Colorado

[gardendufus]

Oh, I forgot. Was funny watching the pullets waiting for their turn for the nest boxes. I have two boxes that are double size, but not divided and two individual boxes. The two individual boxes have never had an egg laid in them. They only use one side of each of the double boxes, so there are really only 2 nests that the 8 girls lay eggs. It so happened that the 3 girls that were wanting to lay usually lay in the same box. I only have 2 pullets that use the other box, so that makes 6 girls who all want to lay in one box.

So, one hen's on the nest. 2 are standing in front of the nest calling to her, telling her to hurry the heck up. My BA hops into the other side of the nest box, makes a few turns, doesn't like the setup, leaves the box. Then she goes to the other box, Makes a few turns, settles in, stays about 10 minutes, comes out, goes back to standing in front of the preferred box. All this time BR #2 is waiting for BR #1 to finish up. BA goes back into the preferred box. I hear the 2 girls now in the same box kinda chattering to each other, or maybe BA was just saying get the heck out of here. Pretty soon BA leaves the box and goes back into Box #2. She finally gives up and settles in to lay her egg. Now BR #2 starts going into Box #1, and you can tell she's trying to squeeze out the BR #1 who is taking her own sweet time laying that egg. Now the Doms are both lined up in front of the preferred box. The BA lays her egg and says I'm outta here. BR #2 can't convince BR#1 to leave so she comes back out and continues waiting in front of the box.....with the dom's. She goes back in the box, again squeezing into the part of the nest BR#1 is laying in. BR#1 stands up to finish laying her egg and BR #2 is already pushing in under her to take the nest spot.

Oh my I don't even want to watch the Doms begin this game, so I decide it's time for me to leave. At least by the time it's over I should have a bunch of eggs. Hehehehe

 

[mynamesjenelle]

Haha, oh crazy birds. You have to wonder what's going on in their little brains. I read once that one of the reasons you want to separate a hen with chicks from the coop is that the other hens will do that while she's in the brooding box. They figure if it's a good place to raise babies, it's a good place to lay eggs, and will wedge in there on top of the chicks. Not sure if it's true but it makes sense to me! I must have defective chickens. We have three next boxes and all three laying girls have picked one each.

Speaking of laying girls, any idea when my lazy EE and light brahma will start? They are 25 and 26 weeks respectively. I got a half-squat from the light brahma a couple weeks ago but no other behaviours from either since then. Google says they should both have started by now or be starting soon. After the cochin, who the internet said wasn't supposed to start until 8 or 9 months, started laying at four months old, I learned not to trust what the Google says about general estimates of laying time.

 

[Pozees]

Well...........About 3-4 months ago I rehomed my rooster with a friend in fountain that was down to 1 hen from her old flock. She heard I was having trouble and wants my GLW as she want to enlarge her flock and her one remaining hen is getting pretty old . Lucky GLW. Girls coop is a shed about 15 X 20, so plenty of room for her. I'm only willing to rehome her because I have some hope that the rooster will put her in her place and tame her down. So.......her life is saved for the moment. The only downside is that if she does end up being dinner, it won't be MY dinner.

I was sitting in the coop today, watching the girls line up for the 2 nesting boxes they prefer to all the others in there. Next to me was the hanging feeder. I glanced over and noticed that one whole side of the part that holds the feed which hasn't gone into the dispenser yet is smeared in blood. Watching the birds eating from it it is obvious that the blood is right where their combs hit the metal sides as they dip in for feed. So I'm sure that little b**ch GLW drew blood from someone. I checked all my pullets, can't find an obvious injury, but the blood is fairly fresh and I'm sure it happened today. It must have been a nick small enough that I can't see it. Lucky darned GLW that I found a home for her or I might be out buying an axe right now.

I hope she updates you so you can let us know the outcome, I'm very curious to know whether the rooster makes a difference.

 

[Pozees]

Haha, oh crazy birds. You have to wonder what's going on in their little brains. I read once that one of the reasons you want to separate a hen with chicks from the coop is that the other hens will do that while she's in the brooding box. They figure if it's a good place to raise babies, it's a good place to lay eggs, and will wedge in there on top of the chicks. Not sure if it's true but it makes sense to me! I must have defective chickens. We have three next boxes and all three laying girls have picked one each.
Speaking of laying girls, any idea when my lazy EE and light brahma will start? They are 25 and 26 weeks respectively. I got a half-squat from the light brahma a couple weeks ago but no other behaviours from either since then. Google says they should both have started by now or be starting soon. After the cochin, who the internet said wasn't supposed to start until 8 or 9 months, started laying at four months old, I learned not to trust what the Google says about general estimates of laying time.

