Eggs, eggs and more eggs.

[GaryD]

Hi,

Several weeks ago, we were given a heap of cross bred chicks of various ages. We process the cockerels and put them in the freezer and we allow the females to grow out.

With our original layers, we now have about thirty cross-breds currently.......and they're providing around two dozen eggs a day. Some of them are still coming into lay.

We're eating eggs at every opportunity but we still have too many for our needs. I take eggs to work several times a week and give them to my team.....to their delight.

Gary

[GaryD]

Hi,

Three of our crossbred chickens have become broody......and really persistently so. Every time we visit the chook house, they are in the nesting boxes...firmly planted on the eggs that have been laid by the other chickens.

To snap them out of it, you have to make them slightly uncomfortable like putting them in a pen with no nesting materials and a mesh or slatted floor. If they persist for too long they lose condition......and they don't lay eggs.

If you live in the Brisbane area and have (or can get) some fertile eggs you're welcome to them if you want to come and pick them up.

Gary

[GaryD]

Hi,

The three broody chickens that we had (a couple of weeks ago) got shipped back to their original owner who planned to put some fertile eggs under them.

In the past few days, another four of our hens have gone broody, too.

Since they're not laying eggs, and they lose condition while setting, we need to try to snap them out of their broodiness.

My most recent efforts failed so I decided to ramp things up a bit.

To discourage the broodiness, you have to make them slightly uncomfortable so I've put them in a pen with a slatted wood floor.

If that doesn't work, they'll be getting a cold bath.

It seems that chickens have taken up much of my time during the past few days.

Gary

[GaryD]

Hi,

I'm pleased to report that, after three days of cooling their heels in our makeshift pen, the broody hens have decided to abandon their attempts to set eggs and to resume free-ranging. Now, we just need to wait for them to begin laying again.

Gary

[MarkEinOz]

Some can be such a pain Gary I agree. We have a Silkie hen here who is quite happy to go broody on no eggs at all!

Isolation in a small pen usually fixes then in 3-4 days.

[GaryD]

Hi,

We're currently getting around 18 eggs a day. It would be more but for the fact that our little crossbreds have been going broody.

Whenever I collect the eggs, I'm amazed at the ability of chooks to convert all manner of things into this amazing food.

There are just so many things you can do with eggs........and they are so easy to prepare. No household should be without chickens.

Gary

[GaryD]

Hi,

These days, we only have about seven chickens......and we're only getting about one or two eggs a day. Our laying hens are in full moult. They're also getting on in years, too.

The photos show the sort of eggs we're getting from one the birds......Ouch! Misshapen eggs are not unusual in old hens.

Gary

[Shane]

The photos show the sort of eggs we're getting from one the birds......Ouch! Misshapen eggs are not unusual in old hens.

Just like the photos show....we all get wrinkly when we get old.

[Pugo]

Now that is a strange egg. ??? If it were someone else I would say something is missing in their diet.. But knowing it Gary I know better than that..

[GaryD]

Hi Pugo,

If it were someone else I would say something is missing in their diet.. But knowing it Gary I know better than that..

Thank you Pugo.....but I wouldn't rule out a dietary deficiency of some kind. As many creatures get older, their ability to process food (and to source the nutrients in it) changes.

We feed an organic chicken mash and our birds free range all day......but this old bird may still not be getting every it needs.

Gary