Washingtonians

[Chicken Rustler]

Quote:

 

[Rainwolf]

Ok this has to be one of the coolest brooder house plans I've ever seen ........

http://archive.org/stream/efficientpoultry00simm#page/n5/mode/2up

 

[Rainwolf]

Ok I got to stop surfing www.archive.org for chicken stuff.... but here is a great coop drawing I found... trying to see if I can use what I have to make a better coop for my girls

 

[VelvettFog]

Would it work fairly well to begin keeping them in the run all morning and only allowing them to free-range in the afternoons? I've read that most chickens get their cue to lay from the sun coming up so most of the laying *should* happen in the morning right; keeping them confined to coop and run should give them no other choice but to lay in the nest boxes, right? Wonder if that would help train them at all, along with the golf balls in the nest boxes.

Others here have also responded, my experience is quite similar.

Hens take 24 to 26 hours (roughly) to produce an egg. So they lay their egg later and later each successive day. If the hen feels that she'd have to lay in the dark (or what ever feels "too late" for her) she will forgo laying that day, and resume the following morning. From 30+ hens I get only a few eggs before 9 am, and most are done before 4pm. I do have a few stragglers who lay between 4pm and 6pm.

Look what a friend gave me:
It is a little old. 2 of them have holes in the bottom, but I think I can fix with with some plywood or something. Little rust here and there.....but other than that great. I am going to put it somewhere protected for now. I plan on doing up a nice "layer" coop - probably next year - I want to be able to sell eggs.

Oh, I so want one of those.

I do have weird birds

LOL

Anyone know is 14 weeks way too early for an Australorp to start feeling the urge to lay? I thought I still had a good 6 weeks to go before any eggs, my 7 oldest birds are 14 weeks old yesterday.

18 to 22 weeks is typical. Like RW said, egg laying breeds (like the BA) would be on the 18 side of that range. Listen to her, she's smart

 

[uwlax29]

We're a new chicken family in Shoreline. Love all the advice and tips on the site. We have 3 hens: Thomas a Buff Orp, Henrietta an Ameraucana, and Henny a Wellsummer. We also ended up with a roo - Bunny the Black Australorp. 16-ish weeks old now, and a ton of fun, except for our now crowing Bunny, who needs a new home.

 

[Chicken Rustler]

We're a new chicken family in Shoreline. Love all the advice and tips on the site. We have 3 hens: Thomas a Buff Orp, Henrietta an Ameraucana, and Henny a Wellsummer. We also ended up with a roo - Bunny the Black Australorp. 16-ish weeks old now, and a ton of fun, except for our now crowing Bunny, who needs a new home.

 

[VelvettFog]

We're a new chicken family in Shoreline. Love all the advice and tips on the site. We have 3 hens: Thomas a Buff Orp, Henrietta an Ameraucana, and Henny a Wellsummer. We also ended up with a roo - Bunny the Black Australorp. 16-ish weeks old now, and a ton of fun, except for our now crowing Bunny, who needs a new home.

Welcome UW!

Seems to me that Thomas and Bunny have stolen each others names

 

[Chicken Rustler]

OK I can't resist here is my nest box.

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

Quote: I knew it was quite the "find" AND she just gave it to me - extra cool. I am so excited to clean it up and fix it up and get it in a coop. I knew it was missing a few pieces. Can you send me a photo of yours?

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

Dave: I have always wanted one too. You just never find them - a friend who is a real estate agent had a listing that was a bank repo. The bank payed her to clean the place up and this was on the property. She thought of me instantly. It is rough...but I was so excited to get it.

eta: Dave want to come build me another coop? I want to put this in it. I want it full of Golden Comets for selling eggs. LOL