egg layer ?

[shasta]

We used some inexpensive plastic keeper boxes with removable lids. Two holes are cut in the front for the hens to come and go through and a thin slit in the middle to slide a divider into. They are lined with hay and can be stacked if needed. To collect the eggs you can reach in the "hen door" or take off the top and reach in.

 

[farmerjim]

another probably stupid ? i was planning on pasturing the hens and leaving the coop open during the day, so they could come/go as they please and then locking them in at night. will they lay during the day?i thought that they liked it rather dark in order to lay? sorry for so many lame ?'s but i would rather know b4 i get the hens then find out later.

 

[Soundguy]

My hens start laying by mid morning..and by 5pm or so.. any that will lay that day.. have done so.

That's the thing with free range chickens.. never know where they leave their eggs.

Soundguy

 

[Hootie]

I have two hens, one we never see because she is always sittin on eggs. This is good, but she alternates between nests. What is this all about?

 

[Soundguy]

I have a couple hens that will alternate between nesting boxes. if we are letting her set.. we typically transfer all eggs we want set on into one nest, and collect the others. We pencil mark the egs and then check every day.. obviously leaving her the marked eggs to set on and collecting the fresh ones..

sometimes another hen will get push and make the good setter move..

Soundguy

 

[LC '92]

All my hens lay during the day. I leave the coop open in the day and they free range. The hens return to the coop to lay eggs then free range again. About 1 hr before dark they return to the coop for the night and I close and latch the door until the next morning.

Hope this was helpful.

 

[ALBALD1]

They will lay during the day, but they will go to a darker spot like a next box. It's about a 26 hour cycle, so they will lay about 2 hours later each day til it gets dark on them & then they'll miss a day. When the days get shorter in winter, they will miss more days unless you extend the daylight by adding artificial light in the coop. I would recommend some sort of fenced run attached to the coop. That way if you want to keep them up for some reason, they aren't confined in a coop. There will most likely be times that for whatever reason, such as being out of town for a few days, you can't open & close the coop. Make your run predator proof also. The chicken door in my coop stays open, but the run is pretty secure & nothing has ever gone in there. Once they start laying, leave them confined to the coop/run for a few weeks til they develop the habit of laying where you want them to. Once the habit is set, they will return to the coop to lay. I occasionally find a few eggs out of the coop. I just leave them up for a couple weeks to reinforce the habit. Chickens are fun & aren't much trouble, but there is a lot you can learn to make it more enjoyable. I strongly suggest you read the posts on the backyard chicken website. Thats where I started going when I got them. Those folks are very knowledgeable & very friendly. Any questions I've asked on there has gotten a response within a few hours.

 

[jimg]

Its a bit off topic but if youre going to range feed your chicks you should really think about making a chicken tractor. Ive heard they work really well in gardens to clean up field trash, keep insects/larvae under control and aerate the soil some. Really a chicken tractor is nothing more than a moveable range house by another name. Since this is a tractor site chicken tractor seemed more appropriate. Depending on how well its built I think they could spend most of the time in the range house. All you need to do is move it regularly and keep fresh water and suppliment feed available. Ive seen them fitted w/ laying facilities and I think there are free plans on the net too. Ive seen them from very simple to very complex (self moving etc etc).

 

[Soundguy]

There's a great book on 'green' living out that has plans for a very workable chicken tractor 'building'. Can't remember the name.. but found it googling chicken tractor a couple years ago..

Soundguy

 

[JC-jetro]

Its a bit off topic but if youre going to range feed your chicks you should really think about making a chicken tractor. Ive heard they work really well in gardens to clean up field trash, keep insects/larvae under control and aerate the soil some. Really a chicken tractor is nothing more than a moveable range house by another name. Since this is a tractor site chicken tractor seemed more appropriate. Depending on how well its built I think they could spend most of the time in the range house. All you need to do is move it regularly and keep fresh water and suppliment feed available. Ive seen them fitted w/ laying facilities and I think there are free plans on the net too. Ive seen them from very simple to very complex (self moving etc etc).

Is the the chicken tractor 3 pt or ground driven implement?

I think that is a great idea. I know a lady that does that and she actually pulls several pens with open bottom in tandem. They all are tied together and she pulls them here and there on the pasture. It is a win -win situation.