Ruling the Roost
It seems that large numbers of people decided this year that raising chickens in their backyards was a way to lessen the blow of an economic recession (highly debatable). The result of this unexpected demand was that our new flock of fowl was delayed by nearly two months.
We had ordered chicks, and it’s hard to argue that there will ever been a more exciting package waiting for you at the post office than one that is “chirping”.
But raising chicks is a much more time-consuming endeavor than just ordering pullets (what young hens are called prior to laying their first egg). The chicks will have to mature for at least 18 weeks before they are at laying stage.
In order to mature, chickens need the appropriate amount of light, and ushering chickens to puberty can take longer as the days get shorter and let’s face it, what bird in her right mind would want to lay an egg and bring a new chick into the world when the temperature outside is 4 degrees. (Chickens are not as dumb as people make them out to be. They have evolution on their side!)
Had all gone according to plan, the new chicks would have arrived at the end of Spring and started laying by Autumn, but alas, here we are in the dead of winter getting only one egg per day. With 20 chickens, no way is everyone pulling their own weight.
To make matters worse, the chickens have not yet learned that we built the roosts specifically for comfortable laying, so we are finding eggs in all corners of the chicken yard (the flip side of this is that you get to start every day with an Easter Egg Hunt)
A week's haul
We’ve placed plastic eggs in the roosts hoping that the chickens’ natural instincts will take over and they’ll learn to make these attractive little cubbies their own.
Incrediblie inedible eggs
14 Comments
Guys, I’m looking forward to your show in the summer. Good luck with that. I grew up in the country and ever since moving to NYC 10 years ago wish for a little place in the country to escape to.
But why I write is to offer some advice on your little chickies since I raised poultry as a youngster in 4-H winning several county awards.
First, daylight is an issue in the winter for laying. If you can outfit your coop with some artificial light to extend the day might help. CFL bulbs would be economical and you could get a solar powered rig as well so no need for wiring. Too cold may be a problem as well. Try some infrared bulbs for that but try not to restrict ventilation.
Increase their regular feed with more grains or even wet mash. And have lots a fresh water nearby as they won’t travel far for water or food.
I hope you have provided some oyster shell in addition to their regular food. Helps the eggshell’s strength.
Also, they won’t lay if they’re stressed or disturbed too much. You need to give them some space and make sure the nest site is fairly undisturbed. My girls always laid in mid-morning so I would say feed them early and then leave them alone until the afternoon.
Also, do you have enough boxes per hen? It’s usually about 1 box per hen and they should be about one foot square minimum, enclosed except for the opening which should have a lip to hold in the nesting material, usually elevated above the floor. They always seem to choose a favorite in any case and you may end up with several eggs all in one box and none in the other.
Also, consider trying a different nesting material in the boxes like straw instead of the wood shavings. Maybe even throw a little grain or corn in the boxes to encourage their interest until they start to use them regularly. Make it more inviting than the floor
It looks like you have Ameraucanas and I see noted on another site someone mentioning the black and blue varieties are consider to be the better layers. You may be out of luck there. My flocks never really seemed to produce to full capacity until at least a full year though, but you may have to cull the non-laying hens if production is a priority.
For others out there, my favorite breed were my pretty bantam Cochins, showy with their little puffball rumps and feathered legs but so sweet. They were always good layers and are considered excellent parents. Regular cochins are one of the largest breeds and the bantams end up being almost normal size. The eggs a little smaller than normal but I always had luck with them and the blues are particularly pretty.
Good luck with the egg laying! I hope you’ll post regular articles about the chickens.
Wow! Thanks for all the great information! I swear, we could never be farmers without the help of the internet!
Oops, I see one correction to what I posted earlier. It’s 1 box per every four hens, not per hen. That would be a lot of boxes.
Ha ha. No problem. I haven’t started building yet!
Hi Josh and Dr. Brent…
I’ve had chickens for a few years and this year my order was also backed up a bit, but our pullets arrived in late May.
I have a new flock that consists of Barred Rocks, Buff Orpingtons, Australorps, Brahmas and Ameracaunas. And my older silkies and bantams that have stopped laying, but are pets and I can’t cull them. They’ll live out a nice life here.
We have a large waterer and have a heat lamp over top of it to keep it from freezing here in PA. The light works wonders!
I was getting a nice amount of eggs before the light went on and then in the New Year, decided to start recording the numbers each day. As of today, we have received 95 eggs from about 7-9 of the hens.
The Americaunas have not yet laid eggs…they are supposed to be green, but so far only brown have come each day. I think the light makes a world of difference.
We also supplement with some greens such as old lettuce that has turned rust colored or limp before we can eat it or a head of cabbage for them to peck on. I think it is a great treat, but also gives them nutrients they don’t get with bugs and grasses in the other seasons.
Good luck…Oh, and I’ve used old kitty litter boxes with lids for my laying boxes. Picked up for a couple bucks at yard sales, the girls love them and saves on building much. We have wooden boxes, but they just don’t want to use them…they like being on the floor for some reason, so the litter boxes are on the floor and they are happy girls.
More brilliant ideas, Rose! Thank you! We’ve been keeping the light on, but perhaps we need to invest in a sun lamp
That is a beautiful bowl of eggs, Dr. Brent.
What kind of chickens are those? I recently bought a CSA from a farm that has cold-hardy heritage breeds like Dominiques and Wyandottes. They are laying like crazy in the cold of a Montana winter!
Hi, Patia
These are araucana chickens
Oh, is that what they look like? I always hear Martha talking about them. The eggs are lovely.
The eggs are coming! The girls have started laying finally. A couple have started to use the nests after I added just a little bit of hay(thanks countervail) a few still use the floor. We got 7 from the 12 hens on Sunday. They must have needed a little more time.
Farmer John
Eggscellent news! (I couldn’t resist)
7 eggs from 12 young hens isn’t bad at all. You can probably count on 70-80% production regularly from hens that aren’t specifically layers.
Keep the news and pictures coming! Have you thought about a feature showing different breeds for small farm/suburban living?
By the way, when you do build the coop, I’m wondering if there’s any way to add a decorative element like I see for this little plywood cabin.
http://www.dezeen.com/2010/01/25/freyas-cabin-by-studio-weave/
Hi, Countervail
You know we believe that there’s always room for a little decorative flourish. This design is beautiful. I’m getting all sorts of ideas now (Farmer John: beware!)