| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| eskimobirdlady |
Posted - Dec 07 2008 : 1:06:39 PM
we finally have started getting eggs from our pullets. we have barred rock, rhode island reds and black cornish. i dont know who is laying but i have an idea that is is the black cornish ( they are the oldest by a few weeks) as this egg is so much darker than i remember rir and br being. it is so cute! now if we can just get to them daily BEFORE they freeze and break! with temps below zero its a challenge lol. i am amazed they are laying at all with only a couple hours of dusky light and no heat! the hens seem to be plenty warm. they are in a very tiny coop so their body heat is shared very well! *wink* peace connie in alaska |
| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| mothergoose |
Posted - Dec 11 2008 : 04:29:39 AM
Congrats to all the who are getting eggs.We have yet to put up the red heat light on , so no eggs at moment.We just culled our flock down from 25 to 12.I spent 3 hours checking out chicken butts ..er..vents to decide who was going..fun..fun..fun..Check out the other sites here on chickens more info from more great gals. |
| eskimobirdlady |
Posted - Dec 09 2008 : 10:07:08 AM
barred rocks are excellent mothers! i am not sure how this winter will comare to next as far as laying as these pullets are just now beginning to lay. hopefully they will do well! the last flock i had managed a egg per day and sometimes more! that was in michigan tho. have any of you ever had a hen lay more than one egg per day? peace connie in alaska |
| LindaEllen |
Posted - Dec 09 2008 : 07:17:06 AM
Connie,I sure hope winter laying is in store for us. Keep us updated on your hens in Alaska, it would be interesting to find out their laying habits with less light in the winter time then here in the midwest. Oh those store bought eggs :P. The Barred Rocks are good all around bird, I hope they will make good mothers to, I hope to have some hens sitting this spring. Ya know they like to sing :>
Linda
Farmgirl Sister #343
Locust Trail Homestead
http://www.homesteadblogger.com/walkabout/
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| eskimobirdlady |
Posted - Dec 08 2008 : 10:01:51 PM
linda i have heard that the barred rock will lay summer or winter. i know that the hens i had years ago did just fine even in winter. they were br and rir and some crosses of the 2. i have never heated a coop nor have i added light. will be interesting to see how that works here in interior alaska! remember that eggs will keep for months!! the reason they dont ( or they say they dont lol)when you get store bought is that they usually are already stale when shipped and they lose money if you stock up while on sale and not buying all the time lol.
peace connie in alaska |
| eskimobirdlady |
Posted - Dec 08 2008 : 9:34:57 PM
one step at a time hun. you will get your hen house someday *grin* peace connie in alaska |
| lacisne88 |
Posted - Dec 08 2008 : 7:57:11 PM
Congrats Connie! That is really great! I want to start a chicken coop at some point. I need to get my own place first and move out of college, but I have my plans...
Chelsey
Farmgirl Sister #283
http://farmgirlpleasures.blogspot.com/
http://aminiatureworld.blogspot.com/ |
| LindaEllen |
Posted - Dec 08 2008 : 5:53:36 PM
WTG Connie, I bet its the egg of your black cornish. I raise Plymouth Barred Rock and their small eggs started out light and as they are laying more , they are bigger and browner :). We are getting 20 eggs a day now from our young pullets (born June 6th,08)out of 50+ hens.
Oh boy do they taste good. We sent DD home with 108 eggs today with 30 more in our fridge to give to my Mom and sister. 50 by tomorrow,lol. Go girls go!!!
I probably will not keep a light on them this winter so they will slow down I'm sure. I did clean the coop out yesterday with some thoughts to whether leave it in for heat or not. Theres enough hens and roos to keep it pretty warm just with their body heat in the Hen Den. I was thinking garden compost as well :). It will probably be the last cleaning until spring clean up. Just add leaves and straw for bedding.
Happy Egg Gathering
Linda
Farmgirl Sister #343
Locust Trail Homestead
http://www.homesteadblogger.com/walkabout/
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| frolicnfibers |
Posted - Dec 08 2008 : 5:36:39 PM
Congrats Connie! I can hardly wait for ours to start laying again...unfortunately I think it will be spring :(
Diana
Please come visit my animals and my Etsy store on my new blog!
http://www.frolicnfibers.blogspot.com |
| K-Falls Farmgirl |
Posted - Dec 08 2008 : 5:22:08 PM
I can hardly wait for my hens.. I'm still working DH to finish the hen house he promised by Dec 15th,. I don't wanna Nag him..But COME ON Big Boy Cowboy up!
http://www.k-fallsfarmgirl.blogspot.com/
Cheryl #309
Farm girl sister
Enjoy the little things in life....someday you'll look back and realize they were the big things. |
| eskimobirdlady |
Posted - Dec 08 2008 : 5:18:09 PM
hi anna, i am looking forward to those double yokers! years ago i had chickens and got alot fof them! right now i am just happy to be acutally getting eggs!! isnt it funny how some hens just cant get the shape right? i guess they just want to be "individuals" lol peace connie in alaska |
| Annab |
Posted - Dec 08 2008 : 03:40:59 AM
Those eggs are sooo cute! Look for double yolkers too. You'll be able to tell these 'cause the egg will look like it should have come from a goose!
Some of my hens are young. SOMEONE lays oblong dinosaur looking eggs, and another gal.....her eggs look like pointy torpedos
And no matter our ages or how long we have been raising chickens, I think we all get thrills every day there's an egg in the box. |
| eskimobirdlady |
Posted - Dec 07 2008 : 9:26:19 PM
tracy, i do nothing to heat the coop but they are pretty well packed in there! i also do not clean the manure out in the winter so it helps to heat the whole place. there is a 2 inch thick layer of frost on the walls but the air temps in there arenot near as cold as outside! lol
kris, we have 20 somethign hens so who knows how many are beginnign to lay or who lol. we moved here from acworth ga. (about 0 miles south of you i think) when we left there it was in the 90s (at 2 am!) and when we got here 10 days later it was 14 below! i love it!
dalyn, i hope your ladies start laying again soon! i have never tried a goose egg. do they taste the same as chicken eggs? (i know stupid question lol)next year we plan to raise a goose and a couple of turkeys for holiday dinners. most of our chickens will be butchered as soon as we find the time when the temps are above zero! we will keep all the hens except for the black cornish as they are not really good egg layers but all but 2 of the the roosters have got to go!! we have one crazy rooster that crows day and night! these guys are really confused with the long dark nights lol.
peace connie in alaska |
| QueenofQuiteAlot |
Posted - Dec 07 2008 : 3:45:13 PM
Lovely!! Our hens are pretty much quit, but the goose is laying a huge white egg very often for us *U* I even have special lights up for the hens in the barn, but those girls are stubborn *U*
Dalyn
Muckboots 'N Aprons Chapter
~Hick Chicks Soap Barn ~
www.hickchickssoapbarn.com
Homespun Raw Goat Milk Soaps 'n More
http://muckbootsnaprons.blogspot.com/
http://proverbs31nubians.blogspot.com/ |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Dec 07 2008 : 3:30:52 PM
I am just so jealous! But happy for you, too. I love those first tine little eggs. It's so weird that they lay only one then the next day they're regular size eggs.
And ya'll are so much colder there.
Kris |
| NatureNymph |
Posted - Dec 07 2008 : 1:58:28 PM
Great news! I love hearing about other farm girls triumphs.
What are you using to keep your coop warm
"Everybody likes to go their own way--to choose their own time and manner of devotion." Jane Austen, Mansfield Park
http://simplicitysampler.blogspot.com/
http://blessewefarm.blogspot.com/ |
