Now...there have been many changes in the lives of my hens recently. So let me explain.
My girls lived in the house they were raised in for a whole year. Now that the heat has hit I just built them a new hen house. I've got five girls in an 8ftx8ft hen house. They were very upset with the move. So we've not been letting them out into the yard so they can get used to their new house and stop trying to break into their old house (which is currently the house of our 21 new baby birds) The house has plenty of ventilation with two wide vents the full length of two of the walls plus a window that is open.
I've got four nesting boxes and five girls. However they all seem to want ONE box. It doesn't seem to matter which box...just which ever box has the eggs already. We've got plastic eggs but they've been throwing those to the ground. I've had some random egg eating before but it's been rare and not a constant habit. However today...well today just...darn it. I went down there this morning and there was an egg. I left it because one of my girls likes to brood a little so I let her and then collect all the eggs at once later on in the evening.
I came back a little later to check on them and the egg was COMPLETELY gone. The only way I knew there was ever an egg there was because I'd seen it earlier on in the day! There was only a wet spot left...I mean...the egg was GONE! I was shocked and mad at them.
I brought them down some more calcium suppliment and tried to encourage them to cool off (they were all panting and seemed ansty and pissy) I put down some 2 liter bottles filled with water that we froze. I showed the girls how to lay on them so they could cool off. I haven't seen them use them yet. *sigh* So I brought down a misting hose that we have and set it up to mist them off. They stayed in the furthest corner away from it!! So I took it away because it was just making a wet mess of the ground and didn't seem to be doing any good as they weren't using it.
I saw, and know for a fact that we've got three out of five of our layers that were eating the eggs today. That's JUST TODAY!
I went and checked on them again a little later to pull out any eggs and see how they were doing and there were three eggs, one slightly cracked, one fine and one destroyed and somewhat eaten. They left some of the shell so I knew what had happened but...this just tears it!!
The other problem I'm having is that...with them only wanting to use one box...I've gone down there and seen three birds shoved and crammed into one box at one time! I don't know what to do with them!! They're easily cracking eggs because of the curfuffle of having so many birds in one box. I'm wondering if that's whats causing them to eat it. They crack it on accident and then when it starts running out of the shell...they just eat it. *sigh* I make sure they have pine shavings in the nest boxes but they just throw it out. I don't know what to do with them!!!
I plan on letting them out into their yard soon...I'm worried that that's part of their issue....but I have to get some tent stakes to better secure their yard. They've been inside only since Wed. (I type this post on Sat) and I planned on letting them back out into the yard Tues or Wed.
We do use our birds for meat (which is why we have so many babys right now. Most of them will be meat birds.) so I have no problem culling them but...I'd only have two birds left and I'd really rather not! We'd be nearly eggless until the baby birds get old enough to lay (they're only about 4 weeks old just now)
Suggestions? Thoughts? I imagine many of you might say they're ready for the stew pot but...I'd quite like to avoid it if I can. I know I've said alot but I want to make sure anyone reading this has the whole picture since I'm sure any number of things could set off a bird....and I'm very perplexed by their behavior today.
My girls lived in the house they were raised in for a whole year. Now that the heat has hit I just built them a new hen house. I've got five girls in an 8ftx8ft hen house. They were very upset with the move. So we've not been letting them out into the yard so they can get used to their new house and stop trying to break into their old house (which is currently the house of our 21 new baby birds) The house has plenty of ventilation with two wide vents the full length of two of the walls plus a window that is open.
I've got four nesting boxes and five girls. However they all seem to want ONE box. It doesn't seem to matter which box...just which ever box has the eggs already. We've got plastic eggs but they've been throwing those to the ground. I've had some random egg eating before but it's been rare and not a constant habit. However today...well today just...darn it. I went down there this morning and there was an egg. I left it because one of my girls likes to brood a little so I let her and then collect all the eggs at once later on in the evening.
I came back a little later to check on them and the egg was COMPLETELY gone. The only way I knew there was ever an egg there was because I'd seen it earlier on in the day! There was only a wet spot left...I mean...the egg was GONE! I was shocked and mad at them.
I brought them down some more calcium suppliment and tried to encourage them to cool off (they were all panting and seemed ansty and pissy) I put down some 2 liter bottles filled with water that we froze. I showed the girls how to lay on them so they could cool off. I haven't seen them use them yet. *sigh* So I brought down a misting hose that we have and set it up to mist them off. They stayed in the furthest corner away from it!! So I took it away because it was just making a wet mess of the ground and didn't seem to be doing any good as they weren't using it.
I saw, and know for a fact that we've got three out of five of our layers that were eating the eggs today. That's JUST TODAY!
I went and checked on them again a little later to pull out any eggs and see how they were doing and there were three eggs, one slightly cracked, one fine and one destroyed and somewhat eaten. They left some of the shell so I knew what had happened but...this just tears it!!
The other problem I'm having is that...with them only wanting to use one box...I've gone down there and seen three birds shoved and crammed into one box at one time! I don't know what to do with them!! They're easily cracking eggs because of the curfuffle of having so many birds in one box. I'm wondering if that's whats causing them to eat it. They crack it on accident and then when it starts running out of the shell...they just eat it. *sigh* I make sure they have pine shavings in the nest boxes but they just throw it out. I don't know what to do with them!!!
I plan on letting them out into their yard soon...I'm worried that that's part of their issue....but I have to get some tent stakes to better secure their yard. They've been inside only since Wed. (I type this post on Sat) and I planned on letting them back out into the yard Tues or Wed.
We do use our birds for meat (which is why we have so many babys right now. Most of them will be meat birds.) so I have no problem culling them but...I'd only have two birds left and I'd really rather not! We'd be nearly eggless until the baby birds get old enough to lay (they're only about 4 weeks old just now)
Suggestions? Thoughts? I imagine many of you might say they're ready for the stew pot but...I'd quite like to avoid it if I can. I know I've said alot but I want to make sure anyone reading this has the whole picture since I'm sure any number of things could set off a bird....and I'm very perplexed by their behavior today.
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