Utah!

[kimmypie]

I've been MIA for months...sorry. This board is just so much and I was spending too much time here. Anyway, my ladies are all surviving the winter. Cynthia the Exchequer finally started laying in November I think. I haven't gotten a single EE egg since late October-ish, but I kind of expected that. When we first started having the super cold weather I would check for eggs a few times a day and they would be frozen solid and cracked by the time I got them. Now for the last 2-3 weeks I haven't gotten a single egg. I take them fresh water a few times a day (I have a bucket with nipples but the nipples freeze so fast, I need a warmer but I'm not sure where to get a good one?) so I've been taking them water, they have free access to food plus I usually take them some extras. Is it normal for healthy young hens to completely stop laying? Before it got super cold we were getting 2-4 eggs a day from 6 layers (I'm not counting the 2 EE's because I know they aren't laying right now) and now we're not getting any. Help!

 

[sundancenbare]

I got my olive eggs today! First here is a picture of dad..a French Blue Copper Marans..she's says he's a big boy. And then, I am sending pictures of how she wrapped! My DH saw those and sasy, if you don't want those, I do when you get your eggs out. He can have them, then he helped me get them out by holding the tubes apart. None broken of course.

She said she had bred the first generation with Ameraucana X Marans,
both black and cuckoo..spelling..anyway...
and most babies were black, she then bred those hens back to this big boy,
and now she gets mostly blues.
She also said, that these hens should lay a darker color than
these eggs! I'm so excited! Isn't this guy beautiful?

Nice packaging! That big bubble wrap was on top of the tubes.

She put those peanuts in the ends, and used a tape that I love,
easy to pull off, but sticks to keep things in.

Look, olive colored eggs! My hubby is holding it open for me
so I can pick them out.

I put my red sex link girls' egg next to a couple. She lays a
pretty dark red/brown egg doesn't she? I see green! whoot!

More green. She sent me extras.

One more picture with the sex links egg in with them.
Sundance, I hope I have a good hatch, I would love to give you
pullet!

wow Beautiful. I hatched 8 olive eggs last year. Everyone was a rooster can you believe it. I kept all of them until they started to crow. I was convinced that at least one would be a pullett. I know you will have better luck.

 

[auntie hattie]

Lisa such sad news about your Polish.

I hope your other one will heal well. Such a bummer. I just put more Polish hatching eggs in my incubator and would be HAPPY to give you one but they are bantam. They will hatch the Feb. 6th.

Red loved your video!

She was sure getting the spa treatment! Love the color of your new egg too.

Sundance I'm so happy to hear about your dog. That's great.

Cynthia your eggs are beautiful! Wow that rooster is awesome!

So I can write and tell you my little bantam lavender Ameraucana's are finally walking on their own! No more bandages! That was the toughest hatch. I'm hoping for a better one with these new eggs. Plus I'm getting some bantam blue salmon Faverolle's sometime this week. Then I'm done done done with hatching!

Sphinx looking forward to your hatch cam!!

 

[Sphinx]

Is it normal for healthy young hens to completely stop laying?

If it's not normal, my birds are freaks too. I have 10 hens that are no older than 12 months, no younger than 7 months, and I'm only getting 1-3 brown eggs a day. None of the chickens that lay fun colors are laying (I'm even including my polish girl's WHITE eggs here). By the way, it's wonderful to see you again.

Hattie, I'm so glad you were able to "fix" your lavender ameraucanas. It's so heartbreaking when they come out not healthy.

Lilwanis, tell Rowan Happy Birthday from your crazy chicken friends.

So, I'm not sure what to think about my incubator. I put my eggs in lockdown last night and filled up both reservoirs as instructed. But, I have a ton of condensation on the plastic. I never have condensation until chicks start coming out. So, I got a hygrometer today, and it said that humidity was over 85%. So, I drained one of the reservoirs and wiped all of the plastic down to get rid of the condensation. Now humidity is around 73%. Still a lot of condensation though. What's up with that?

 

[kimmypie]

I have 1 BO, 2 EE's, 1 Welsummer, 1 BSL, 1 Exchequer, 1 BR, 1 SS what are the chances that one will likely go broody this spring? I want to add 2 more chicks but I really dont' want to raise them inside and I'm hoping that one of my ladies will go broody and raise them for me. Except for the exchequer they are all hatchery birds.

