Hello all! Our temps have varied recently from frosty 32 to sunny 65 to rainy and today 65 and we have been getting between 5 to 7 eggs daily from our 14 hens. They are still relatively young they will be a year old in March so hopefully by then all of our hens will be laying. They have been going through molting and being broody. My Rhode Island was the first one to go broody but only lasted about 3 weeks, my lil Silkie Bantam was broody for about 5 weeks.
Our best layers so far have been our EE chickens, we have 2 EE-Amerancanas, 2 Production Reds, 2 Astralorps, 2 Silver Laced Wyandottes, 2 Light Brahmas, 1 Rhode Island Red, 1 Buff Orpington, 1 Welsummer, 1 Black Silkie Bantam, and 1 Belgium D'Uccle Mille Fleur Rooster.
I'm also happy to report that 2 of our chickens escaped being attacked by a hawk. The first time was one of our EE gals I saw it and me and dogs ran out just as the hawk took off. Fortunately we have lots of bushes and she ran under one. She thankfully sustained only a minor injury of feathers pulled out between her wings, no blood, but I sprayed her with blue coat and she was fine. She even kept laying eggs! The second hawk attack was really something, it tried to get one of our Silver Laced Wyandottes. Again I ran out with my dogs but I could hardly believe my eyes when 4 ravens/crows were actually attacking the hawk even after it started to fly away! My poor SLW is thankfully ok but she walks with a limp and the day after she was attacked she gave us an egg! Needless to say our chickens are very wary and thankfully my lil Belgium D'Uccle Mille Fleur Rooster does a great job of looking out for them.
Our best layers so far have been our EE chickens, we have 2 EE-Amerancanas, 2 Production Reds, 2 Astralorps, 2 Silver Laced Wyandottes, 2 Light Brahmas, 1 Rhode Island Red, 1 Buff Orpington, 1 Welsummer, 1 Black Silkie Bantam, and 1 Belgium D'Uccle Mille Fleur Rooster.
I'm also happy to report that 2 of our chickens escaped being attacked by a hawk. The first time was one of our EE gals I saw it and me and dogs ran out just as the hawk took off. Fortunately we have lots of bushes and she ran under one. She thankfully sustained only a minor injury of feathers pulled out between her wings, no blood, but I sprayed her with blue coat and she was fine. She even kept laying eggs! The second hawk attack was really something, it tried to get one of our Silver Laced Wyandottes. Again I ran out with my dogs but I could hardly believe my eyes when 4 ravens/crows were actually attacking the hawk even after it started to fly away! My poor SLW is thankfully ok but she walks with a limp and the day after she was attacked she gave us an egg! Needless to say our chickens are very wary and thankfully my lil Belgium D'Uccle Mille Fleur Rooster does a great job of looking out for them.
and it's summer here.
