| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Aug 04 2010 : 5:49:50 PM
I got 16 eggs today! I am amazed. That would mean every hen (beside the broody hen sitting on 5 eggs in the milkroom) ilaid an egg today. And it was about 100 degrees too. I have been only getting about 7 eggs a day the last few months. I thought they were going to stop. But they out did themselves today. I am proud of my girls!
How is the egg production in the rest of the country these days?
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Aug 25 2010 : 07:25:31 AM
That's what I have to do too. They are always finding new and better and harder nests to find. Good luck!
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| homsteddinmom |
Posted - Aug 25 2010 : 05:56:21 AM
I am right now getting 12, but with as many hens as i have i should be getting way more! i guess since they are free range i guess i need to start walking the yard to find there hiding spots!
Homesteading Mom in East Texas. Raising chickens, Rabbits and goats here on my farm! |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Aug 23 2010 : 06:44:11 AM
Aug. 4th I got 16 eggs. The past few days I am lucky to get maybe 5. I had all those hens go broody so I think that messed everything up for the rest of them. I finally got all of them back to normal now so I will see. There are nests all over the place so maybe they have started a new one. I need to sit outside and watch them.
I have a friend who buys 6 dozen a week. I will be lucky to get 4 this week. And I owe her 2 extra eggs.
I have kept 4 of the game chicks. They are a little over 4 months old. So they should all start laying soon. Also 2 of the new ones are Buffs. That's 6 new hens. So of the 8 chicks that survived only 1 was a roo! Last year of 8 or 9 they were all roos except 1 hen. So maybe my male years are over with and I will get more females. I can only hope I get female goats next spring.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Aug 19 2010 : 10:04:12 AM
Ok, I have 3 hens that have decided they want some more babies. I do not! So that means no stinkin' eggs from them. I have run them off nests for days now. That also means that the other hens don't know where to go. So yesterday I only got 5 eggs. I am so glad I still have my friend's horse trailor. It makes a greta holding area for broody hens. They are out there now and will be til they get over this. I need eggs right now. Not more chickies. Although I love baby chicks following their mommas, I also love eggs and the money they bring me. They have been doing so good even in the 100 degree temps we've been having lately.
What makes this happen? I am not liking this at all. And these are all 3 my Buff hens too. I love them but am not happy about this right now. Is there something else I can be going to keep this from happening all the time? Help!
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| ramonaj |
Posted - Aug 17 2010 : 6:21:56 PM
These spoiled Northwest chickens are not laying well with the hot spell we're having. They'd never make it back home! They lay much better when it's cool.
happiness to all sentient beings |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Aug 17 2010 : 05:17:54 AM
If you have a roo that means she is his favorite. If not then she might be molting? Or the others are picking on her for some reason. She might need a hen saddle too. They are really cute and look pretty easy to make.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| southerncrossgirl |
Posted - Aug 17 2010 : 03:47:09 AM
Kris, I am feeding Layena crumbles. One hen is missing feathers on her back. What does that mean?
"A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes"==Cinderella |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Aug 16 2010 : 1:17:53 PM
Linda, I have never heard of putting blueing in the water. I just scrub them out when they start looking bad. They drink it so fast it doesn't usually get too awful bad though. And i think we have all kinds of wild critters around here. I have lost a few hens to them. And a great roo also. I miss him. But mine all roost in the trees and on the fence.
Gena, I sure wish I could help with the egg problem. Did you say you feed laying crumbles? Sounds like ya got your hands full with all those new babies. I just have 3 right now and the mama is taking care of them.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| sissarge |
Posted - Aug 16 2010 : 1:09:58 PM
Kristin, my chickens are assorted. mostly feathered on the legs. They are bantys. I really want some Black Astrolops, I had them before and they were great. Even won a ribbon at the show with them. Large large brown eggs. It will probable be spring before I get those. I need to build a larger chicken house and pen. I have coons, so I have to have a very good house and make sure to pen every night. That sounds dumb, I don't have coons, they are wild in the woods. Haha! But I want it done right so it will take me a little bit. Thanks for the vinegar answer. Do any of you put bluing in the water, to fight algae in the water? I also use it in the chicks water, they say their is some type of something that gets the chicks off to a good start.Thanks to all of you for your information, isn't it neat to learn, from someone who is actually doing it. Have a great day! Farmgirl#946 Linda |
| southerncrossgirl |
Posted - Aug 16 2010 : 09:02:51 AM
Kris, I am still going to try the apple cider vinegar. I know it won't hurt.
I just don't know why my six laying hens, aren't laying very well. I may get 2 egss, or no eggs a day. The chicks I incubated have started laying. Their eggs are so small and cute!
Last week my new arrivals came. I ordered 8 Dominiques, 8 Amerecaunas and 8 Salmon Faverolle's. They are soo cute. I sold half of my Silkie chicks for $5.00 @. I now have 15 silkies that are 5 weeks. I have gone chicken crazy!!!
"A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes"==Cinderella |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Aug 16 2010 : 05:32:06 AM
I hope someone else will know then, Gena. That's just what I have heard. I put about 1/2 a cup in the one rubber water bowl. It's one of the smaller black rubber ones. I guess it holds a gallon. I also give my chickens clabbered milk and kefir when I have extra. They love that. It helps with the gut flora.
I had a bunch of hens setting on eggs and I think I might have 4 hens and 4 roos out of the bunch. I put an ad on Craig's list. I had 2 calls but I wasn't home. I will start trying to catch them and put a sign out also. I do not neet extra roos right now.