I guess if it's normal it's better but it is pretty disheartening to have 8 chickens back there and they eat just as much as ever but now are not producing anything. With the snow I've been leaving their run door open so they can get out to the garden and the grass where the snow was melted but they don't come poop on the patio. LOL

 

[Cynthia12]

Thanks on the egg compliments. Wish the camera did a better job on the color. I look at the pics, and see that they aren't showing the real color of green, they really are prettier than the pics.

Yaaay! my leghorn mix...EE..was out this morning, and was off the nest all day. She was still clucking, but stayed off the nest. Then later, I noticed she wasn't making the sound as much. I think I broke her by just taking her off a couple of times a day.

Lisa...how is your other little chickie doing? I hope it will make it.

 

[sundancenbare]

I have 1 BO, 2 EE's, 1 Welsummer, 1 BSL, 1 Exchequer, 1 BR, 1 SS what are the chances that one will likely go broody this spring? I want to add 2 more chicks but I really dont' want to raise them inside and I'm hoping that one of my ladies will go broody and raise them for me. Except for the exchequer they are all hatchery birds.

I guess if it's normal it's better but it is pretty disheartening to have 8 chickens back there and they eat just as much as ever but now are not producing anything. With the snow I've been leaving their run door open so they can get out to the garden and the grass where the snow was melted but they don't come poop on the patio. LOL

My girls are all Laying. I let them put tpday they went from the coop to the gazebo and bathed in the dirt floor then back to coop. One of the Auracanas jumped on the fence then jumped into the snow. She was stuck. I waded out and got her. When I put her on the path she ran back in the coop and stayed all day

 

[themadchicken]

I've been MIA for months...sorry. This board is just so much and I was spending too much time here. Anyway, my ladies are all surviving the winter. Cynthia the Exchequer finally started laying in November I think. I haven't gotten a single EE egg since late October-ish, but I kind of expected that. When we first started having the super cold weather I would check for eggs a few times a day and they would be frozen solid and cracked by the time I got them. Now for the last 2-3 weeks I haven't gotten a single egg. I take them fresh water a few times a day (I have a bucket with nipples but the nipples freeze so fast, I need a warmer but I'm not sure where to get a good one?) so I've been taking them water, they have free access to food plus I usually take them some extras. Is it normal for healthy young hens to completely stop laying? Before it got super cold we were getting 2-4 eggs a day from 6 layers (I'm not counting the 2 EE's because I know they aren't laying right now) and now we're not getting any. Help!

Kimmy, you do have a light in the coop don't you? I doesn't have to be for heat, its just to trick them into thinking its spring. I am probable the worst at trying to trick my hens. My girls have light 24 hours a day. The way i figure it they are just like any other animal, if its dark outside they will sleep. My coop has three windows so they can see outside, and so far it seems to work. I'm still getting 8-10 eggs a day with 14 hens that are laying. I do think that some have slowed way down even with the light. I have one silkie that never went broody (knock on wood) that was laying 4-5 eggs a week and now she is only laying 2-3. BUT if you give them light they will not give you as many years of eggs as you would like and you will have to replace them sooner.

 

[kimmypie]

We don't have any lights out there, I figured if they need a break in the winter then they can have it. I'm sure soon it will warm up to our standard winter weather and things will get back to normal.

How do silkies handle the cold? My daughter really wants one, I'm not sure how it would fare in the winter. I don't heat the coop...

 

[Lilwanis]

If it's not normal, my birds are freaks too. I have 10 hens that are no older than 12 months, no younger than 7 months, and I'm only getting 1-3 brown eggs a day. None of the chickens that lay fun colors are laying (I'm even including my polish girl's WHITE eggs here). By the way, it's wonderful to see you again.

Hattie, I'm so glad you were able to "fix" your lavender ameraucanas. It's so heartbreaking when they come out not healthy.

Lilwanis, tell Rowan Happy Birthday from your crazy chicken friends.

So, I'm not sure what to think about my incubator. I put my eggs in lockdown last night and filled up both reservoirs as instructed. But, I have a ton of condensation on the plastic. I never have condensation until chicks start coming out. So, I got a hygrometer today, and it said that humidity was over 85%. So, I drained one of the reservoirs and wiped all of the plastic down to get rid of the condensation. Now humidity is around 73%. Still a lot of condensation though. What's up with that?

She giggled and said thank you.