new black rocks arriving tomorrow

[BUFFS]

its been raining pretty hard up here in scotland all day,my black rocks have access to my garden all day as i leave the coop open,the thing is i thought they would prefer to stay in the coop as it has been raining,but no my black rocks have chosen to spend most of the day out in the rain and seem to be enjoying it,is this ok for them to do as i here they can catch a cold quite easily.

cheers

scott

my blackrocks tend to do the same,but then get all cosy in the coop each night, it has poured here all day too,really heavy and the same forecast for next few days,so if it gets really bad ,i will give them some hot cheapo rice before their bedtime,it stokes them up for their night drying out....they are such a tough bird,mine layed all thru all that terrible cold spell last winter.....

[scotty1971]

so do you just boil up some long or short grain rice and give it to them hot?
do you add anything to it?

cheers

scott

[BUFFS]

so do you just boil up some long or short grain rice and give it to them hot?
do you add anything to it?

cheers

scott

find the cheapest rice you can get, the big bags from the supermarkets/pound shops etc, i usually boil up enough for 4/5 days,given hot seems to be their favourite,you could add anything you liked,poultry spice,vermx etc,but thru 6 weeks last winter we were only short 4 eggs,even with -6 temp in the day and -13 at night, even the most timid ones will rush to me on sight of their big bowl of rice (for 10 birds,i give a big dinnerplate full @ 1ins deep,and its all gone in less than a minute,fed about 7pm,or just before dusk),i look on it as their hotwater bottle,they dont have to take any energy away from laying their big eggs..

[scotty1971]

still no eggs

[scotty1971]

still no eggs.

is there anyway i can encourage the hens to lay,or will nature just have to run its course?

cheers


scott

[Glutton4...]

still no eggs.

is there anyway i can encourage the hens to lay,or will nature just have to run its course?

cheers


scott

Don't be so impatient! You haven't had them very long, and although they were sold to you as point of lay, it does not mean they are imminently about to start laying - it may take several weeks, they have to settle in and get used to the new routine. Also, young hens will take longer to come into lay at this time of year than in the Spring, as the light levels are falling daily. You will know when they are about to come into lay as their combs will get bright red, big and fleshy and there will start to be exploratory trips to the nest box although an egg may not be laid for several days. The first eggs may also be laid on the ground.

Patience is a virtue!

[scotty1971]

lol,whats patience never heard of it!!!! 6 weeks and counting

[RichmondHens]

I notice you are up in Scotland. Are the days shorter than down here? If the days are getting really short then it will affect laying. Let them out at dawn to maximise the amount of daylight they get.

[scotty1971]

i let them out about 7am,thats when it starts getting light up here

[scotty1971]

well it was dark yesterday morning when i let the chickens out and put their water and feed in,and they were already tucked up in bed when i arrived home from work.same again this morning very dark before i left for work,but got home at lunchtime,checked on the chickens,and there was 3 lovely eggs,thats the first ones,so hopefully that will be the start.

@

[polo]

Great news, first eggs are best!

Polo x

[chris]

Good feeling isn't it Hopefully they'll lay throughout most of the winter too!

[scotty1971]

well got another egg today,what is the best way to clean them,they were pretty clean when i got them,just want to be safe.

cheers

scott

[RichmondHens]

well got another egg today,what is the best way to clean them,they were pretty clean when i got them,just want to be safe.

cheers

scott

You don't need to clean them if they are already clean. When the egg is laid it is covered in a thin liquid that dries on contact with the air which is the hen's natural way of protecting it from bacteria entering via the porous shell. If you wash the egg you remove the protective layer and it shortens the life of the egg. If they have a bit of poo or mud on (hazard of this time of year) then wipe just the worst off with a bit of damp kitchen paper. No need to do anything else. If an egg is really pooey then you can wash under the tap but you would then need to use it within a day or two.

[scotty1971]

thanks for that,how long can i store the eggs in a fridge?