Keeping hens and ducks chat.

smallholding_antics

What a lovely story!


We pick our rescues up on 2nd April.


We put 20 pure breeds fertile eggs in to the incubator last night - here's to 21 days time! Well 20 now!

suki1964

Just wanted to have a wee boast

My new Suffolk who I just named Star, produced her first egg this morning - a whopping 86 grams

It's so big it don't fit in a box lol

Dizzy_Ditzy

suki1964 wrote: »

Just wanted to have a wee boast

My new Suffolk who I just named Star, produced her first egg this morning - a whopping 86 grams

It's so big it don't fit in a box lol

I used to love weighing the whoppers! I think my biggest was 95 or 96g. :eek: for the poor hen who laid it :rotfl::rotfl:

I'd be surprised if yours wasn't at least a double yoker!

edwink

We used to get quite a few double yokers at one time but for some reason we have not had any for ages now. Our girls are laying between 10 and 15 eggs per day at the moment.

My girls are still dust bathing in our greenhouses as the ground outside is still too wet for them. They can dust bathe in there right up until we start putting our little plants in. The weather has cheered up a bit now so the ground should start drying out nicely for them to dust bathe outside (hopefully).

I have one little girl that just won't put on any weight. She is fine and running about with the others. She always looks so scruffy with feathers missing. I have been giving her extra bits of treats when the others are not looking in the hope she puts some weight on. I pick her up and she is such a light weight there is nothing of her. Anyone got any suggestions/ideas that might help her? She is a sweet little thing she really is. Just wish she would put on a little weight.

How is everyone doing? Hope all is well with your hens/ducks and geese?

Edwink x

smallholding_antics

Could you give her the vitamin booster that ex batteries are given when they come out, the name escapes me now but it's obvious when you see it. It's health in a bottle - maybe she feels like me and is just waiting for Spring!


We have our first goose egg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wahooo!!!!!

suki1964

Edwink, there's a lot of talk on a chicken forum of giving a bit of cat food to put the weight on

Gigervamp

Maybe try her on chick crumbs as they're higher in protein and are often used to finish a bird off. (Those that are going to the table.)

Better_Days

Our hens are different ages so we get two larger eggs and 3 smaller ones. The largest so far was about 100g (depending on how good our scales are!) the smaller ones are around 60g. Regularly getting 4/5 a day now which we are very happy with.

Having to restrict the girls access to the garden at the moment as we are seeding a lawn. But we have made their run bigger for them. A little ditty:

The dust-bath
I stretch out a leg
I stretch out a wing
I trill in contentment
With everything

edwink

Better_Days wrote: »

A little ditty:

The dust-bath
I stretch out a leg
I stretch out a wing
I trill in contentment
With everything

Awwww Better Days that is so sweet. I am sitting here on my own and I keep saying Awwww. Its so lovely. Thank you.


Weather here is horrible today so I can see a warm bowl of pasta heading towards my girls and boys for a treat lunch to warm them up later.

Edwink x

suki1964

queen_of_cheap wrote: »

I used to love weighing the whoppers! I think my biggest was 95 or 96g. :eek: for the poor hen who laid it :rotfl::rotfl:

I'd be surprised if yours wasn't at least a double yoker!

It was a triple :T:T:eek:

Her next was a tiny soft shell one, but today's was a good strong 58grs

So I've now four laying good eggs, and one ( which one I don't know as the egg is there first thing) laying soft shelled eggs

I've upped they oyster shell and increased protein so hopefully it's just because the hen is still so young



Sounds like another lay from the squawking going on :rotfl: