Hey.... Lets keep Chickens..!

ionahenor2

pinkpixie wrote: »

Oh, I love the pictures of everyone's hens, I've become quite broody about the whole thing! (especially when I see a pic of a chick!). Not been on for a few weeks as had a poorly boy (human!).

I wonder if I could just quickly ask for some advice? We've now had our 3 girls for 3.5 weeks, they are 19.5 weeks old now, and we were told they would start laying at around 22 weeks, so bought some layers pellets ready to start feeding them these from 20 weeks old.

However, 2 days ago we went out to tend to their needs, to find an egg! It was small (about half normal size) and a mid brown colour (helps us to identify who laid it, as the will in theory lay 3 different coloured eggs). Then yesterday, we went out and found 2 eggs! They are different colours, one the same colour as yesterday and one a much lighter colour. One was broken. So here are my naive, inexperienced questions:

1) Are they ok to eat given that they are the first eggs, and they weren't on layers pellets when they laid them?
2) Will the eggs get bigger over time?
3) Did the 3rd egg likely break because the shell wasn't thick enough (due to not being on the layers pellets yet?) or because one of them stood on it/pecked at it?
4) Do hens always lay the same colour of eggs? Could the same hen have laid both the eggs yesterday? Seems a coincidence that two of them start laying within a day of each other?!

Told you I was inexperienced!:o

1.I think they will be alright to eat. We ate/shared our first egg.
2. Yes as long as your birds are not bantums. I think their eggs are smaller than hybrids.
3. Could be it cracked and then got pecked. I've had several break. Or was it a softie without a shell? They usually only lay once a day.
4. Eggs can vary in colour. My only laying hen lays chocolate coloured eggs but sometimes they are pale at one end, sometimes speckled.

Enjoy having hens. They will delight you and make you laugh with their antics.:rotfl:

Chicken watching should be an olympic sport, we'd all get Gold :rotfl:

HeatherintheHills

The chick didn't make it. No idea why. Poor little mite.

never_too_old

HeatherintheHills wrote: »

The chick didn't make it. No idea why. Poor little mite.

How sad

HeatherintheHills

never_too_old wrote: »

How sad

Thanks, I sat and cried my eyes out when I found the poor little love, I think it either got too cold or choked on a chick crumb, even though I was grinding them up to a smaller size. I'd noticed Mum was breaking them up for him, so got the pestle and mortar out, but I guess I'll never know.

I'm trying to focus on getting the big girls into their new house this week, which is going to mean more levelling and paving. Next week I'm hoping to get a couple more bantam POLs soon too. Hopefully next time my girl broods we can hatch more chicks and their chances of survival might be better.

How are you getting on with the Omlet netting now?

I found some new plastic hen houses on fleabay, one is the same design as the standard house so many of us start off with, I've never seen that design in plastic before. HERE

never_too_old

HeatherintheHills wrote: »

Thanks, I sat and cried my eyes out when I found the poor little love, I think it either got too cold or choked on a chick crumb, even though I was grinding them up to a smaller size. I'd noticed Mum was breaking them up for him, so got the pestle and mortar out, but I guess I'll never know.

I'm trying to focus on getting the big girls into their new house this week, which is going to mean more levelling and paving. Next week I'm hoping to get a couple more bantam POLs soon too. Hopefully next time my girl broods we can hatch more chicks and their chances of survival might be better.

How are you getting on with the Omlet netting now?

I found some new plastic hen houses on fleabay, one is the same design as the standard house so many of us start off with, I've never seen that design in plastic before. HERE

Still get at least one escape a day,wings havent been clipped so we will give that a go.Its lovely seeing them free range and its something i will only do when im home .

happymum2010

Daisy, how is the Magpie situation?

Heather – So sorry to hear about your chick, poor little thing.

Syman, I like your vid. Those hens look like the want to get inside the school lol.

Kirsty, sound like your hubbing is hooked. When we first got our hens I dug up half the garden for grubs and worms, they are so entertaining when they are chasing each other over a worm.

ionahenor2, those nest boxes are a good idea. I am trying to imagine one of my big hens trying to sqeeeeze in to there. :rotfl:

pink pixie, how are your hens? Any more eggs?

Thriftkitten, Hello and welcome:wave:, can’t wait to see your fluffy chicks, will you post some pictures when they hatch?


Our newbies are having a hard time. They are just so frightened, the older hens just keep pecking them out of the hen house. When they are loose in the garden the 3 older one stick together and the 2 younger ones go in the opposite direction. The new run is under construction, so they are getting free run of the garden which means poop everywhere. We constructed an enclosure with fencing wire, but the cheeky chickens just walk straight through it as if it wasn’t there. Couldn’t bear to connect it up to a battery. Took some photos this morning.

daisy_darling

HeatherintheHills wrote: »

Thanks, I sat and cried my eyes out when I found the poor little love, I think it either got too cold or choked on a chick crumb, even though I was grinding them up to a smaller size. I'd noticed Mum was breaking them up for him, so got the pestle and mortar out, but I guess I'll never know.

Aww that's rotten luck. Consider yourself comprehensively hugged xx

Debt_Free_Chick

I've got a broody hen :j :j

Going to make babies

As I've posted before, my c0ckerel is very .... ahem .... efficient so I've got the broody on a clutch of 7 eggs.

Chick day should be ...... about 1 August ...?

daisy_darling

Happymum, I'm still struggling with the magpie. He's done about 40 eggs this last week.

I've got a radio blaring, CD's hanging from cotton around the door, a dummy magpie and so far all this has perturbed the chickens far more than the magpie. My neighbouring farmer thinks I'm clearly not fit to live in the countryside because I don't want to " trap it and bash its brains out "

I've sort of run out of ideas at the mo....we're just checking the coop for eggs frequently [ at least when i'm home ]

Debt_Free_Chick

daisy_darling wrote: »

Happymum, I'm still struggling with the magpie. He's done about 40 eggs this last week.

I've got a radio blaring, CD's hanging from cotton around the door, a dummy magpie and so far all this has perturbed the chickens far more than the magpie. My neighbouring farmer thinks I'm clearly not fit to live in the countryside because I don't want to " trap it and bash its brains out "

I've sort of run out of ideas at the mo....we're just checking the coop for eggs frequently [ at least when i'm home ]

Have you considered asking the farmer to "deal with" the magpies, whilst you're out?