Author Topic: Chickens (Read 46791 times)

pcolbeck · « **Reply #150 on:** 10 November, 2009, 10:38:24 am »

It's the wrong time of year for eggs. Egg laying in chickens is controlled by the length of the day. In general once the days get short they stop laying, exactly when varies from chicken to chicken. If you want them to lay right through the winter then you need to provide artificial light for an hour or so to make the day seem a bit longer. You may still get the occasional egg through winter without doing so.
Apparently some people manage to get their chucks to keep laying just by having the run reasonably close to the house and leaving the curtains open on the nearest window fo an hour or so on an evening.

vorsprung · « **Reply #151 on:** 10 November, 2009, 11:40:16 am »

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anth · « **Reply #152 on:** 10 November, 2009, 07:01:35 pm »

Quote from: pcolbeck on 10 November, 2009, 10:38:24 am

It's the wrong time of year for eggs. Egg laying in chickens is controlled by the length of the day. In general once the days get short they stop laying, exactly when varies from chicken to chicken. If you want them to lay right through the winter then you need to provide artificial light for an hour or so to make the day seem a bit longer. You may still get the occasional egg through winter without doing so.
Apparently some people manage to get their chucks to keep laying just by having the run reasonably close to the house and leaving the curtains open on the nearest window fo an hour or so on an evening.

I think it depends on the chickens. One of ours through last winter laid about 5 eggs per week - the other went down to 3-4 a week. Maybe it's because they're hybrids, I'm not sure, but their run is at the back of the garden, a reasonable distance form any light from the house...

They definitely slow down in the egg production though!

docsquid · « **Reply #153 on:** 13 November, 2009, 05:53:44 pm »

We're not really expecting any eggs until after Christmas although Blodwyn is showing signs of coming into lay i.e larger comb, red face and crouching. So maybe she'll oblige. I'm not worried as it will give them time to grow up and get strong before starting to lay in the Spring.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #154 on:** 13 November, 2009, 05:58:17 pm »

Quote from: pcolbeck on 10 November, 2009, 10:38:24 am

It's the wrong time of year for eggs. Egg laying in chickens is controlled by the length of the day. In general once the days get short they stop laying, exactly when varies from chicken to chicken. If you want them to lay right through the winter then you need to provide artificial light for an hour or so to make the day seem a bit longer. You may still get the occasional egg through winter without doing so.
Apparently some people manage to get their chucks to keep laying just by having the run reasonably close to the house and leaving the curtains open on the nearest window fo an hour or so on an evening.

When my dad kept hens in the 1980s (we had 200 or so in houses at the bottom of the garden) he used to have flourescent lights come on at about 4 a.m. in the winter so that the birds weren't suddenly left in darkness at roosting time. I think it made some difference to the numbers they laid but I was never convinced it was money well spent.

docsquid · « **Reply #155 on:** 26 November, 2009, 06:10:24 pm »

Well, Blodwyn has defied all expectations and given us a lovely, perfect egg every day starting last Saturday. They are gradually increasing in size - the first one was 46 grammes and today's is 70 grammes. Megan and Gwennie are both crouching and Megan is going into the hen house for a while in the mornings, although nothing so far in the way of eggs, but this is what Blodwyn did a few days before she started laying for real. It is very exciting to have your own eggies every day!

Woofage · « **Reply #156 on:** 29 November, 2009, 11:18:08 pm »

Our speckledy is clearly not long for this world

. She became ill a few weeks ago but perked up after being kept alone and fed well. She seemed to integrate back with the others OK but in the past week or so she's looked very weak and hardly does anything. We've kept her isolated in an unused guinea pig hutch but she seems to be getting weaker and weaker.

Woofage · « **Reply #157 on:** 30 November, 2009, 09:57:07 am »

Speckledy is no more - found her dead this morning. She's at peace now.

docsquid · « **Reply #158 on:** 30 November, 2009, 04:14:39 pm »

Poor Speckledy

Sorry she passed away, but I guess it was meant to be.

jellied · « **Reply #159 on:** 30 November, 2009, 04:27:06 pm »

Chicken nunber is looking a bit scruffy - some loss of feathers on her undercarriage. I'll consult the Omlet forum at some point but is this anything to worry about? The bald patch if probably the size of a 50p. She's eating and laying fine, but I've been told that chickens are very good at hiding problems so they don't fall down the pecking order.

docsquid · « **Reply #160 on:** 02 December, 2009, 03:45:55 pm »

The Omlet forum will have some suggestions. A lot of folks on there have chickens in moult at present, so this might be the cause. However I am only a beginner in the chicken-keeping department!

