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Offline Kathyp

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Egg eater
« on: January 29, 2019, 11:01:28 am »
I have a hen that I can't break of it.  She'll have to go down the road.  She's one of my best layers and a really nice tempered girl. 

Before she goes away or into the pot, anyone have any tried and true methods of breaking them of this?  She even pokes holes in her own eggs as soon as she lays them.

Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline iddee

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #1 on: January 29, 2019, 11:46:12 am »
Feed her oyster shells. She is calcium deficient.
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Offline SiWolKe

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #2 on: January 29, 2019, 12:25:45 pm »
Put some plaster eggs into the nest and hope she will learn she can?t poke holes.

Oyster shells will work if there is sunlight, hens need Vitamin D to use calcium. Drops will be ok too.

How old is she? The first year they mostly do not sit. I must not remind you she needs a rooster, I believe. And some solitude.  :cheesy:

Offline Acebird

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #3 on: January 29, 2019, 12:41:21 pm »
I have a hen that I can't break of it.  She'll have to go down the road.  She's one of my best layers and a really nice tempered girl. 

Before she goes away or into the pot, anyone have any tried and true methods of breaking them of this?  She even pokes holes in her own eggs as soon as she lays them.
How much work do you want to put yourself through?  It is normal for the hen to peck the egg to test how hard it is.  They don't want to waste their time setting on eggs that won't make it (they assume it is fertilized).  Stopping them from eating them can only happen if you know their laying pattern and be there when it is laid to take it away.  Letting them eat it will encourage others to join in and pretty soon you will get no eggs for yourself.
Separate the hen from the flock and make sure there are no others eating her eggs.  Lop off her head when you no longer want to put the effort in.  You will not stop the habit.
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Offline CoolBees

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #4 on: January 29, 2019, 01:25:31 pm »
When I was young, I helped my grandfather do it this way: take an egg, drill a hole in both ends (maybe 1/8th" diam), blow on one end to force the contents out the other. The tape one end shut. Using a small funnel, fill the egg shell with mustard powder, and tape the 2nd end closed. Repeat with 1 or 2 dozen eggs. Place these eggs in the laying boxes. ... and listen for the screaming chicken. This would break the hen(s) of the habit about 60% of the time. We left these modified eggs in the coup for a couple of years, just to catch any hen that decided to take up the habit again.

Ace is right - a hen that does this will teach the others to do it also.

Yes, hens need oyster shells mixed in their diet.

With all that said, here how I solve it today - soup pot. Period.

I'm too busy to deal with it. It's easier to hatch new chicks, than headache with re-training old hens, imo.

Alan
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Offline blackforest beekeeper

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #5 on: January 29, 2019, 01:26:59 pm »

Offline Kathyp

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #6 on: January 29, 2019, 01:44:26 pm »
They have oyster shell and fake eggs.  I caught her at it yesterday and marked her with car touch up paint (it was handy).  I hate to cull her.  She's a really nice hen, but I think I am out of options with her.  And yes, she will teach the others to do it. 

Guess I was just hoping that someone had an unknown magic cure  :grin:
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Offline CoolBees

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #7 on: January 29, 2019, 01:58:47 pm »
something like this.
https://www.agrarflora.de/tierzucht/gefluegelhaltung/legenester-zubehoer/1803/legenest-fuer-5-huehner-mit-schraegem-dach-5-nestmatten-oberteil-fuer-kleine-und-mittlere-rassen?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjOHAo8GT4AIVS-h3Ch0_OQT4EAQYAiABEgJYrfD_BwE
hen goes in, lays an egg. when she gets up, the egg rolls into a drawer underneath where she cant reach.
not all hens use it, though....

I built 1 just like this when I built the big coop we have now (circa 2010). I patterned it after the commercial egg producer plants that surrounded the area where I was raised. It worked for a while. As soon as it gets dirty, the egg stops rolling, and the chicken can get to the egg quickly. I played with design changes for 5 yrs. Sometimes I'd sit outside the cage all day and watch what was happening, so I could make adjustments to the design. I cleaned it constantly so the eggs would roll properly.

I've seen hens peck other hens eggs as soon as their layed, simply because they don't want that hen having offspring. Chickens are smart and mean.

1 day I had enough, and I found what worked best - a hatchet. Mmmm - fresh chicken is so good! We no longer have a problem. :)
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Offline Kathyp

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #8 on: January 29, 2019, 02:49:25 pm »
Quote
1 day I had enough, and I found what worked best - a hatchet. Mmmm - fresh chicken is so good! We no longer have a problem. :)

I think that's where we are headed.  I don't really need more meat though.  Full freezers.  I'll give her to someone else if they want to eat her.
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Online The15thMember

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #9 on: January 29, 2019, 02:58:15 pm »
One of my favorite websites, The Spruce, has an article about this issue.  Here's the link, if you'd like to take a look.  Don't know if any of it will work.  We've thankfully never had this problem with our chickens.  https://www.thespruce.com/why-chickens-eat-eggs-stopping-it-3016829
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Offline Kathyp

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #10 on: January 29, 2019, 03:39:47 pm »
Thanks.  The only things I have not done are changing to roll away boxes and clipping her beak.  At this point, I think it is easier to send her down the road.

Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline Acebird

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #11 on: January 29, 2019, 04:27:47 pm »
It usually happens after the chicken is over 2 years old.  After 2 years the egg laying tapers off anyway.  If you are feeding organic feed you are paying way more in feed that what you can buy organic eggs anywhere.  So the bottom line is after two years kill them or give them away for pets.  I suppose you could sell them as pets if you don't have too many.
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Offline Kathyp

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #12 on: January 29, 2019, 08:17:47 pm »
Quote
After 2 years the egg laying tapers off anyway.  If you are feeding organic feed you are paying way more in feed that what you can buy organic eggs anywhere.  So the bottom line is after two years kill them or give them away for pets.  I suppose you could sell them as pets if you don't have too many
.

