Our new gals are laying beautiful green and brown eggs! It is nice to be back in eggs again consistently and amazing the new gals started laying once the old gals started moulting and surprisingly this is what has changed the dynamic out in the chicken run (see our last post on merging the flocks) at least I think it is. The new and old gals all shared the same run now but bed up in their respective coops. This presents a little bit of a challenge for my husband who was hoping to get rid of the old coop. But you know they aren’t going to make things easy on him.
Our Rhode Island Red lost so many feathers that she was completely bald on her back. She was the first chicken I have ever had that has moulted so badly. For those of you unfamiliar with the moulting process or the moult read this article from The Poultry Site.com
“Moulting is the process of shedding and renewing feathers. During the moult the reproductive physiology of the bird is allowed a complete rest from laying and the bird builds up its body reserves of nutrients.”
So no your chickens have not come down with some strange disease its a natural process and while they will slow down on laying for the winter they should come back in full force in the Spring. This will be the second full laying Spring for my older gals.
My new chickens have become sleek, beautiful, and strong and I notice they have a new confidence out in the run. The other day my black star who is very bold pranced around the run as if to say “Were the new kids in the run.” By the way if you have never raised a Black Star they are very friendly and not easily afraid like my Americauna’s they would be a great breed to have if you have children around. Tonight by the time I had gotten home they had all tucked themselves into bed and I had a bag of leftover grapes from my lunch at work in my hand so I latched up the younger gals door to their coop and reached in to scoop out the eggs and the two black Stars jumped off their roost and came over and started nipping at the bag of grapes and then they were trying to come out of the coop with me. So much for bedding down for the evening. I quickly gave them each a couple of grapes and picked the eggs back up and made a mental note to myself no more food in my hand when I’m collecting the eggs.
I also know my older gals will soon be sleek and beautiful again this is part of natures process and although they look like they have been “Hen Pecked” they are quite happy and content!
If you love reading about Keeping Backyard Chickens make sure to check out some of my other chicken posts such as “Raising Chickens are worth the Egg’stra Trouble” or my blog post on “The Gals Won’t Want to Fly This Coop and it only Cost $60”.
It’s never a dull moment around this Lil’ Suburban Homestead!
PS: Gratitude No. 7 for November – I am so thankful for my dog River who is half german shepherd and have chocolate labrador….he brings me joy every single day! Besides that he is highly entertaining to boot. Read this great article for dog lovers everywhere…“Can Dogs Love? A True Story” – Yes I believe they do!
When we had chickens they would come and eat out of our hands, I would hoe their pen and dig up worms. They learned to follow me around the yard in the lookout for juicy worms or bugs.