Taking turns

[ORChick]

Warning - All of you who are still snowbound may wish to skip the first part of this post

So, today is a beautiful sunny day, in stark contrast to the rain of yesterday, and the last several weeks. Yesterday it was so rainy that the chickens put themselves to bed in the middle of the afternoon - it might be dull in the coop, but at least it is dry! But today is gorgeous, so I was surprised to hear complaining noises coming from the coop shortly after noon; I assumed that they would be out on the lawn looking for earthworms. But no, one was in one of the two nesting boxes, and the other two were on the roost, grumbling, and the second nest was empty . I thought maybe #3 had decided to come back "on line" since starting her molt in mid-December, and so had taken her place in the queue. Turned out that she was just keeping them company. Clara laid her egg, and then Henny laid her egg, in the same nest, and now all of them are out on the lawn. Silly chooks!

 

[freemotion]

They are women, going to the ladies' room in groups, never alone! My favorite is when there are three empty nest boxes, and one nest with two hens stuffed in it, and a third hen trying to get in and complaining bitterly!

 

[miss_thenorth]

Yay!!!!!! they are laying again!!!!! I got four today-FOUR!!! I actually had to buy 4 dozen to get us through the last coupla weeks, (thankfully can get free range, pasture raised organic eggs at $3/doz, but still,)Aren't you excited that they are back form their winter break??

 

[lupinfarm]

Mine have been laying all winter O__O without a light.

I got rid of most of my red hens, I just have the 4 left and Baldy hen is meeting her unfortunate end in March/April since she doesn't appear to be getting any better healthwise. She'll probably go off to be food for the barn kitties, and the other 3 Red hens will make their ways to a new home.

Right now I get between 4 and 8 eggs a day from 9 hens

And 2 duck eggs from 3 ducks!

 

[ORChick]

They are women, going to the ladies' room in groups, never alone! My favorite is when there are three empty nest boxes, and one nest with two hens stuffed in it, and a third hen trying to get in and complaining bitterly!

Yeah, why do we do that anyway?

I've seen them stuff themselves into one nest before too, but usually they just wait - and complain. It was even funnier when there were five. I take it as good sign that the third one was in there with them, maybe she really is getting ready to lay again

 

[FarmerDenise]

Mine can have a choice of 5 nest boxes, yet they usually all lay in the same one. They'll switch off, which one they'll all lay in, but usually we find all the eggs in the same nest all day long Sometimes they split it between 2 nest boxes. But you would think that 13 hens would want to use more than just 2 nests. Silly girls.