Linda, what kind of chicks did you get?
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| southerncrossgirl |
Posted - Aug 15 2010 : 9:23:08 PM
Kris, I was doing a little research on worming, and saw that other people did the apple cider vinegar thing. They said it was good for their digestion, but it didn't kill all the different types of worms. I will keep researching though.
"A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes"==Cinderella |
| sissarge |
Posted - Aug 15 2010 : 8:38:26 PM
Hey Kristin, How much apple cider vinegar do you put to how much water? How often do you put this in their water? I only have 11 chickens that I got from a rescue center after a raid on a house. all checked by vet and said to be ok, they were only about 2-4 days old. turns out to look like 6 roosters, so I have separated them because of fighting, and tomorrow I am putting out a sign for sale. They are 3 months old. thanks for you answers. Have a great day! Farmgirl #946 Linda
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| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Aug 15 2010 : 2:55:17 PM
Hey Gena. You can put apple cider vinegar in their drinking water. I do that for my animals. You wouldn't have to withold eggs that way.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| southerncrossgirl |
Posted - Aug 14 2010 : 08:33:29 AM
Thanks for all the tips. My laying hens are in a huge fenced area which they can go in and out of the barn to lay their eggs. We did relocate a huge black snake a while ago. I check several times a day. I don't think another snake is around. I haven't seen one. No, I haven't wormed them. What do you guys use to treat for worms, and do you need to not eat the eggs that they do lay after worming?
"A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes"==Cinderella |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Aug 12 2010 : 6:20:22 PM
I think I am going to start saving my egg and milk money and get some more Buff hens. I saw an ad on Craig's list near here for Buff hens for $10 a piece. That's a little steep for me but if they are young and just starting to lay I might consider it. I need more eggs. I am selling them as fast as they lay them.
Gena, any eggs yet? I quit feeding my laying feed. And they still lay. When I first started out with hens I never fed laying feed and they always laid eggs. Sometimes I use it and most of the time I don't. Maybe they are laying in different places.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| hour3suns |
Posted - Aug 06 2010 : 11:20:35 AM
Gena, how old are they? Also, have you ever wormed them? Checked for mites/lice? Those could all be reasons too. Also, hens lay eggs in clutches - they lay so many and then take a break, lay more, take a break. Would be weird, but maybe they've all hit the break. Like Teresa suggested, could be a predator of some sort getting in there. Even a big snake will eat an egg. Take a good look around your run/coop and make sure there aren't any places something can get in. Also, do you free range or are they in a run? If they are free ranging and you have a run you may want to keep them in the run for a few days to make sure they haven't found another place to lay. If so, keeping them in for a few days will show them again where you want the eggs to go.
Smiling & Waving,
Sharon |
| 1badmamawolf |
Posted - Aug 06 2010 : 09:33:53 AM
Gena, make sure you don't have a critter that likes eggs getting to them, some critters will carry them away to eat, leaving no tell tale signs.
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
| southerncrossgirl |
Posted - Aug 06 2010 : 05:07:28 AM
What am I doing wrong?? I have 6 hens that lay, and sometimes (like yesterday) I didn't get a single egg!! I am feeding Purina Laying crumbles and table scraps and scratch.
Ya'll got any ideas?
"A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes"==Cinderella |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Aug 05 2010 : 5:34:06 PM
Yesterday there must have been some stray hens in the area. I only got 10 today.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| 1badmamawolf |
Posted - Aug 05 2010 : 10:58:51 AM
Anna, you can freeze eggs, I crack them into ice cube trays, and freeze, then pop them out into freezer bags.
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
| hour3suns |
Posted - Aug 05 2010 : 10:45:35 AM
The heat is really putting a damper on our hens. We have somewhere around 40 but may get 18 or so in a day. It's a real bummer because I sell eggs at our grocery and I don't have much to sell. I've wormed them and know they don't have mites so I can only figure it's the heat. As for ones that have been broody for a long time, Anna, they will rarely quit on their own. If you don't have them sitting on eggs it's best to break them of their broodiness so they can get back to eating and drinking properly. A broody hen only goes off the nest once or twice a day to take care of things and after a while if she's not there to hatch any out it's going to take a tole on the hen's health.
Smiling & Waving,
Sharon |
| Annab |
Posted - Aug 05 2010 : 09:49:12 AM
Guess its been a great season all around for lots of things.
Our hens also have been laying their fool heads off! Poor things set there panting, and we have 2 that have been broody for the longest time!
Out of 30 hens, we got 24 eggs at one time for about 2 weeks! Loved that and sure wish this could be bottled up and saved in the winter when everybody is baking for the holidays! |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Aug 05 2010 : 06:35:35 AM
I forgot to say my hens are free range so they will lay eggs where ever they find a good spot. But they do have some favorite places they lay now. Like in a crate on the front porch of our little house and in a dog crate in the cat room. I find the most eggs there.
Also they LOVE goat milk. So when I have extra I will let it sit out a day and curdle and give it to them. They fight over it. And when I have too much kefir they get that also. It's good for their guts and keeps them healthy.
Plus apple cider vinegar in their water.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Aug 05 2010 : 05:48:54 AM
I feed mine a small coffee can full of 3-way scratch and scraps. I used to feed them a little laying mash but it got too expensive. I feed in the morning and a few handsful in the evening.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
