| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Annab |
Posted - Jul 18 2008 : 03:42:29 AM
YEA!!
When I opened the coop I finally found a small but perfect brown egg. YEA!
The other 13 ladies should start in too, so the "drought" will end, and all my customers can have their eggs MUCH sooner!
Funny thing is, I placed a golfball in the nest a few days ago and it's vanished! Sure hope that snake doesn't return |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| deeredawn |
Posted - Aug 07 2008 : 4:37:42 PM
Ooohhh I love Mille Fleur's (you spelled it right the trick is SAYING it!) I have a Salmon Faverolle that will lay pink/brown eggs when the time comes. I have Ameracauna's, Welsummers, Blue Andalusian's and Brown egg layers, but then again, I do work at a hachery. I hope we weren't the ones that sent LavenderMom roo's! Yikes!
"I figure if a girl wants to be a legend, she should go ahead and be one!"...Calamity Jane
www.harvestthymefarm.com
Sister #279 (big grin!) |
| Annab |
Posted - Aug 05 2008 : 03:42:30 AM
OH! And I think the Millefleur (way bad sp) has finally started laying too. I keep finding a perfect, small, darker brown egg under our now very broody OEGB. Her eggs are tiny and a bit lighter like the silkies, so its not her. She sure is a good mom. Funny to see her trying to set with 3 standard eggs crammed beneath her too. Poor gal |
| Annab |
Posted - Aug 05 2008 : 03:38:06 AM
I may have to try the brooder lamp.
Some of the older ladies are now laying what I call dinosaur eggs. They are big with no distinct points on either end, rather oblong and chunky looking. Makes filling an egg carton for transport a challenge. |
| lavendermom |
Posted - Aug 04 2008 : 7:44:11 PM
Oh, the thrill when you find that first egg in the coop! Congratulations!
I would also like to agree with the posts on the roosters...we always end up with a rooster in our pullet order and this year was no exception. We got two! Again! They won't be sticking around. I have yet to meet a rooster that does not tear up the poor, pretty hens during the winter months when they are cooped up more often. It is so ugly to see those naked backs! Not to mention even the nicest roosters will turn on you for no apparent reason whatsoever! My daughter had a "pet" rooster attack her and bite her nose hard once. And last year "Big Daddy" attacked me for no reason while I was sitting in the yard reading a magazine! That was the last straw for me and I told my husband that I refused to own anymore roosters! The two we've got now (Big Daddy #2 and Big Shot...my children can't help themselves, they must name every animal on this farm!) will be stew before the fall weather arrives!
Jennifer
www.fromfieldsandgardens.com
www.homesteadblogger.com/fromfieldsandgardens
www.farmsteadorganics.etsy.com |
| RoseRed |
Posted - Jul 28 2008 : 6:27:37 PM
You know, we do the lamp thing in the winter time, but it's to keep our girls producing eggs (and for some warmth for them). It definitely works for the egg production...I'd never thought about the molting aspect, though. All but one are molting now, and we have almost no eggs. One isn't molting and is laying, and another isn't molting, but is broody, so is not laying. Anyway. I'm going to have look into this light in the winter holding off molting business---I'd rather they molted in the winter than in the summer! |
| deeredawn |
Posted - Jul 28 2008 : 4:04:19 PM
You can try to fend off the molt by using extra lighting. I havent tried it yet, but that what they say at work. Fake 'em out with extra lighting. Maybe a timer that will swith a brooder lamp (with a lower wattage bulb) on at 5pm (winter time) and turn it off at midnight? That's almost 20 hours of daylight....definately food for thought...literally!
"I figure if a girl wants to be a legend, she should go ahead and be one!"...Calamity Jane |
| Annab |
Posted - Jul 28 2008 : 12:14:47 PM
I sure hope the ladies continue well into December. i would love to cash in into everyone's holiday baking. that, and I have noticed a request increase due to higher prices at the grocer.
Last year the older gals left me high and dry 'till around February. there's not much we or they can do when a yearly molt comes around. |
| Alseafarmgal |
Posted - Jul 27 2008 : 8:09:58 PM
Anna...Congrats on your laying hens. I'm only getting two eggs a day from our nine hens. It's so much fun to collect the eggs each day!
Becky
Farmgirl Sister #289
"Live your Dreams" "Live Creatively"
www.renfrophotography.com |
| Alee |
Posted - Jul 27 2008 : 07:37:04 AM
That's great! I am so envious of those of you with flocks!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our new blog:
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com |
| Annab |
Posted - Jul 27 2008 : 07:16:40 AM
AAAND, happy to anounce, yesterday evening, it was discovered that not just 1 but 5 hens are now laying!
There are a total of 14, so hopefully all will get the egg out. funny how they are surpassing the older ladies now. The pressure's on gals!
figures they start up now, just as we are about to go on vacation in 2 weeks.
|
| therealshari |
Posted - Jul 26 2008 : 09:40:34 AM
Yeah, we kept a couple roosters way too long... Mom liked to hear them crow. They really made a mess of our hens.
After they targeted me a few too many times, they went to live with the Mexican family down the road. Last I heard, the dogs killed them before they became Pollo Con Arroz. Too bad, since we really did give them to the family for meat.
Shari Thomas
Got lambs? Got fleece? We do, and you can too! Check our our new "Fleece For Sale" page. |
| Alseafarmgal |
Posted - Jul 26 2008 : 08:27:28 AM
Thanks Connie...
