Bill FellowsUntil today, I hadn't realized my rose colored egg layer had stopped but she reminded me of her existence with today's bounty. Neither Easter Eggers (blue eggs) have laid since January 21st.
#bananaForRefence
#bananaForRefence
Ari "Two Foxes" Jackson@billinkc Ooooh, pretty! My girls are slow right now as well. They're not fooled by this false spring.
@arisummerland Yeah, I think I'm getting 3 every other day versus 3 a day during fall
@billinkc Since they are still young, hopefully they'll ramp up this year!
Most of my girls are over three and the oldest is five now. I'm not expecting voluminous egg production, but they might surprise me.
@arisummerland I thought about getting more to replace the one I lost but figured I should wait at least a year.
But I *really* liked the puffball stage and have more ideas on getting them to really imprint on me. Because I want to know: does my Buff Orpington really like to be held or did I do a better job of imprinting on it so it doesn't freak out or is that breed specific?
Like I know I didn't do as good with the Bielefeders but that's also due to me getting confused since they looked the same - Is this the one I just held?
But I *really* liked the puffball stage and have more ideas on getting them to really imprint on me. Because I want to know: does my Buff Orpington really like to be held or did I do a better job of imprinting on it so it doesn't freak out or is that breed specific?
Like I know I didn't do as good with the Bielefeders but that's also due to me getting confused since they looked the same - Is this the one I just held?
Aatos Koivulainen@billinkc @arisummerland when you decide to add to your flock, do it mindfully. It was always very difficult for me no matter how gradually I tried to do it. The whole threat to pecking order brought out the worst in my otherwise well-behaved hens. I was really upset at how injured one of my new pullets got but she pulled through and thrived long after.
Thanks for your replies!
Yes, I'm always really careful adding a new hen, especially if she's solo.
In the past I've tried to add brood pairs (or triples), but it hasn't always been possible. I have a pair of hens who live here about 5 1/2 months of the year (a neighbor and I "co-parent" them, as she leaves town for half a year; I raised them for a significant portion of their young life, so they do well here) and I sequester them for at least two weeks before re-introducing them to the flock. They still get picked on a bit even though three of my girls were raised with them.
The singles that I've added (or the girls who have become singles for various awful reasons) have always been outcasts, and there is clearly a central core of "mean girls", as it were. Actually... just one hen is the instigator, most of the time. If she didn't lay such beautiful peach-colored eggs, I might reconsider her tenure.
Even the hens who brooded some of the younger ones I kept (from when we hatched eggs) can be mean to the ones they raised! Luckily I've never had anyone get so picked on that they were bloodied or lacking feathers. I feel fortunate in that respect.