Just One
Found out Cyndie bought eggs from the grocery store the other day. With the hours of daylight reduced this time of year, our hens have dropped production of home-laid eggs a significant amount. Yesterday, the grand total count was one.
Sometimes, you don’t know what you’ve got, till it’s gone.
Speaking of gone, more of our chickens have begun molting feathers, unfortunately, just when the early cold snap showed up. Seems odd that chickens would molt so late in the year. Although, I can see how it might have served as inspiration for early peoples to gather all the shed feathers to make beds or blankets just as the cold temperatures were arriving.
Cyndie chased a squirrel out of the coop yesterday. Maybe it was on a mission to collect feathers for his or her nest.
Chickens are hardly ever in there laying eggs lately, so at least someone is making daytime use of the shelter. Hah!
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Written by johnwhays
November 15, 2019 at 7:00 am
Posted in Chronicle
Tagged with backyard chickens, chicken coop, egg laying, fall, feathers, hens, home-laid eggs, losing feathers, molting, squirrel
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watch out for surprise nests! when they aren’t laying in the coop we’ve found nests of eggs in strange places like leaning boards against garage
Ralphie
November 15, 2019 at 8:09 am
Yes, we have uncovered a batch of about a dozen eggs that the tractor wheel crushed when I mowed the paddock this summer. Per Liz’s wise advice, we left the chickens in the coop for a couple of days back then and “retrained” them to use the nest boxes. Now with the snow and cold, they have some days self selected staying in the coop! We don’t add a light to encourage egg laying, so nature is taking its course for our hens.
johnwhays
November 15, 2019 at 9:19 am