What did you do with your flock today?

[TropicalBabies]

I'll contact my son today. I may have got confused. Sometimes I do....

I hope it turns out to be good news.
Lots of people get confused

 

[Smokerbill]

If a hen gets startled, she can drop an egg early... Which typically means it has either no shell or a very soft one. Typically the shells are formed over night. Given the time of day, she may have just gotten scared of something (which may have been the rooster) and dropped an egg early.

Does your rooster dance for your ladies? Or does he catch and do his thing with no warning?

Also, if you give you rooster treats so he can feed his ladies, the rooster tends to stay friendly towards you. (Not always, but typically it works out).

He usually just catches them by surprise and mounts them. The pullets most often just drop down and submit when that happens, but sometimes the pullet sqwaks, breaks free and runs away. He's only around 19 weeks old.

He does the one legged dance after he mates, usually.

My cockerel steers clear of me, so I can't give him snacks without the pullets getting to them first. Doesn't work.

 

[Maddcatter]

He usually just catches them by surprise and mounts them. The pullets most often just drop down and submit when that happens, but sometimes the pullet sqwaks, breaks free and runs away. He's only around 19 weeks old.

He does the one legged dance after he mates, usually.

My cockerel steers clear of me, so I can't give him snacks without the pullets getting to them first. Doesn't work.

Yeah, they'll hang back and let the ladies have the snack first. My flock leader hangs back for the first 2 or 3 offered treats and then will come a get a taste and drop it to the hens.... Unless the hens are unsure of the treat, in which case he's the first to grab it and drop it.

If you find something (like crushed hard boiled eggs, or fermented feed) that you can feed A LOT of to your flock, you can train your Cockerel to eat out of your hand, even with the hens eating first. (If you want to, it's all about your preference.)

I have a pretty big flock, and I try to get the roosters to do their job as managers, so my hens can free range and still be safe. I also really like being able to look for injuries and pests on my birds with out my bird freaking out just because I am holding it... So I probably try to work myself into my bird's natural habits more than most.

Edit: Yeah, it's entirely possible your rooster startled your hen into laying an egg early.

I once made the mistake of feeding treats to the flock when they were settling in for the night, and the excitement made one of my hens drop her egg while getting treats instead of in the morning. There was basically no shell, and just membrane. She acted like it was a treat and eat it.

 

[Maddcatter]

I'll contact my son today. I may have got confused. Sometimes I do....

Good luck, I hope he's ok!

 

[Smokerbill]

Mine have been laying soft shells here and there since the heat got hotter, even with available calcium. Is it hot where you're at?

I was also afraid i had an egg pecker.. well someone did try after a few soft eggs, but i grab the eggs quickly so they don't get time to practice. I'm assuming the culprit is my chicken-cat, Esmaralda!! (She likes to walk between your feet and trip you).
View attachment 3606282

It hasn't been hot here, compared to the rest of the world. There have been a few days with highs in the low 90s, but mostly 70s and 80s for highs. And down in the low 50s at night which cools things down.

The chicken run is underneath an insulated metal roof, with the open side facing north. They have good protection from the heat of the sun.

 

[Smokerbill]

Yeah, they'll hang back and let the ladies have the snack first. My flock leader hangs back for the first 2 or 3 offered treats and then will come a get a taste and drop it to the hens.... Unless the hens are unsure of the treat, in which case he's the first to grab it and drop it.

If you find something (like crushed hard boiled eggs, or fermented feed) that you can feed A LOT of to your flock, you can train your Cockerel to eat out of your hand, even with the hens eating first. (If you want to, it's all about your preference.)

I have a pretty big flock, and I try to get the roosters to do their job as managers, so my hens can free range and still be safe. I also really like being able to look for injuries and pests on my birds with out my bird freaking out just because I am holding it... So I probably try to work myself into my bird's natural habits more than most.

Edit: Yeah, it's entirely possible your rooster startled your hen into laying an egg early.

I once made the mistake of feeding treats to the flock when they were settling in for the night, and the excitement made one of my hens drop her egg while getting treats instead of in the morning. There was basically no shell, and just membrane. She acted like it was a treat and eat it.

I've noticed that when throwing out scratch sometimes. He hangs back for a while before eating. And when they're all out foraging, the pullets follow him around. When he starts pecking at something, they run over and look for the food, and he backs away. So I guess he's tidbitting, or at least showing them where food is.

He definitely keeps an eye out for danger when they're all out roaming around, and has sent them all into hiding with a warning call more than once.

I agree, and think she was startled into dropping the egg too soon.

The cockerel always was wary of me and kept his distance. I don't know if I could change that, or even want to. Seems to work with us keeping our distance from each other. LOL

 

[LTAY1946]

I hope it turns out to be good news.
Lots of people get confused

She is in TX right now with her dad. Relief.

 

[LTAY1946]

I'm 3 roosters poorer now but they are handsome lads. Pictures one day soon. Right now a strong thunderstorm came from nowhere. No warning at all. I got drenched running out and getting the windows up on the van. Now I am going to get the nap I missed earlier.

 

[FrankieDoodle]

Those pics are so cute...They're making my beak hurt!

Haha, thank you!

 

[Smokerbill]

I sat just outside the run for an hour to watch the chickens, mainly looking to see if they acted like they had any mite or lice infestations. I didn't notice anything other that what I think was just normal preening behavior.

I also looked for any other problems... damaged combs, wet or dirty vents, and abnormal behavior. All looked good.

I removed some of the wood chips from the coop a couple days ago and saw some tiny bugs moving around, and I didn't know if they were chicken bugs or some kind of wood loving bug. When the chickens saw the tiny bugs, they pecked and tried to eat them.

Anyway, I will be getting these tomorrow from Amazon so I can pick up the chickens from the roost late at night and inspect them. They don't let me touch them during the day, so I'll have to go with night inspections.