Backyard Chickens?

[MyBuddy]

Yeah... my great supplier, my neighbor Three Doors Down, is not getting as many eggs as he was and I had to buy my first store-bought two dozen eggs for the first time in months! And I was really surprised when he told my husband he had no eggs. Earlier in the spring when I told him my girlfriend was not getting that many, he said he usually gets them all winter. Well I guess not mister! LOL Oh well Beggars can't be choosy! We'll see if it improves or not.

 

[MyBuddy]

Oh!

And ..

Some of you may get a great laugh out of this, but,

I was this many years old when I learned that chicken eggs come out the same hole as the poop!

Learn something new every day!!

 

[JanS]

I've had to buy them in the store the last couple times since our sources chickens are only laying enough for her right now.

 

[GennyB]

he said he usually gets them all winter.

Depends on how old his hens are. If he doesn't rotate, he'll get less and less every year. The worst part about having hens if you want to keep egg production up you have to find a way to rotate in fresh hens.
Sadly lots of people doing the backyard chicken thing don't learn that part and end up dumping the hens. Laying hens are just not real good eating and are too old by the time their laying slows. It's a weird thought that you are too old for much by the time you are 2-3 years old.

 

[Ddski5]

All of mine went through a hard molt…I mean feathers are everywhere. You would swear a coon got in there and tore them up.

Damn chickens are living rent free right now- no eggs for 1-1/2 months now.

 

[GennyB]

All of mine went through a hard molt…

I start mine on a molt diet that makes the process easier for them. I also separate them a bit to give them lots of room and reduce stress so they get through the process faster.

Damn chickens are living rent free right now- no eggs for 1-1/2 months now.

How old are they now? After 2 the laying can slow way down. Some even stop laying by 2-3.
I have a neighbor that takes in hens that have been dumped by people that didn't know that. She thinks she has about 400 hens now. They free range on her farm and every one seems happy. I personally can't imagine cleaning up after 400 chickens! I'm happy she's okay with doing it because those hens needs somewhere to go.

 

[JanS]

Speaking of egg laying, this was covered on our local radio station this morning. I guess they take their chicken talk seriously.
LOL

'How many eggs chickens can lay': Man fires shots after pub argument over chickens in Port St. Lucie

A heated conversation about chickens reportedly led a Port St. Lucie man to fire a handgun at several patrons outside Harper's Pub around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday.

www.wpbf.com

 

[MyBuddy]

Funny how they gave Coors a little prime time. Were they indicating alcohol played a part, or were they a sponsor?

 

[JanS]

Were they indicating alcohol played a part

I think they were saying alcohol was involved but Coors got a good pitch in there too. LOL

 

[Ravenbird]

The chickens, not quite 6 months old are laying 4 - 7 eggs a day. I think a few have yet to start laying, but I'm really pleased. Yesterday however, a raven found the nests, took every egg AND the golf balls I use for fake eggs. This happened years ago, and I actually caught the raven in the coop - long story. With this new flock I built the nests in a stall in the barn. I had a flap over the doorway, but evidently that wasn't enough to bother the ravens. So I covered the whole door leaving a little hole at the bottom like a doggy door size for the chickens to come & go, and hung some shiny CD disks on the outside to hopefully keep the ravens out. A couple of months ago we had a hawk kill 2 chickens, about 2 weeks apart. Never had a hawk kill in the 9 years having chickens, as the ravens keep them away. Now the ravens came back so no more hawks, but I'm not going to pay them in eggs!

 

[MyBuddy]

The chickens, not quite 6 months old are laying 4 - 7 eggs a day.

Wow that sounds like a lot of eggs per day at this time of year. I don't know what the weather is by you, but this time of year usually egg production slows down dramatically. My neighbor who was supplying me with gobs of eggs has suddenly stopped. Ugh, he said he's not getting that many eggs for the last month or so. I was really bummed when I had to buy my first eggs in the very long time from the store! And my girlfriend down the road has the same issue. They're not keeping up to supply more than what her and her family use. I thought both these people had lights to help supplement for the Sun, or lack thereof. All I know is I'm not getting eggs from them. I haven't pressed them or ask too many questions about them. When they have extra, they'll let me know. I know my girlfriend had a bunch of new chicks this summer. Because she had a few chickens snatched by a raccoon. So she might be down a few. Hopefully the new ones are like yours and start producing heavy!

