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[TopCrock]

Hi guys,

just a quick couple of questions I couldn't find answers to searching the forums...

My Rhode Rock started laying recently and I wondered what to expect. She's doing well and has laid the following:

Saturday - 55g
Monday - 59g
Tuesday - 62g
Thursday - 66g

Thing is every other egg is a beautiful pinky-brown and completely plain but the first and third were slightly more brown than pink and covered in speckles... Could I have 2 hens laying? The other closest to being PoL is a warren and both crouch when I stroke them. As these are the first 4 how much bigger am I expecting them to get?

Secondly I've noticed the smallest and youngest of our girls (a Skyline) is still getting a little picked on. She doesn't show any signs of stress or feather pulling and eats ok but if there are treats about and she's nearby the two lead hens will peck at her face until she runs to the other side of the garden.

I'd read that once established they'd established the pecking order the top hen would look out and make sure the others were fed but she's just being really greedy and eats all the treats herself and pecks anyone who comes near her. Question is, is this just temporary or am I going to need to separate her so others get some of the tasties. I've tried feeding in 2 places but she'll attack the hens eating until they've all stopped to watch her chow down!

Sorry for all the queries but Google hasn't come through and the forum discussions I've found are about which breeds give speckles etc.

Thanks!

 

[GGBEAR]

@ rebrascora the photos of Aiyla were taken by me an my daughter sposed to be having o professional ones done though

Hope everyone's flocks are going well I'm not sure if my newest duck has gone broody so I'm keeping an eye it will b cool

if she has so I'm marking the eggs ao I know which ones are which.

Been sitting outside in garden

with Aiyla today all the flock running around Aiyla was fascinated but my light Sussex is also extremely fascinated in Aiyla I can't work it out she keeps coming right up to her and making long extended cooing noises and staring.
Rofl

 

[GGBEAR]

@ topcrook I've found as long as there is no wounds or damage to them to just let them be our interference only tends to make the situation worse even though we mean well so don't remove unless there's a very good reason as in injury in my opinion.

As for the eggs it may well be the case that you have 2 different egg layers the only way you will know at the moment is if they both lay at the same time

hope this helps xx

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

I've missed some posts on here

Nice to see you GG
A broody duck GG

All good here barring one of my Pekins that hatched last week. Hatched with a gimpy leg (Slipped tendon) was not able to fix it as it kept getting out of its splints so I've let nature take its course.

Still alive and hobbling around but can eat and drink so we will see. Moved them out to the shed today and they are all doing ok. Unfortunately 3 of the blacktails turned out cockerels so they have been dispatched. Of the 2 that are left one is looking a bit male! I have my suspicions about it.

Egg selling going well too, sold four dozen yesterday
Chicks are selling too. I've sold my 2 older blacktail, 3 polish and my little Pekin pair. Was in two minds on the Pekin but I can't keep everything. I hatched to sell and they were nice people who came so they have a good home. At least if I sell I can hatch more!! I also rehomed 4 polish cockerels to the girl with the allotment. All in all not bad

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

afternoon all!

havnt been on in a while, was away with work and its just become so busy and havnt had the time to get on here.

anyway, i got home from my initial two week trip to be greeted by not one but two broody hens (both pekins so sort of expected) no amount of uncomfort made them change their mind so the wife did a bit of research and concluded that the best way to break them was to get some eggs for them to hatch. So i reluctantly agreed with the agreement that any new chickens will be destined for the pot.

so we now have 2 RIR eggs, also one which i think is a wynadotte but cant remember and another one which has the abbreviation BO on the egg, but neither me nor the wife can remember what it was.

so they were put under one of the hens (the other has fakes but should hopefully be content when she sees the chicks)  on saturday, making today day 5. if i candle them now i imagine i wont see much especially as they arnt white eggs?

hope you are all well!

Good luck with your broody hens
BO is buff Orpington so will be nice birds
Day 7 is a good day to candle then again at day 14 just to check them.

haha, i know they are all going to be very nice, but if all 4 hatch it will double our numbers. I'm trying to get it into my wifes head that they are for food even the ones we will be keeping are for eggs, and we already have a constant surplus of eggs with only 4 layers!

Get selling the eggs! I've been missing out on loads of cash by giving them away.

They're going to be nice and big. We started off with 4 too, 2 years later i have 24 chucks and 5 ducks. My other half keeps telling me "no more" but he can't resist when we go the county shows! I sell my excess eggs and they pay for their upkeep nicely.

My other half is just as bad but certainly does not like to admit it!! Reckons the birds are mine but I've caught him more than once checking the incubator or with his hands in the brooder cage

Hi guys,

just a quick couple of questions I couldn't find answers to searching the forums...

My Rhode Rock started laying recently and I wondered what to expect. She's doing well and has laid the following:

Saturday - 55g
Monday - 59g
Tuesday - 62g
Thursday - 66g

Thing is every other egg is a beautiful pinky-brown and completely plain but the first and third were slightly more brown than pink and covered in speckles... Could I have 2 hens laying? The other closest to being PoL is a warren and both crouch when I stroke them. As these are the first 4 how much bigger am I expecting them to get?

