Chicken Fight?

The coop is filled with feathers! Was there a chicken fight? I think that Ginger is molting, a natural process where hens lose their feathers and grow new ones. During this time, the molting hen's reproduction system is halted. No wonder Ginger hasn't resumed egg laying after her broodiness ended! Increasing hens protein in their diet (sunflower seeds, yogurt, mealworms, crickets, tofu, etc) helps them grow new feathers. Yogurt is also good for their digestive system.

Since Ginger has only been molting for a couple of days, she's not looking much different yet. I'll post a picture when she's looking good and scraggly.

Ginger Gone Broody

For about 3 weeks, Ginger was broody. This means that she really felt like being a Mama by hatching an egg. She sat in the nesting box that was preferred by all the hens and stayed in there for about 3 weeks, occasionally getting out to eat. Just about every day, Coby would pull her out of the nesting box so she'd join the flock foraging or dust bathing for a bit, but would go right back to the box after 15 minutes or so. Since it takes about 21 days for an egg to hatch, I guess she got over her broodiness after a few weeks. Besides, we continued to take eggs from under her (laid by other hens... Ginger did not lay during this time). However, Ginger is still not laying eggs... more on that in a future post!

XL Nesting Box

Cracked eggs on the ground! We wondered how it happened. Did the hens roll out eggs from the nesting box to crack and eat them? We noticed a pattern-- it was always Doily's egg! Did the other hens pick on her? After wondering about this for several weeks, I was cleaning the coop while she was in the nesting box. PLOP! It landed right on the ground. Doily is a fluffy hen and maybe she likes to face towards the back of the nesting box, rather than facing out like the rest of the hens. So her eggs were falling to the ground as she laid them! My father constructed a new, extra-large nesting box and we have not had any more cracked eggs. In fact, she seems to know it is just for her because she lays in that box all the time now (but the other hens like it too). Thanks Dad!

Which way do eggs come out?

Ever wonder which way eggs are laid (pointy side first or rounded side first)?




















Well, this egg didn't have enough padding when it "plopped" out of the hen and so the tip got cracked. Guess it makes sense... the more pointed end of the egg is the first part out, unless of course, the egg is breach! hehehe

It has been two months since I've updated the blog and lots has happened since then! During our nice warm weather, the hens like to join us in the hammock.




















In other news...

-- Hawk started laying her white eggs regularly again, after going on strike this winter. She laid about an egg a month during the cold, shorter days and now lays an egg just about every day!

-- Another shell-less egg was laid by Doily. This time, it was intact and so both kids brought it to "show and tell" at their respective schools, but I forgot to take a picture of it.

-- The cats and hens get along fine outside together! Sometimes the cats startle the hens, but usually if one is scared of the other species it is the cats afraid of the hens who come running to the door when I open it, waiting for treats. The cats are afraid to come inside when the hens are all blocking the door. Below is a photo of one cat and one hen getting along.

"Worms"

I threw a package of bean sprouts into the coop today because they got old before I could use them... the hens gobbled them up. Seems like the "girls" thought they were eating worms!

Treats!

The hens sure do enjoy their treats. Recently, we spoiled them with some mealworms (photo above) and yogurt (photo below). Remi and Coby enjoy throwing the mealworms for the hens to find. Remi tries to be tricky and throws them into the bushes for the hens to find. Coby likes to make sure that all the hens get some, so he tries to throw them closest to the more timid hens. The hens are funny when they eat yogurt because their beaks get all white. It didn't show up much in these pictures though. Minerva seemed to be posing for the camera (last photo)! The chickens can be such clowns!

Shell-less Egg

I've heard of this before, but it is the first time I see it. One of the hens laid an egg without a shell. It did have a thick membrane, but not a shell. When I found it on the ground of the coop this morning, it looked like a popped balloon because the chickens ate out the inside. I'm guessing it was Doily who laid it because Minerva, Louise, and Ginger all laid eggs today. Hawk "tried" to lay late this morning and her eggs are white, but this one was slightly brown. We didn't get an egg from Buffy today, but her eggs are much darker than this one was. I think it is normal for hens to have some weird eggs the first year of laying.