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Backyard Chickens

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A place to discuss and share the joy and trials of chicken raising! Share your chicken knowledge, photos, coop plans, ask questions, anything chicken related!

Members: 278
Latest Activity: Jul 10

HOMEGROWN Discussions

FOX!!! 4 Replies

We started back in February with 9 left in our layer flock - one roo and 8 ladies.I had to come and get out my frustration. We had the rooster "processed" this morning as he has now attacked both my…Continue

Tags: grah, annoyed, chickens, fox

Started by Tasha Raymond. Last reply by Tasha Raymond Jun 11.

HOMEGROWN Eggs vs Store Bought 4 Replies

In the last 6 months there are now 4 places selling eggs. FREE RANGE EGGS say the signs. I am a city slicker what do i need to know about store eggs vs road side farm eggs?Storage?Do they last…Continue

Started by Joe Klinkhoff. Last reply by Joe Klinkhoff Mar 7.

Winter Chickens 11 Replies

Well, my chickens are in the bathroom for the winter. Once the water dishes started freezing up, in they went. What do you all do with yours?Continue

Started by Jana Franzen. Last reply by Jana Franzen Jan 31.

recommendations needed guinea - chickens - chicks - keets are COLD & DYING 5 Replies

I have approx. 86 chickens and 7 adult guineas. 8 little chicks and about 34 guinea keets. They are in a very big barn that is 60' long. They is a lot of open space. I have 34 keets that are over…Continue

Started by Cindy. Last reply by Tasha Raymond Jan 8.

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Comment Wall

Comment by Nancy on November 12, 2011 at 10:48pm: Thank you for that info. Well, isn't that just great. I hate buying eggs. I have some older hens and only one is laying. They are not older than 2-3 yrs old. Why would they not be laying? I would certainly dispatch them if all I am doing is feeding them. I figured it was the molt but they all look good now. Those 3 should be spitting out some eggs. It has just not been a good Fall for us, I think.

Comment by Nancy on November 12, 2011 at 10:48pm: Thank you for that info. Well, isn't that just great. I hate buying eggs. I have some older hens and only one is laying. They are not older than 2-3 yrs old. Why would they not be laying? I would certainly dispatch them if all I am doing is feeding them. I figured it was the molt but they all look good now. Those 3 should be spitting out some eggs. It has just not been a good Fall for us, I think.

Comment by Nancy on November 12, 2011 at 10:49pm: Thank you for that info. Well, isn't that just great. I hate buying eggs. I have some older hens and only one is laying. They are not older than 2-3 yrs old. Why would they not be laying? I would certainly dispatch them if all I am doing is feeding them. I figured it was the molt but they all look good now. Those 3 should be spitting out some eggs. It has just not been a good Fall for us, I think.

Comment by Rachel Hoff on November 12, 2011 at 11:46pm: Though I generally like to give my girls a rest, you could put a light in the coop. Put it on a timer so they have at least 14 hours of light. Might help squeeze some more eggs out of them.

Comment by rachel whetzel on November 13, 2011 at 4:59pm: Nancy, I wouldn't waste all your money and time you've put into raising these gals up into butchering. If you want to help them lay now, you can always put a timer and a light in your hen house and lengthen their "daylight" hours up to the 14. I don't artificially light, so I'm not getting eggs right now... but I would consider that over butchering with hens I just got.

Comment by Meredith Cope on November 13, 2011 at 8:28pm: Nancy, I think it would help if you put a light in your hen house. Just turn it on between 6-7 am and turn it off around 9-10pm. We do this, and we've still been getting a good number of eggs.

Also, how are you feeding them? Do you have a hanging feeder that they can eat from free choice, or do you feed them an amount once or twice a day?

We were feeding our hens twice a day, and I noticed that we weren't getting as may eggs as we should have been getting. We bought a free choice hanging feeder, and that has helped significantly! We went from 2-3 eggs a day to 11-13 eggs a day.

Comment by Nancy on November 14, 2011 at 11:05pm: They can feed whenever and I have had the light in there for the past couple weeks anyway. I wouldn't butcher them. I only butcher the meat birds I ordered with them and they were wonderful. They grew huge and I cooked our first one this past week. Wonderful! Just can't figure these girls out. They are stubborn, I tell ya! They even have a rooster so, I hope, they will have some babies next yr, if they ever lay to begin with. Meredith, I am jealous of your hens productivity right now. Thank you both for your info. Very informative!

Comment by rachel whetzel on November 15, 2011 at 1:18am: Well I've not heard of hens that never lay, so I think you're good there. :) Hang in there! Sounds like things should pick up... I've also heard from old timers that chickens need to feel warm to lay, and swore that feeding warm oatmeal was the ticket. Might be worth a try!

Comment by Nancy on November 15, 2011 at 10:42pm: "Someone" must have been reading my comments on this page because my husband got 9 eggs today! One from one of my old hens. I am calling this an early Christmas miracle. Now I can bake again. I just refused to buy those yucky store bought eggs! And, thank you Rachel, I had read somewhere about the warm oatmeal and was going to try it this cold cold winter. They may make me feel guilty enough to repeat it over and over again. thanks. Nancy... wow, I can't believe it. I am having eggs for breakfast!