It's difficult trying to keep your chicken safe! It's one reason I don't want to have chickens. I don't want to have to deal with losing them. I'll just buy from whoever wants to keep them!

 

[Ravenbird]

Wow that sounds like a lot of eggs per day at this time of year.

I don't know that much about it, but every hatch I've ever had, from the hatcheries or from our own hens was born in June. Pullets mature at 5 - 7 months so the eggs start happening no matter what I guess. All our maturing June chicks started laying by Dec/Jan their first year, then their 2nd year they slowed down or stopped when the days got shorter. So I think it's just a 1st year thing. I don't use lights for more production, I let them do whatever nature guides them to do.

It's difficult trying to keep your chicken safe! It's one reason I don't want to have chickens.

If you keep them in a coop with a large run that's critter proof including the top, it's not too hard and that's what most people do. We use to let them free range the whole property, but now they are confined to an old horse paddock - about 200' x 200' square. They have the coop & run inside the paddock that I lock them up at night, and in the day they can wander all over the paddock and one stall of the horse barn where I built their nests. I can't put a top on the paddock, so they are exposed to air invaders. Yesterday we went out and got any eggs every hour or so (total of 5) but I surely don't want to have to do that 7 days a week. We'll see if the raven gets brave enough to go through the little door.

LOL, here's my homemade screen - old snow fence laced together with hay string with a little opening at the bottom to let a chicken (or raven) fit through. Ravens are wary of the DVD shiny discs, but the chicken don't care. Fingers crossed it will be enough...

 

[JanS]

he said he's not getting that many eggs for the last month or so. I was really bummed when I had to buy my first eggs in the very long time from the store! And my girlfriend down the road has the same issue. They're not keeping up to supply more than what her and her family use.

We've been having to buy our eggs in the store too since our trainer said hers are barely laying right now. There's a place a couple miles from here who normally has a sign up for eggs but that's down now too.

 

[MyBuddy]

There's a place a couple miles from here who normally has a sign up for eggs but that's down now too.

That reminds me. There is another place on the way to town, like you, only a couple of miles away, who sells eggs too. I've never been to her and honestly I haven't been to town in a while. I wonder if she still has her sign up. I'll check next time I go by. I guess we all have to go to @Ravenbird cuz she's getting so many!

You know I've always wondered if I'd notice a difference in store-bought eggs over our friends eggs here. And I have to say, the only thing I notice the most is sometimes the yolk is much more yellow. I don't notice too much in taste. But interestingly enough, lately I've been noticing when I cracked the egg, instead of just cracking open almost in two, it cracks open with a lot more smaller pieces. Not sure what that means. Much more fragile shells?

 

[JanS]

Much more fragile shells?

Without a doubt. When you boil them and peel them you can definitely see the difference.

 

[GennyB]

I cracked the egg, instead of just cracking open almost in two, it cracks open with a lot more smaller pieces. Not sure what that means. Much more fragile shells?

I have actually "cut" a store bought egg in half. The bowl edge just went right through the egg! I went to crack the shell it couldn't take the force it takes to crack mine.

 

[GennyB]

I know spring is near because I am now getting 10-15 eggs a day. It never ceases to amaze what a difference just a few minutes of daylight makes.

 

[JanS]

I'm seeing some egg signs at a few farmers places again too. Hopefully our trainers chickens start laying soon again too.

 

[GennyB]

Been busy today. My buff orpington is a broody thing. She hatched 8 little chickies today.
I don't usually bother her and the babies much, just watch from afar to make sure all goes well. This little guy thinks he's part roadrunner. He keeps running off. But that face.

 

[JanS]

Aww it's adorable!