Sometimes when pullets start laying they are curious about the egg they just layed and will peck at it also. Sometimes even the older girls will do that too to eat the egg. I've found just shells in the nest boxes before.
Scratch Grains question
TF-thank you, I'll have to try that :)
gardner-that makes sense to, I can see that happening. No broken ones today, yay! We have 5 almost year old hens, and I've been getting a consistent 4 eggs a day. My little pullets that I ordered in July have started laying though; I think it's my white Rocks, because the two older brahmas I have now were late starters, and I'm sure my younger light brahmas will be too. Anyway, I went out today, to find 8 eggs! I need to get an egg basket; I've been using my jacket pocket to bring them up to the house....8 eggs (and soon more probably) is going to be pushing it.
yeah! load up on pretty baskets, you will want to show off those eggs!!! don't forget to float test them. and if they are poopy, a quick hot water bath is best.
hats off to you and your hens & pullets!
tf
Thank you TF :) I was wondering what temp water I should use...remember reading somewhere about either warm or cold would push bacteria through the shell into the egg...must have been cold water. Thank you for all the good advice, and Merry Christmas!
Dawn
My girls are nearly 12 weeks old. I feed them Starter/Grower. In about 4 to 6 weeks I plan on switching them over to a layer ration. I have been treating my girls with oats I get from one of my local feed stores. They love the oats. I also threw in a piece of alfalfa bale which they pick at and have scattered over a portion of their run. Also I grow lettuce. Every once in awhile I throw a head in and they devour it. I feed them vegetable scraps except raw potato peels. They all seem fine. I recently purchased some scratch. I have been reading in some different forums about chick scratch which appears to be just regular scratch that is more finely ground. Do they need grit and are they old enough for grit? I have a 500ft net that I use to net off an area they can range in that connects to their run. I have a gate that I can close in the run. This is all movable including the coop which I do about every three weeks.
hi cmom, wlecome to dg. that's a good question, and more likely to get lots of good answers if you use it as a new topic. look down at the very bottom of the page in the forum, you will see where you can start a new thread... but i think free choice oyster shell is your best bet, and they are old enough...
tf
BeautifulBrahma, No you don't wash them in hot water always use cold, it's the hot that causes the bacteria to enter the shell. I always soak mine in cold.
TF, you said to also do a float test with your eggs why is that...? Im a newbie to hens and i spend hours reading through the different forums its good reading ;)
nzgirl, The reason you do a float test is to se if the eggs are good. If they sink they're good, if they float they're generally old and bad.
thank you gardener105 ;) okay I've got another dumb question sorry, I've only had hens for 3 months... now do they float on the surface or with one end up and one down...? My 5yr old girl get very excited and moved all of the eggs about when she was countsing them and now I've not got a clue which are the new ones and which are the old ones....
My 5yr old and her fav banty she calls her "THE BOSS" lol
Thank you very much for your help in advance :)
nzgirl, They float on top. The ones that float with one end up are the older ones. And by the way, there's no such thing as a dumb question.
You're welcome, and your daughter and her fav "THE BOSS" are adorable. :)