chicken help!

**Scattymum** · 08-16-2008, 07:20 AM

Hello all,

we decided to get some chickens a few weeks ago, the bloke we got them from told us they were pullets on the point of lay.

we got 6 in total ( they have been named, Kebab, nugget, Jalfreizi, Ziva, Donut and Muppet), after 2 days in their new home one of them laid an egg - that is all we have had in 3 weeks.

we got all excited when we saw the egg but are wondering if everything is okay that they havnt laid anymore.

they seem happy, come running when we go outside ( possibly because we have food rather than out of love LOL!!)

is there anything i can do or will it just be a waiting game?

**allenwrench** · 08-16-2008, 10:18 AM

Don't know. i'm just planning on some chickens next year.

Glad you are expanding your food production now. I waited too late to study it up. I was going to look into chickens this year, but every time I went to my Coop they were sold out.

They have no had chicks for the last few years due to bird flu scare.This year they had chicks and ducks for a few weeks, but every shipment was presold it seems. They had a long waiting list of people they called. Never got to see one bird in the 4 or 5 trips I took to the Coop.

We got lots of wild turkeys here. One was at my back door pecking on it one time. But when TEOTWAK arrives, the gun crazy people here will no doubt wipe the turkeys and deer out in short order.

Good luck with your project.

Here are 2 good books on chckens

http://books.google.com/books?id=6Pz...um=1&ct=result

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Barnyard-Your-Backyard-Beginners-Chickens/dp/1580174566"]Amazon.com: Barnyard in Your Backyard: A Beginner's Guide to Raising Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Rabbits, Goats, Sheep, and Cows: Gail Damerow: Books[/ame]

**Missy** · 08-16-2008, 10:53 AM

what are they eating?

What are their living areas like?

**Scattymum** · 08-16-2008, 11:05 AM

they are mainly on Layer pellets, thats what the guy we bought them off suggested.

Livng quarters are quite spacious, they are not cramped, - seeing if i can upload some photos

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**Starlight9803** · 08-16-2008, 01:12 PM

when we had chickens I found that stress (from the move to a new residence) can disrupt/postpone their laying. After a month or so, the stress should no longer be an issue. Also, when chickens are getting old enough to lay, they lay very sporadically for awhile. After a couple of weeks/month they usually even out to 1 egg every 1-2 days, depending on the breed. Though I had some that laid more or less, just depended on that chicken. Hope that helps some.

**Scattymum** · 08-16-2008, 02:04 PM

thats great thank you!

**nvmommyx6** · 08-16-2008, 03:16 PM

Give them some time, the layer feed works well and as I said in another post here, I also give them scraps, veggie or fruit trimmings. No meats you can feed them their shells to give back the calcium for the next shells but make sure they are ground up with everything else, I personally don't do it mostly because I am too lazy to save them and run them through the food processor!!
Mine, the few that I have transfered, did not lay for me right away either, stress, got to get used to the new place!!
I Love my chickens, both for the eggs and the meat, I also have one we call houdini, she (we have not figured out how) escapes and follows me around the lot like a pup! She loves to lay her daily egg in the hubby's shop, he hates it but I think it is funny!!
Enjoy your chickens!
Mommy

**Missy** · 08-17-2008, 01:18 PM

this might help too...my favorite magazine lately...

http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/is...my_layers.html

**Missy** · 08-17-2008, 01:23 PM

I wanted to thank you too, for posting pics of their accommodation's. I think that the problem lays in the birds being new to the homestead. YA know? Like when you bring a new dog or cat home, they have to get used to the area before they settle down. Same with chickens. I would add some veggie scraps and ground oyster shell to their diet. Their house looks good, looks like they have plenty room to hang out. Just a thought...could you have a critter coming into their house and stealing eggs before you find any? I don't know what Ireland has for predators but maybe something is getting the eggs before you?

**cissylu** · 08-17-2008, 02:02 PM

How old are they? they`re probably laid out. chicken don`t just lay every day. when they lay out it may take a month before they star laying again. they need quite a bit of sun light.
they need plenty of clean water . that play`s a big part in laying.
hth

**Bloo** · 08-17-2008, 05:47 PM

my chickens havent laid eggs yet either but they seem to like THE SHADE, maybe that is a reason they havent laid anything yet

**angeljzmom** · 08-17-2008, 06:59 PM

I had chickens a couple of years ago. I bought them all at the same time. It took a couple of months before they started laying eggs. One chicken started first laying everyday and then another started laying a couple of weeks later then the next and so on. I think it has to do with their age and getting comfortable with their environment, at least thats what it seemed like. Once they got started they laid everyday.
Hope you get some eggs soon.

**Scattymum** · 08-18-2008, 02:59 AM

Originally Posted by Missy

I wanted to thank you too, for posting pics of their accommodation's. I think that the problem lays in the birds being new to the homestead. YA know? Like when you bring a new dog or cat home, they have to get used to the area before they settle down. Same with chickens. I would add some veggie scraps and ground oyster shell to their diet. Their house looks good, looks like they have plenty room to hang out. Just a thought...could you have a critter coming into their house and stealing eggs before you find any? I don't know what Ireland has for predators but maybe something is getting the eggs before you?

Thanks

they get alot of scraps as well as there feed, I shall look into oyster shell for them.

DH built the house, he did alot of research online and had fun making it LOL! The run looks quite small in the pic i posted but its actually a pretty big area.

As far as predators, the only one i know of is foxes, we do get alot round here which is why the girls just live in the run and coop - we wanted to free range but i was terrified of them getting killed. The girls are put to bed at night and locked in the coop till the morning, there is no way anything could get in ( apart from mice!)

**Scattymum** · 08-18-2008, 03:03 AM

Originally Posted by cissylu

How old are they? they`re probably laid out. chicken don`t just lay every day. when they lay out it may take a month before they star laying again. they need quite a bit of sun light.
they need plenty of clean water . that play`s a big part in laying.
hth

oh they have plent of water, we have a big waterer that is replenished daily ( plus the constant rain LOL)

What does Laid out mean? they havnt laid yet apart from the one egg. I dont know their actual age, prob about 4-5 months - they came to use * on the point of lay*