When are the eggs coming!?

[FarmerBrowneggs]

Mine aren't free range.

JB

 

[Gloria's Gang]

Still no eggs. I visited the Deerfield fair yesterday and finally found the silkie pullets I was looking for. I got two white ones and one came in first place in her division. They are the same age as the rest of my flock.

Hugh, how is the egg laying coming along?

 

[SC_Hugh]

Hi K,

I am hoping that Gloria's gang will treat you to fresh breakfast soon

I saw this recent posting and thought YES! But I read not yet

The waiting is the hardest part. The good news is once yours start laying, your egg count will race by mine, I only have three layers and one roo.

Dominique laid her first egg on Wed, then her second on Fri, so I am expecting another one today. She sees me coming and she runs into the coop and then jumps up into one of the two nests and starts singing and tries to push one out, but it doesn't happen that easy. Update: Dominique just laid egg #3 right on schedule - Sunday before noon.

My friend and I finished my Chicken Run Part Deux yesterday. My chickens have twice the enclosed run that they used to have. I increased their run from 30 square feet to 60 square feet, they are already enjoying their increased outdoor area.

This was my kids playhouse that they no longer use (daughter 21 and sons 18 &15):

This was the coop and run conversion in June 09 (part one):

And now I need to take some pictures of Chicken Run part Duex and my older flock.

You got new chickens? Silkies are cute, I would love to get a Cochin frizzle. Our County fair was a few weekends ago, so many different breeds that I never heard of, but there weren't any Dominiques or Blue Cochins (lots of black Cochins), so I might have to enter a couple of mine next year. My birds are feed store stock, so they might not have the qualities to win. Very cool about you adding champions to your flock...keep me posted.

How about picture posting, did you figure that out? Just copy the image tag and paste into a posting and the picture will automatically upload.

Hugh

 

[SC_Hugh]

I took a bunch of pictures yesterday, but then the memory card did a weird reformat and I lost all the pics, oh well. Try again later...

Big news today is that our rooster Blue found his voice this morning, after a couple of false vocal starts...he really belted it out this morning: Kakadoodledoooooooo!!!! Over and over again! I went home for lunch to check it out and he wouldn't crow...good boy.

Not only crowing, but also mating with pullet #1 that is laying. Today was also the first time that we got back to back egg days (yesterday and today). Since last Wednesday 4 eggs from Dominique.

Also in the process of ordering some chicken saddles for the girls.

--Hugh

p.s. New avitatar too.

 

[Gloria's Gang]

Sorry I haven't been here in a while. More busy with soccer games, etc than I wish to be. Good news! We FINALLY got our first egg! Then a couple days later someone else layed an egg. The interesting thing is the first one was medium sized and pointed. We have got a few of those. Then came a small almost perfectly round egg. Got two more of those. Almost positive my Barred rock is the owner of the larger pointed one, she was caught in the box. No idea about the little round one. It sure is cute though.

Went to a poultry show last weekend, Poultry Fanciers Assoc., really learned a lot. Boy are those roosters pretty! And LOUD! Are your neighbors complaining?

I put a light in the coop this week to turn on at 4:15AM to simulate daylight. They seemed confused about the light but still being locked in. We'll see if egg production increases now.

 

[Gloria's Gang]

PS Nice coop!!!

 

[Gloria's Gang]

I have decided to only turn the light on for an hour. Sitting in the coop for so long that early seems a bit odd.

 

[PortageGirl]

Yep, having a light come on in the morning, (or you turning it on, my electric for out there has a cut off at the house, so I can control it from the basement!) but having it come on in the morning that way can be a good thing, even if it's not for actually altering their egg laying, it gives them a chance to be up eating layer mash and drinking before they go outside, so it's not a bad thing at all. I dislike trying to extend their laying with the whole 14 - 16 hours of light, both for the sake of the hens, and the sake of my electric bill.

Just make sure it's off by evening. One day last week I got busy and totally forgot about it being on all day long

!!! well, it was after dark cause I was so busy and the hens were totally confused about whether they should be up in the roost or down eating... not terrible, but then when I turned it off, it was pitch black out there and they couldn't get to the roosts! I had twelve VERY talkative and grumpy hens!!! I took a flashlight and covered it with a rag so there was just enough light for them to find their ladder, and there was a line of flustered hens climbing up it, and waiting to do so... pretty funny, but they were NOT pleased with the sudden 'sunset'.

I think if I wanted to extend laying (which I don't), I'd put in a shop light that used full spectrum florescent tubes. I know they sell the bulbs now, but they're expensive too and if I wanted that much bang, I'd go all the way with a shop fixture. Of course I have the room for that, not all coops could do that, though they make some nice small fixtures too. It IS a worry if one got broken though, a regular bulb is a danger because of the glass, with flourescents, there's poison in there that could really hurt them.

so much to consider!!!

 

[SC_Hugh]

Gloria's Gang :

Sorry I haven't been here in a while. More busy with soccer games, etc than I wish to be. Good news! We FINALLY got our first egg! Then a couple days later someone else layed an egg. The interesting thing is the first one was medium sized and pointed. We have got a few of those. Then came a small almost perfectly round egg. Got two more of those. Almost positive my Barred rock is the owner of the larger pointed one, she was caught in the box. No idea about the little round one. It sure is cute though.

Went to a poultry show last weekend, Poultry Fanciers Assoc., really learned a lot. Boy are those roosters pretty! And LOUD! Are your neighbors complaining?

I put a light in the coop this week to turn on at 4:15AM to simulate daylight. They seemed confused about the light but still being locked in. We'll see if egg production increases now.

Hi K,

I must have sensed that eggs were dropping for Gloria's gang as I searched out your post tonight for an update! Congratulations to the whole gang!

I'm still getting one egg a day or every other day from Dominique, nothing yet from the other two pullets and Little Ricky is eating all day long

We have enjoyed some fried eggs, scrambled eggs, brownies, etc. These are some great tasting eggs

I don't want to ever buy eggs at the store again, so if that is true then I better get some more chickens!

Next year or the year after, these three should be good for a year or two, then I want to add another flock.

Little Ricky is crowing a little bit, we don't let him out of the coop until after 8 or 9am. He crows a little, but it sounds nice to us and none of the neighbors have complained yet. Ricky has a new home when I get around to driving him there, about two hours away. Ricky's new family will make him a Cochin daddy to produce Cochin chicks

My wife just got back from MD tonight, she said it was cold and wet in MD this week. In CA, we got 7"+ of rain in one day (last Tuesday), chickens, coop and run held up well

I am planting my seed garlic tomorrow (4.5 lbs), home grown garlic is not like that hot plain tasting stuff that they sell in the supermarket. Ever had a garlic omelet? I will make one tomorrow morning and then post up the recipe

Best,

Hugh​

 

[Gloria's Gang]

So the owner of the little round egg is Penny, our Rhode Island Red. Her and Roxy were both squeezed in the box yesterday.

We heard about all the rain you folks got, glad to hear you came out okay. We had snow today, all day! It only stuck to the grass though. The girls don't seem to mind the rain or snow. They're out all day foraging around. Sometimes they do hide under the truck, deck or just hang under a bush.

Why are you finding a new home for Ricky? He was supposed to be a girl wasn't he?

The fresh eggs sure are good. Our family and friends can't wait for our supply to increase so we will share!


K