O.K....looks like Sunday dinner for those boys. I'll have to see who is the nice one and he gets to stay. I can't believe I ended up with three. I bought 4 Rhode Island reds, 4 Barred Rocks and 4 Goldens and I have a rooster from each group.
Becky
Farmgirl Sister #289
"Live your Dreams" "Live Creatively"
www.renfrophotography.com |
| eskimobirdlady |
Posted - Jul 26 2008 : 12:06:46 AM
definately get rid of 2 roosters because if you dont the poor hens will have bare naked backs from the roosters mounting them! 1 rooster to about a dozen hens is more than adequate.
peace connie in alaska |
| Alseafarmgal |
Posted - Jul 25 2008 : 7:41:25 PM
Thanks for the info Shari... We got two eggs today and they were in a nest. Finally headed in the right direction. I just added the oyster shells to their diet. I have 12 chickens 9 hens and 3 roosters I think. The girls share 3 nest boxes.
When the roosters get older will I need to get rid of two? or will they all get along?
I'm just so happy they figured out the nest and are putt'n shells on those eggs.
Becky
Farmgirl Sister #289
"Live your Dreams"
www.renfrophotography.com |
| therealshari |
Posted - Jul 25 2008 : 10:55:53 AM
We're just coming off our "first molt". In June, our egg production dropped to as low as 1 egg per day across 19 hens. Until then, they'd been laying 15 to 18 eggs a day for us. This month we're back to 8 to 12 eggs, and I expect that's where we'll stay until next year.
As for nest boxes, we have four adjoining boxes elevated, attached outside (with entry from inside), so we can harvest the eggs without entering the coop. We line our nest boxes with sheep fleece leftover from shearing our sheep. Our hens love it!
In the past year, out of well over 5000 eggs, we've had three membrane only. Also, we have had less than a dozen eggs broken in the nest in that time.
Shari Thomas
Got lambs? Got fleece? We do, and you can too! Check our our new "Fleece For Sale" page. |
| Brew Crew |
Posted - Jul 23 2008 : 10:37:31 AM
How exciting about your new eggs! I've had my share of squishy, lumpy, wavy, uneven eggs at our henhouse. Don't know that it's necessarily always dietary, but that would be a good place to start. We recently had one like you described, with no shell. The kids thought it was hilarious and played with it untill......ewwwww.
The Biz www.tvalahandmade.com
The Blog: http://blog.tvalahandmade.com/
The Bits www.happydalehobby.blogspot.com/
|
| deeredawn |
Posted - Jul 23 2008 : 07:56:37 AM
It all sounds good... when I get to work today I'll ask what else can be done for ya. I know when they first start laying the shells are very soft until the hens mature to about 17-20 weeks old... 20% sure sounds like enough. If all else fails I resort back to my old time soft shell trick: a handful of dry cat food 2-3 times a week.
harvest thyme farm & market web site coming soon |
| Alseafarmgal |
Posted - Jul 23 2008 : 07:52:20 AM
Dawn....Thanks. I'm feeding them 20% organic layer pellet. I'm picking up some oyster shells for them today.
I'll keep working with them so they get used to the new nest. I built 3 partitioned nest 18x18 with slopped roof. With a little roost so they can get in. It looks pretty dark.
Thanks for the help....I'll keep ya posted to what works.
Becky
"Live your Dreams"
www.renfrophotography.com |
| deeredawn |
Posted - Jul 23 2008 : 07:06:39 AM
Oh, nest boxes need to be dark. Chickens love dark places. Make sure its comfy too, lots of straw. Try to keep putting them in there so that they know where it is. They may not be using it becasue they arent familiar with it yet.
harvest farm & market web site coming soon |
| deeredawn |
Posted - Jul 23 2008 : 06:45:56 AM
Thats sounds dietary... what kind of feed are you ginving them again? The shell is made up of calcium and protein. So you may have to add that to their diet. Whats the percentage ratio of protein the feed your giving them?
harvest farm & market web site coming soon |
| Alseafarmgal |
Posted - Jul 22 2008 : 11:39:53 PM
Two of my hens laid their first egg yesterday.  One of the eggs had no shell just the membrane. But I wasn't expecting them to start laying yet and hadn't built their nest box, so of course they laid it on the floor.  So dh and I built a nest box and put it in the coop. Today we had two eggs on the floor with no shells.
How do I get them to use the nest box? and why do they have no hard shell?
Becky
"Live your Dreams"
www.renfrophotography.com |
| deeredawn |
Posted - Jul 22 2008 : 12:12:55 PM
Cheryl: you need one nest per 3-5 hens. They will take turns laying in the boxes. Good luck!
harvest farm & market web site coming soon |
| Mumof3 |
Posted - Jul 21 2008 : 05:22:06 AM
Anna- Congratulations! I'm still waiting for mine to start. Even living in luxury hasn't given them the incentive to lay. ;)
Karin
Farmgirl Sister
# 18 :)
Wherever you go, there you are.
www.madrekarin.blogspot.com
www.madrekarin.etsy.com |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Jul 20 2008 : 10:28:57 PM
How fun!! It is always so fun to find your first egg. I still have loved it when I have started a new flock (like 6 years ago when we moved here) and get that first one from the new girls. Congratulations!!
Jenny in Utah
Proud Farmgirl sister #24
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
| eskimobirdlady |
Posted - Jul 20 2008 : 9:54:54 PM
oops make that my ladies* lol my fingers cannot spell as well as my brain!
peace connie in alaska |
