out when I got them so I know they were not newborn chicks when I got them....


Here they are when I brought them home August 4th....which if my math is correct should make them about 13 weeks with a hatch date of May 7th.  ??   Math is not one of my strong points lol

I started a chicken calendar when my girls came on May 4, sent from the hatchery on May 2nd. If they hatched the day they were sent that makes my girls 25 weeks old yesterday. I believe 6 of my 9 California white leghorns are laying, (1 has gone broody!) and only 1-2 of my 10 buff leghorns have started laying. I am getting 5-6 eggs a day right now.

 

[armorfirelady]

Ok thanks to a paper calendar they are 24 weeks old.......so now that the age is correct on paper it means they still have a few more weeks to go at least till they are mature enough. I cant wait till I get one of those eggs & see if it has a big yolk like everyone is reporting on the FF thread.

Yes I know they wont be big eggs as they start so I know I will have to wait till they get in the egg laying grove till I get larger eggs. I have people waiting till the eggs come so they can buy them.......I think in the spring I will be getting a few more eggs so I can have the max allowed in my town. Hopefully the lady I got the original hens from has some eggs since she said she would give me a few. Of course I will need a broody hen then also since I wont be buying an incubator. I am all for the natural egg hatching

 

[galanie]

I know one sure fire way to handle "when will they lay." Figure out when week 18 is and they'll lay after that when they get darn good and ready LOL. My latest to lay ever was 10 months. My earliest, 18 weeks. Usually they're closer to 6-7 months, sometimes 8. But I don't have any pure layers or sex links.

 

[Beekissed]

I'd bet an appliance handle would do well, like an old freezer or fridge door. Or perhaps cabinet hardware.
ETA: After just watching a chick get its head momentarily stuck in the line-o-holes trough feeder, I'd also bet that just an oval shaped hole in 1/4in ply would also work well...

I was thinking the same thing and so went and cruised every aisle at Lowe's yesterday in an attempt to visualize the appropriate shape and size, but still be sturdy enough to attach to a tree and be yanked upon. Didn't find anything but will eventually find something right here on hand, I have no doubt. Some odd thing that is in the "junk" pile or in the spare odds and ends of fasteners and other things saved here.

 

[Beekissed]

Ok, I'll wait to see how the chicken's eye is in the morning. I hope there's some improvement. She seemed a little lethargic too, so hopefully a good night's rest will help her out. Thanks for the input, Bee.

OK...we've waited long enough...how's the chicken's eye this morning???

 

[Miss Lydia]

I keep everything on my calendar on my I phone but its harder to find chicken info that would be much easier at a glance on a calendar. Plus I can keep it in the chicken binder I have for OT valuable info

My wall calendar is the only way I can keep up with anything, It stays in one place, everything else I move around so much I forget where I put it.