Naked Neck/Turken Thread

[Kev]

I have a question about nest box behavior, for those more experienced. I have two nest boxes in the Cream Legbar coop, and each has a white ceramic egg in it (just never removed it form before they started laying, and I figure it can help deter any egg eating, since the real eggs are collected fairly promptly). I have two laying pullets in the coop (they each lay almost every day), and bless their hearts, they each lay in a different nest box. One of them likes to roll the white ceramic egg out of the other nest box and into her own, so I find one blue egg on the left, and two white fake eggs and one blue egg on the right. She'll sometimes do this several days in a row. I always move it back.

Is she working her way up to being broody, or is this just more funny chicken behavior?

- Ant Farm

"it's just what they do...." A non broody leghorn on free range will hunt, select a nest location, collect all the material around to make a nice cup shape then lay in it. If the eggs are not collected, she will get in the nest, arrange the eggs around and collect them under her before she lays a new egg. She will try this even if 100 eggs pile up in this hidden nest..

fwiw, IMO if you have plans to let a hen go broody, that is not a good set up, if the hens are able to move eggs between nests. If not, then it is of no concern other than possible occasional broken egg if the hen puts quite too much effort in moving the faraway egg in with her.

 

[ochochicas]

Ant Farm, do you know for sure your rooster has 2 barring genes? He doesn't look totally barred from the photo. My rooster only had one barring gene, which he passed to half of his offspring (of course). I crossed him with black hens and got some barred pullets that look just like just like barred rocks with crests. I also got a crested black olive egger that had impressive copper leakage all through her head,neck and chest. She was by far one of the most beautiful pullets I had.

 

[Kev]

Ant Farm, do you know for sure your rooster has 2 barring genes? He doesn't look totally barred from the photo. My rooster only had one barring gene, which he passed to half of his offspring (of course). I crossed him with black hens and got some barred pullets that look just like just like barred rocks with crests. I also got a crested black olive egger that had impressive copper leakage all through her head,neck and chest. She was by far one of the most beautiful pullets I had.

I'd like to ask if CCL are supposed to be red duckwing(e+) or partridge(darkbrown or eb)?

 

[DesertChic]

I use covered cat litter boxes. Easy to clean, easy to move- very useful for moving a broody hen to isolation pen. I try to get them in the same color, basically to condition them to regard them as nest boxes and much less fuss if a broody hen's nest has to be changed for whatever reason.

I have one of those litter boxes. Most of my girls looked at it and turned their beaks up before walking away. Picky little buggers. I put it in the Silkie + Frizzled EE pen and they finally started using it....to sleep in at night. All three of them crowd in together at night....and lay their eggs on the floor next to the water container. I just don't get it.....

 

[DesertChic]

I have a question about nest box behavior, for those more experienced. I have two nest boxes in the Cream Legbar coop, and each has a white ceramic egg in it (just never removed it form before they started laying, and I figure it can help deter any egg eating, since the real eggs are collected fairly promptly). I have two laying pullets in the coop (they each lay almost every day), and bless their hearts, they each lay in a different nest box. One of them likes to roll the white ceramic egg out of the other nest box and into her own, so I find one blue egg on the left, and two white fake eggs and one blue egg on the right. She'll sometimes do this several days in a row. I always move it back.

Is she working her way up to being broody, or is this just more funny chicken behavior?

- Ant Farm

Chickens are so dang funny! I have one girl who always rolls the fake egg out of the nest before going in to lay, and another that gathers all the fakes under her before she will settle in to lay, and yet one more that just buries the fake under shavings in the corner and lays her egg in the middle. The funniest one though....one of my White Rocks throws a hissy fit if I remove the fake egg. She runs up to me complaining loudly, runs to the nesting box, and then back to me until I put that darn fake egg in there. Then she hops in, settles on top of it, and quietly goes about her business. Strange chickens......

 

[ochochicas]

Quote: I don't know, but when I crossed the gold duckwing rooster with CCL hens I got all duckwing offspring.

 

[Kev]

I don't know, but when I crossed the gold duckwing rooster with CCL hens I got all duckwing offspring.

Thanks.. both partridge and red are well, duckwinged.

Asked because the occasional skim of the legbar thread has been very confusing. I thought they were supposed to be red duckwing.. however a lot of birds are so dark and/or lack the salmon breasts of red duckwing.. looking like partridge/darkbrown- they are superficially similar except the hens lack salmon breasts and box sexes are overall much darker (minus the barring). I also noticed a fair number seemed to have trouble sexing day olds..... it would all make sense if they were a mixed up bag of both duckwing genes.

 

[Kev]

I have one of those litter boxes. Most of my girls looked at it and turned their beaks up before walking away. Picky little buggers. I put it in the Silkie + Frizzled EE pen and they finally started using it....to sleep in at night. All three of them crowd in together at night....and lay their eggs on the floor next to the water container. I just don't get it.....

too... mine run straight into them and lay no where else.. hens that have been laying become very excited when one is finally put into their pen. Even the free range hens used them.

I fill the bottom with clean dirt, for humidity, weighing it down and also a soft bottom for the eggs then add a lot of straw.

 

[chickengr]

I use covered cat litter boxes. Easy to clean, easy to move- very useful for moving a broody hen to isolation pen. I try to get them in the same color, basically to condition them to regard them as nest boxes and much less fuss if a broody hen's nest has to be changed for whatever reason.

cat litter boxes cost a fortune hear, not worth it. old tyres are free. simple math. and my broody is sitting in the plastic crate - again free.

 

[Kev]

cat litter boxes cost a fortune hear, not worth it. old tyres are free. simple math. and my broody is sitting in the plastic crate - again free.

It;s more than math for me. I like easy to clean and portable if need be.