Secondly I've noticed the smallest and youngest of our girls (a Skyline) is still getting a little picked on.  She doesn't show any signs of stress or feather pulling and eats ok but if there are treats about and she's nearby the two lead hens will peck at her face until she runs to the other side of the garden.

I'd read that once established they'd established the pecking order the top hen would look out and make sure the others were fed but she's just being really greedy and eats all the treats herself and pecks anyone who comes near her. Question is, is this just temporary or am I going to need to separate her so others get some of the tasties. I've tried feeding in 2 places but she'll attack the hens eating until they've all stopped to watch her chow down!

Sorry for all the queries but Google hasn't come through and the forum discussions I've found are about which breeds give speckles etc.

Thanks!

I too think you may have another layer. Egg sizes can go up and down untill they get their laying machines in full working order. Sporadical laying can also be expected with new layers.

Sounds like head hens are just letting her know where she stands. If she is not stressed by it all I would not be worried. Chicken group dynamics and pecking order shuffles sure are interesting.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

@rebrascora

Hi Barbara

I hope your ok up there and are just super busy How's it going with Rebel and the crew? Fingers crossed you have had a chance to get out riding while the weather has been somewhat decent. I managed to get out on Harry last Sunday as well as Saturday and we have been out again this morning. Went for a quick hack round the village on our own and I'm pleased to report he was very well behaved. He really does turn into a different horse when he's turned out 24/7.

As you can see from my above post I've been busy selling. I'm quite sad about the Pekins but I need the room for my Tolbunt project. I have four of them not sure on sex yet but I'm guessing I have three cockerels and one pullet.

Should be able to sell any cockerels for £10 each so not too bad. Time will tell I guess.

How's your broody gang doing? You have 2 yes?

Hope your having a relaxing evening

Catch you soon

Kim xx

 

[philyc]

Candled the eggs today. As far as I can tell all 4 seem to be doing well. One of the eggs is really dark but it had a decent air pocket and I'm pretty sure I could see a really dark patch on the shadow (not technical terms but I assume you guys know what I mean)

Two of them were moving around a fair bit, I guess this is a good sign.

So just two weeks to wait for chicks then I suppose. Should I candle them again at somepoint? I didn't mark the air pocket, didn't really see the point as I can't adjust the humidity or temperature of my hen!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Candled the eggs today. As far as I can tell all 4 seem to be doing well. One of the eggs is really dark but it had a decent air pocket and I'm pretty sure I could see a really dark patch on the shadow (not technical terms but I assume you guys know what I mean)

Two of them were moving around a fair bit, I guess this is a good sign.

So just two weeks to wait for chicks then I suppose. Should I candle them again at somepoint? I didn't mark the air pocket, didn't really see the point as I can't adjust the humidity or temperature of my hen!

Sounds like they are developing well

I only candled once when I had a broody just check they were developing. You could check again at day 14 but as you say you can't change anything as the hen is doing it all for you

 

[rebrascora]

@Yorkshire Coop

Hi Kim

Congrats on your egg sales and poultry too. I have a serious glut here of both eggs and poultry and I have regulars that I trade the eggs with but I'm about 7 days behind.... which is 9 or 10 dozen eggs and I'm eating 3 a day myself!! Finding the time just to wash them all is slowing down the distribution but things are manic at the moment. I'm strip grazing my field on a morning and then they come back in afternoon and evening with soaked haylage, so still mucking out, soaking haylage and having to move the electric fence every day, plus bees swarming (caught 6 swarms so far but plenty more to come) manure to deliver, broody hens coming out of my ears and nowhere to set them all, so need to get my table saw out and do some woodworking, weeds need cutting back, lawns cut, fencing to do, still haven't got my garden set and tatties sets are trying to grow on my dining room table where they were left to chit months ago! I've had 3 migraines in the past 2 weeks and a chesty virus, so only firing on two cylinders which has slowed me down at a time when I can't afford it. And we have now started driving Ian's horses as a pair so he requires my assistance each evening to get them out....... so sadly NO, I haven't ridden since Rebel took ill..... but pleased to report that he seems to be doing OK thanks, Of course I'm anxious now that they are getting some grass again. I have a double electric fence up, just in case the first one gets breached and they get onto too much grass when I'm not there.... each time I return to the yard I have a sick feeling in my stomach that he will have relapsed. Hopefully that will disappear after a few months of everything being ok. Must get out riding again soon though as I will have lost all the progress we made. So pleased to hear you are hacking out on Harry now. I know what you mean about 24/7 turn making them easier.... unfortunately that is pie in the sky for me at the moment!

Must go now as breakfast is over and lots to do.

Best wishes

Barbara

 

[GGBEAR]

doe anyone have some suggestions of how I can sell some eggs both chickens and ducks in totally over run

argh help I feel like

I'm drowning in bloody eggs ( I live right at the bottom of the street)