Hey.... Lets keep Chickens..!

Gigervamp

True Mard.

poohbear59

I used an old rabbit hutch when we first had hens. Just put a roost into it and a little plank up to the door.

ionahenor2

Can a hens egg change colou? My Daisybelle used to lay pale cream eggs. She stopped laying in Dec but recently started laying again and now her eggs are a deep brown.

Gigervamp

I don't know. Usually the breed dictates the egg colour.

Mojisola

Gigervamp wrote: »

I don't know. Usually the breed dictates the egg colour.

This is my understanding, too.

See: https://www.poultry.allotment.org.uk/Chicken_a/egg_shell_color/egg_shell_color.php

Let us know if you find out a possible cause.

Halo2010

I run a very informative chicken website, there's people on there who are professional and new poultry keepers.

If anyone's interested just google thechickenforum.info

ionahenor2, when daisybelle was in her first lay (pullet) she'd have laid paler shelled eggs, as when they are in their second lay (hen) their oviducts and shell glands are full developed and working as they should. This is probably why her eggs are now brown and not cream.

Yes breed does define the egg colour. Egg colour varies from white, beige, cream, brown, pink, blue and green depending on which breed.

Halo2010

wammy77 wrote: »

Hi all

Any help or advice on this would be HUGELY appreciated.

I have 4 chickens, they have been together since hatching, we bought them home together and they live together, and free range during the day.

This afternoon 2 of the 4 chickens have been pecking at Lily and have drawn blood. Lily is white so it stands out like a sore thumb and as such the 2 chickens keep pecking at her where the blood is, making the wound worse. Hubby is on 'chicken watch' currently to ensure they don't keep on hurting her, but I don't know what to do to stop it. I'm worried they will continue hurt her over night....

Lily is the quiet one of the group, very docile and will let you hold her and pretty much does her own thing - the 2 who have been pecking her are a little more feisty (!) and I've read it's just them establishing a pecking order.... that's fine, I know this will happen, but they have pulled out a patch of her feathers and the blad patch is really sore and bloody :eek:

The 4th chicken hasn't pecked Lily and doesn't seem interested or bothered by the blood???

HELP!!!!!

TIA x

You need to cage the 2 bullies and leave the cage in the run (with a cover on the roof for shelter, and leave Lily in the run to herself for at least a week. Make sure they have access to food and water in the cage. Lily will approach the cage and the bullies wont be able to get at her and will be humiliated that they're caged.

At night time put the cage inside the hen house.

This reverts the pecking order, and when the bullies are let out again Lily will be top hen.

It's always best to have more than 3 hens, to avoid bullying. 4 at least, then you won't get the problem. You don't get the problem with just 2 either for some reason.

mardatha

This is why I'm getting two. Just like kids - three is a bad number and somebody always ends up picked on !

RebekahR

4 Any better?

salthepal

ionahenor2 wrote: »

Can a hens egg change colou? My Daisybelle used to lay pale cream eggs. She stopped laying in Dec but recently started laying again and now her eggs are a deep brown.

Same here! After a "moulting" rest, their eggs are now dark brown.