Adding new chickens to our flock

[NH Homesteader]

Now it says maybe up to 12...

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Holy Cow! That's pure craziness!

 

[NH Homesteader]

Nah when I was a kid we had many 2-3' storms.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

 

[baymule]

How old are your present hens? Maybe butcher them and get more of the young pullets. I keep mine to their second molt. After that, their laying slows way down, but they still eat as much as they ever did.

 

[waretrop]

Everything looks very nice. I like that you can talk the eggs without going into the house....I have to go into the house to get my eggs out of the boxes....

 

[MoonShadows]

Our present hens will be 4 years old next month. They were still laying pretty well up until the days shortened, but I decided not to artificially keep their days at 14+ hours with lights this year, so they have stopped laying. I want to see how they do in the Spring. I also want to try and see if I can integrate the two groups in case I have to do it next year and the "old timers" are just one year old then.

Getting the eggs from the outside has been much easier. I am glad we built it that way. (Saw you go by and honk last Wednesday. I waved, but you were by before I got my arm up.)

 

[waretrop]

My chickens never cut back on laying...Of course, having allot I may not notice if someone stops for a while. The thing we do that others don't is, we extend the light before the days get shorter rather than after the days are already shorter. That seems to keep them in laying mode rather than trying to get them started again....

Yes, I saw you and told my hubby to hit the horn but we had already passed you. He had no idea why I had him hank till afterward. We laughed about it....I go by at least every other day. I like that drive. I deliver to people just short of you so I incorporate the delivery with my personal errands.

 

[sumi]

It's time you two stop honking at each other and get to visit and come tell us all about it

I bought 2 pullets in August 2015. They were roughly 20 weeks old at the time, a Bluebell and a Sussex. They started laying and just didn't really stop, except for a short period when I moved house with them. Sadly I lost the Bluebell to an unidentified predator about 4 weeks ago The Sussex stopped laying for a bit after that incident.

 

[Annabellam]

Thanks. We designed and built it ourselves in the late Spring of 2013. You can see the complete build from start to finish here: http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/moonshadowsfarm


Those wilted, kind of trampled-looking, plants around the outside of the run are the remnants of our strawberry plants last season. Best crop we've had so far since we started growing them. I am thinking of building a tiered strawberry garden and relocating them, so I can put wild flowers around the run...coneflowers, cornflowers, cosmos, daisies, black eyed susans, etc. I want to have more color there and "soften" the look of ground of the run where you can't plant anything with chickens scratching and eating.

Sounds like a really good plan, would love to see how that project works out as well.