Washingtonians

[gmendoza]

If you really want a house chicken you need a Serama!
Welcome to BYC and howdy Neighbor! i'm by northgate mall

And diapers on them,or its yuck-city and goodbye to all that fancy furniture and electronics.

 

[CailetTempest]

Yes -- so can switching food.

Other things that effect egg laying:
Poor nutrition
Change in feed
Lack of food
Lack of water
Illness
Stress

If they free range - are they stashing eggs?
Could something be stealing them? (snakes, weasels, other birds - crows, magpies)
Are they eating them?

These birds are penned up not free range. I am hoping that going back to the good food will help. No one appears to be ill. I check that every day. My chickens are used to getting their well checks every day. I actually pick them up and check them out. Maybe I am a little overboard on it but I do not want anyone getting sick. At any sign of illness they are immediately quarenteened away from the others. part of the well checks are me holding the birds and looking them over. My kids call it my chicken time. Anyone that enters the pen has to wash or sanitize their hands.

oh my I really sound paranoid don't i? I just don't want to take any chances. The girls all lay their eggs in the coop and the pen has wire top and bottom so nothing can get in. I didn't want to lose any birds to predators so hubby built it like that for me.

 

[FirewifeJess]

Quick question: how hard would it be (too risky, cause injuries, etc) to integrate a roo into my flock? I really want one to protect my girls; right now there are 8 girls and they're all so spacey when they are outside! They just stared at a crow in the yard and he swooped down but didn't hurt them. They are 10 weeks old today and I would get a same age roo. What do you think?

 

[Breshcandra]

You should be able to do it but you will need to keep him separate from the flock for a month (?) If you have kids get a breed that is known to have good temperament. (silkie, Brahama, Orpingtons).

 

[Sudsy Chick]

Quick question: how hard would it be (too risky, cause injuries, etc) to integrate a roo into my flock? I really want one to protect my girls; right now there are 8 girls and they're all so spacey when they are outside! They just stared at a crow in the yard and he swooped down but didn't hurt them. They are 10 weeks old today and I would get a same age roo. What do you think?

If you're adding a younger bird - I wouldn't worry too much. Now if you were adding a full grown rooster, that'd be different.

Either way - you want to let them get to know each other through a fence first =)

I have a bunch of ADORABLE seven week old cockerels - listed here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/672865/appenzeller-spitzhauben-cross-chicks

 

[Breshcandra]

There is still a couple of days to sign up for the June Egg Swap - https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/669492/june-online-hatching-egg-swap

 

[FirewifeJess]

If you're adding a younger bird - I wouldn't worry too much. Now if you were adding a full grown rooster, that'd be different.

Either way - you want to let them get to know each other through a fence first =)

I have a bunch of ADORABLE seven week old cockerels - listed here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/672865/appenzeller-spitzhauben-cross-chicks

How long through a fence? That's doable...but not terribly easy. I could keep him in the run and let the girls out the people-door of the coop to free-range, but then where would he sleep for a while? I only have one coop! LOL I guess I could always use a rubbermaid bin with holes cut out for air and litter in the bottom (in the basement) at night for a while, if I had to.

 

[Breshcandra]

dog crate would work

 

[Chickielady]

Hello everyone !
Great weather we are not having !!!

We got the heater, through wafer therm, in the tractor & bedding, food, etc & put all the cornballs OUT in the tractor.
At 2 1/2 weeks old they are heafty little butterballs that can poop up a storm !

So they are out there, warm & happy in their traveling tractor !

Now my indoor chick pens will stay clean !!!!!!!!!!
Then I cleaned..gutted completely, the big old coop (3 coops attached by inner doors) and that was an ordeal..cleaned it all, nest boxes & dusted.
Took 2 bales of shavings to fill it back up again 4-6" deep in clean floor bedding & half a bale of compressed straw for the many nest boxes....wow I was filthy !
All cleaned up now & we will be going under the house to add more polystyrene insulation panels under the floor.....

It is not raining under the house !!!!!!!

As soon as that is done we can get going on walls !!!!!!!!!

 

[Sudsy Chick]

dog crate would work

Yes, a dog crate would work - or section off a small portion of the run.