Ladies and Gentlemen, I need your help

[eagle326]

Ladyhawk ... don't know if you do it already or not but I use a red heat light bulb when we set clocks back. It tricks the hens into laying consistently just as they do in the spring and summer.

[ladyhk13]

Ladyhawk ... don't know if you do it already or not but I use a red heat light bulb when we set clocks back. It tricks the hens into laying consistently just as they do in the spring and summer.

I know people do that but I want my girls to stay as natural as possible. They are obviously missing calcium from their bodies which is needed but I don't want to force laying if they wouldn't do it with the natural light they already have. They give me lots of eggs The rest of the year so I'm not going to complain.

[eagle326]

Nothing wrong with the way you do it. I did it to add a little heat to their insulated coop. Their routine remained the same for roosting and waking up. Had 10 and now down to one but she's a happy camper.
Loves to talk when I get near the coop. She squats so she can be stroked.
Wife says she gets to live out her days on Chicken Social Security. She still gives us eggs even though she's 5 years old or so. Semi retired.

[ladyhk13]

Wow, that's old for still laying! She must be a happy camper our coop is really insulated. When it was in the low teens it was still almost 40 inside so I think they were ok. They huddle together as well so I'm sure they probably stay warm enough. I have 1 rooster, 5 hens, 1 male guinea hen and 1 female. I hatched 190 or so Guinea babies over the summer. She just refused to stop laying! It was the first time she laid and everything I've read and been told they are supposed to lay about 40 in the spring and usually another 40 in the late summer/fall. My girl never stopped once she started! We ended up buying an incubator and a hatcher. Was lucky I could give them all away but if she does it again next year I'm going to have to sell them, won't be able to pawn them off anymore! Should be easy though, most are Pied and gorgeous.

[eagle326]

Yea ; her still giving eggs even surprised me. Don't know that she'll do it much longer though. Probably just a freak occurrence. There were 2 left a couple weeks ago but she went to a corner and wouldn't move or eat. After trying to help her I decided to put her out of any misery and put her down.
Don't know how long our last one will last but wife says she gets royal treatment till she expires.
I take them away from flock and do the deed so as not to upset the others.

P.S.
Did you know they say chickens are from the Tyrannosaurus Rex D.N.A. line.

[helomech]

My chickens come and find me when I slaughter. They like the scrapes.

[Twitchy]

Sorry. Just saw this. It's been a hectic couple of months with work and taking life. The good news is I'm willing hard and fast towards getting in a better position to be about to fit form and relax for a while and stay providing on here again. Buying a house in the next few months and then I'll be shooting my many projects on here that will be associated with it. I look forward to it!

[ladyhk13]

My chickens come and find me when I slaughter. They like the scrapes.

Are you related to Sniper Dude???? That is just wrong!

[helomech]

Are you related to Sniper Dude???? That is just wrong!

Not my fault, they surround me.

[eagle326]

It's the T- Rex thing ladyhawk.