My Cochin started laying early too, shortly after the RIR - and still lays a smaller egg than the RIR but she's been pretty regular, I think I've been getting at least 5 eggs a week from her, some weeks 6, so she's been just about as reliable as the RIR. I don't know their exact ages, only that they were from the same hatch date, purchased by someone else from Big R, and I got them from those folks about two weeks before the RIR started laying. I had a light Brahma from the same people who turned out to be blind and was being picked on by the RIR so I gave her to a coworker who had only one pullet about the same age and 5 younger sex links. She has fit in well there, his setup is closer to the ground and he was able to separate her for a while until the other one about that age got used to having her around. They named her Snow White. He said she started laying last month, so about two months after the other two. I would guess they were hatched sometime in February or March. How long have your others been laying?

 

[mynamesjenelle]

My Cochin started laying early too, shortly after the RIR - and still lays a smaller egg than the RIR but she's been pretty regular, I think I've been getting at least 5 eggs a week from her, some weeks 6, so she's been just about as reliable as the RIR.  I don't know their exact ages, only that they were from the same hatch date, purchased by someone else from Big R, and I got them from those folks about two weeks before the RIR started laying.  I had a light Brahma from the same people who turned out to be blind and was being picked on by the RIR so I gave her to a coworker who had only one pullet about the same age and 5 younger sex links.  She has fit in well there, his setup is closer to the ground and he was able to separate her for a while until the other one about that age got used to having her around.  They named her Snow White.  He said she started laying last month, so about two months after the other two.  I would guess they were hatched sometime in February or March.  How long have your others been laying?

Hmm that makes sense. The cochin started laying on August 18, but she's about six weeks older than the others. Her eggs are small and come regularly like yours. The other two pullets that are the same age started on the 15th of last month right around 22-ish weeks. If our light brahma follows the same pattern then it sounds like she has a month to go. She's a BIG girl already though, almost a chore to pick up now.

That story about the blind hen brings a tear to my eye. I'll always love the brahmas

 

[Pozees]

Oh - Gardendufus - I finally got to make that Caramel Apple Pie Jam from the recipes you found - had to take a day off to take care of an appointment, and I had lots of stuff left from the weekend I didn't get done, including this, so I came home and got to work. Turns out I bought enough apples to make it twice, but not enough brown sugar on hand for two batches.

Oh well, apples keep okay, guess there's always this weekend Smells really good in here right now! The girls got the peels and cores, to their great delight, and as I left the pen one of the Sussex Sisters had grabbed a nice long peel and was leading her sisters on a grand chase LOL

The gal I got the sisters from has four left from a later hatch - early August I think - and I confess I am tempted to add them once the coop is finally done, but told her if another buyer comes along, sell them, I wasn't planning on adding any more this year anyway. They are from an NPIP hatchery, and this gal doesn't hatch eggs or breed chickens, she's just a reseller, and she says her research indicated that meant I would not be risking my certification by buying them. I will check myself but it does sound like what I've read before.

I am still very torn about the value of the certification, at least for the time being. I don't even have a rooster so it isn't as if I would be shipping hatching eggs or chicks I bred across state lines. Even if I got day-olds and sold what I didn't want to keep, it would be local. I accomplished what I wanted at the time by seeing my girls all tested negative for the things they check, and as we all know, there are many other illnesses around, including those that might be carried into the pen by a passing wild bird or by my own feet. <sigh> I guess there's no need to make an immediate decision.

 

[Pozees]

Speaking of chicks - Mayah, any update on your new babies?

 

[dennarahl]

Hi everyone! I just found that one of my girls has bumblefoot on both feet... Does anyone have any experience with bumblefoot? She hasn't shown any signs at all. No funny walking, nothing. I picked her up, and I gave her a check-up like I do every time I pick up a chicken and found two big bumblefoot scabs. Eeek! Obviously I haven't picked her up much.

I've had tiny bumblefoot scabs on other girls before, but nothing this bad. Usually I soak their feet, get them nice and clean and rip the scab off and then clean everything again. Then I put either Vetericyn or neosporin (depending what I can find because I'm always misplacing them both) and I cover and wrap the foot. Then I repeat every few days until it looks happy again, usually about a week.

This time I think it's bad enough to need the bumblefoot surgery. We've started with the usual treatment and will see how it looks tomorrow, but I would definitely love any input ya'll might have.

 

[mickey328]

Fortunately, we've had no experience with bumblefoot (touch wood), so I can only offer good vibes that it'll clear up and she'll be better again soon!

 

[wsmith]

Got the floor of the work shelter in yeterday!

Now for the roof and the work bench. Got my oldest son working on getting an ol washing machine motor ready to be the motor for my plucker. I'm glad this motor will work, as I didn't really want to use a 1/2 hp motor to drive the plucker.... That would have been WAY too much power.