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #161 on:** 13 December, 2009, 09:38:17 pm »

Anyone in Yorkshire want a cockerel? Three of my mum's 5 hens have turned out to be male, and they're getting nasty and aggressive. They'll have to be separated and she can't keep any of them because the neighbours aren't happy about the crowing. She'd much rather give them away than have them destroyed.

pcolbeck · « **Reply #162 on:** 13 December, 2009, 09:55:38 pm »

This may sort your mums problems out.

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #163 on:** 13 December, 2009, 11:20:26 pm »

She's pescatarian.

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #164 on:** 06 February, 2010, 03:46:25 pm »

Text from mum today saying "three eggs today!" She's far too old to be egging, so I assume she means the hens.

Quisling · « **Reply #165 on:** 09 February, 2010, 11:15:38 pm »

A momentous day! Both our hens laid eggs today for the first time since we got them a couple of weeks ago. One is now laying humungous eggs which barely fit in an egg box

The other one could frankly try a bit harder and her eggs are so diddy that they slip down into the bowels of any normal sized egg cup. Still, she's only young so hopefully they'll get bigger in time.

Woofage · « **Reply #166 on:** 10 February, 2010, 08:28:30 am »

Quote from: Quisling on 09 February, 2010, 11:15:38 pm

hopefully they'll get bigger in time.

They will.

Our 5 chooks have been paying for their upkeep for some time now. On most days we get a full complement of 5 eggs and we sell them for 80p per half dozen (still half the price of supermarket eggs). An added bonus is that one of our chickens lays blue eggs.

docsquid · « **Reply #167 on:** 10 February, 2010, 06:33:17 pm »

Our three lay an egg each day. Gwennie's eggs are more bantam sized than chicken sized, but still lovely. The other two (Blodwyn and Megan) lay woppers.

I'm still hoping to add three more chooks in the spring - hopefully a couple of skylines and a speckledy.

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #168 on:** 23 February, 2010, 10:51:18 pm »

Quote from: Kirst on 06 February, 2010, 03:46:25 pm

Text from mum today saying "three eggs today!" She's far too old to be egging, so I assume she means the hens.

Must have been the hens. Two eggs arrived here today, carefully packaged and padded with bubblewrap. It's been years since I last saw such a muddy egg.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #169 on:** 23 February, 2010, 10:58:41 pm »

Quote from: Kirst on 23 February, 2010, 10:51:18 pm

Quote from: Kirst on 06 February, 2010, 03:46:25 pm
Text from mum today saying "three eggs today!" She's far too old to be egging, so I assume she means the hens.
Must have been the hens. Two eggs arrived here today, carefully packaged and padded with bubblewrap. It's been years since I last saw such a muddy egg.

Are you sure it's mud?

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #170 on:** 23 February, 2010, 10:59:36 pm »

Yes.

Quisling · « **Reply #171 on:** 25 April, 2010, 05:26:01 pm »

Wildlife scorecard chez Quisling: Fox 2: Chickens 0

Guess who built the "fox proof" chicken run?

Upgrade required before re-stocking.

David Martin · « **Reply #172 on:** 25 April, 2010, 05:39:53 pm »

We are on Fox 1 children 0. Guess which teenage daughter was mortified when she realised she hadn't done what she was asked to do, namely close up the chicken coop.

..d

[1] Fortunately I double checked and closed it. It was the other night it had been accidentally left open and we went -1 on the chicken front.

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #173 on:** 30 April, 2010, 07:06:24 pm »

Text from my mum

Quote

Am standing in the kitchen, ironing, with the back door open, Rod Stewart CD playing and 4 hens sitting on the kitchen floor clucking quietly and listening.

Quisling · « **Reply #174 on:** 27 February, 2011, 09:29:25 pm »

We've finally re-stocked

. Introducing Miranda, Livingstone and Gillan....

Alas, our old cat was put down t'other week though. Yes, the one I ran over a few years ago

Author Topic: Chickens (Read 46791 times)

anth