I just have to update on my 9 egg-eating leghorns....
(to those who didn't see my other posts, they are provided with plenty of food, fresh water, scraps, oyster shell, grit, and other things, and are not in cramped quarters)
I put "curtains" over the nest boxes yesterday afternoon, and those hens were petrified! I thought...great, they are gonna lay all over EXCEPT in the nest boxes. So, I locked them in the coop a little early last night, and let them out just a little later this morning so they had plenty of time to be scavenging around in there and getting used to their new privacy curtains. (I sprinkle DE in the shavings, and throw scratch feed down so they mix it all up, so they were happy!)
By 9:30 this morning, I have collected 3 perfectly clean, untouched eggs in the nestboxes! No sticky yellow yolk all over them, no broken egg shells laying around, perfectly clean, white, perfect. Three eggs is the most I've been able to catch in a whole DAY, and that's by getting out there at the right time.
I ran out there, as one of the hens was doing her celebratory squacking, telling everyone she just laid an egg, and everyone was in the coop, and I was thinking "oh no...she told everyone she layed one, and now they're all in there devouring it...." Nope....there was one hen in an empty nest box, she had been situating the bedding just right, and I interrupted her.
I hope I'm not getting excited over nothing. I don't want to get rid of these girls if I don't have to....and I don' t know if once the novelty of the curtains wears off, they'll start feasting on the eggs once again.... I know it's only the first day, but so far, no signs of any eaten eggs....no chickens with yolk on them, no broken shells, and three perfect eggs already, with the whole day left for laying yet!
To everyone who suggested covering the nest boxes, thank you...I do hope it works. Because I'm afraid it's the last thing we're going to try.
Angie
(to those who didn't see my other posts, they are provided with plenty of food, fresh water, scraps, oyster shell, grit, and other things, and are not in cramped quarters)
I put "curtains" over the nest boxes yesterday afternoon, and those hens were petrified! I thought...great, they are gonna lay all over EXCEPT in the nest boxes. So, I locked them in the coop a little early last night, and let them out just a little later this morning so they had plenty of time to be scavenging around in there and getting used to their new privacy curtains. (I sprinkle DE in the shavings, and throw scratch feed down so they mix it all up, so they were happy!)
By 9:30 this morning, I have collected 3 perfectly clean, untouched eggs in the nestboxes! No sticky yellow yolk all over them, no broken egg shells laying around, perfectly clean, white, perfect. Three eggs is the most I've been able to catch in a whole DAY, and that's by getting out there at the right time.
I ran out there, as one of the hens was doing her celebratory squacking, telling everyone she just laid an egg, and everyone was in the coop, and I was thinking "oh no...she told everyone she layed one, and now they're all in there devouring it...." Nope....there was one hen in an empty nest box, she had been situating the bedding just right, and I interrupted her.
I hope I'm not getting excited over nothing. I don't want to get rid of these girls if I don't have to....and I don' t know if once the novelty of the curtains wears off, they'll start feasting on the eggs once again.... I know it's only the first day, but so far, no signs of any eaten eggs....no chickens with yolk on them, no broken shells, and three perfect eggs already, with the whole day left for laying yet!
To everyone who suggested covering the nest boxes, thank you...I do hope it works. Because I'm afraid it's the last thing we're going to try.
Angie
o) eggs yesterday! Perfect, clean, untouched....