This is a young hen.  I have older that are still good layers, but I don't put a light on them in winter.  I let the quit laying.  I think it extends their laying life and I can save plenty to get through winter.  And no, I don't pay extra for organic food.   :grin:
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Offline Ben Framed

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #13 on: January 29, 2019, 09:00:08 pm »
Kathy wham I was a (young-un)  small boy, I made some extra money by having my own chickens 🐔. I use to have my daddy drive me to one of the country stores and sold my eggs wholesale to the store owner. This worked out good for me, making this extra money and learning the value of negotiation at such a young age. I say worked out good for me , that is until slowly, One by one, I began having to deal with laying hens turning into egg 🍳 eaters. I had sand and grit readly  available, this didn't work. I did as Sibylle suggested to you, I added orster shells to their diet. Wasn't no time,  and I was back in business!! I hope this works out for you as well! Let us know..
Phillip

Whoops just read your post # 6 They, oyster shells, completely worked for me. Any more I don't know. Maybe as some suggeated (cook pot)?  :shocked:
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Offline SiWolKe

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #14 on: January 30, 2019, 02:34:34 am »
Quote
After 2 years the egg laying tapers off anyway.  If you are feeding organic feed you are paying way more in feed that what you can buy organic eggs anywhere.  So the bottom line is after two years kill them or give them away for pets.  I suppose you could sell them as pets if you don't have too many
.

This is a young hen.  I have older that are still good layers, but I don't put a light on them in winter.  I let the quit laying.  I think it extends their laying life and I can save plenty to get through winter.  And no, I don't pay extra for organic food.   :grin:

I have mutts from races which are layers and meat race both, and they are adapted to nature. I don?t enforce laying. No lights, a heat lamp only when it?s relly cold. My chicken coop is not isolated.
The woman friend I got them from always breeds mutt chickens. She uses the older ones for that. She separates them from the egg layers and sets them on fake eggs, then after they start seriuos work she gives them different eggs from her others, so some will be fertilized ( not all are). She uses the roosters for food and keeps the old hens to watch and teach the kindergarden.
Both of us have no pecked eggs, we use straw and hay nests. I feed organic, so it?s no gain, but the eggs are extraordinary well tasting, so I don?t care.

Offline Acebird

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #15 on: January 30, 2019, 09:19:57 am »
And no, I don't pay extra for organic food.   :grin:
That doesn't come as any great surprise to me but then one begs the question why compete with commercial production.  You are still paying more for the same thing.  I also wouldn't eat the chicken if it were not fed organic.  Poison level is too high.
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Offline Kathyp

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #16 on: January 30, 2019, 11:15:00 am »
Quote
That doesn't come as any great surprise to me but then one begs the question why compete with commercial production.  You are still paying more for the same thing.  I also wouldn't eat the chicken if it were not fed organic.  Poison level is too high.

Mine taste better and are fresher.  I sell enough of them to pay for the chickens.  Our feed is locally sourced, not made in China  :grin:
Most Organic is a racket.  Much higher cost for questionable gain. 

I do watch where all my animal feed is sourced.  That part does make a difference, but I am not paying twice as much for feed just because someone slaps "Organic" on the label and tells me it's better.  I have enough farmer friends to understand that it usually doesn't mean what people think it means. 

I have mutts from races which are layers and meat race both, and they are adapted to nature. I don?t enforce laying.
Quote

Me too.  I have swapped out roosters several times and hatched my own chicks, so mine are mutts also
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Offline iddee

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #17 on: January 30, 2019, 11:30:37 am »
ORGANIC. I fed my chickens live mice and watched them peck them to pieces and eat them. Did that make my eggs organic?
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

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Offline SiWolKe

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #18 on: January 30, 2019, 12:47:27 pm »
ORGANIC. I fed my chickens live mice and watched them peck them to pieces and eat them. Did that make my eggs organic?

 :rolleyes:

Online Michael Bush

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #19 on: January 30, 2019, 12:52:40 pm »
>ORGANIC. I fed my chickens live mice and watched them peck them to pieces and eat them.

I didn't feed them on purpose, but the chickens got some now and then... the first chicken to catch it never got to eat it...

> Did that make my eggs organic?

Absolutely!
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Offline SiWolKe

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #20 on: January 30, 2019, 12:58:49 pm »
>ORGANIC. I fed my chickens live mice and watched them peck them to pieces and eat them.

I didn't feed them on purpose, but the chickens got some now and then... the first chicken to catch it never got to eat it...

> Did that make my eggs organic?

Absolutely!

Beware, Michael, perhaps he breeds the mice with commercial food... :wink:

Offline iddee

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #21 on: January 30, 2019, 01:24:26 pm »
We had an old coca-cola icebox with no lid. It would hold 100 lb. of feed perfectly. Each morning I would throw a bucket of feed out the door and 50 to 100 chickens would feed there. As the feed level went down, the mice would jump down and back out. When it got real low, they couldn't jump back out. There would be 5 or 10 in it every morning. I would throw out the bucket of feed to attract the chickens "en masse", then pick the mice up by the tail and toss them into the melee. They didn't make it 12 inches with those chickens.
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Offline SiWolKe

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #22 on: January 30, 2019, 02:57:28 pm »
Ah, so the mice were organic? No they eat the glyphosate corn, haha. Just joking, ok, iddee??

My chicken kill the sparrows, that share their organic food, if they can. I find some bones sometimes. But it?s like a symbiosis, there are more sparrows because they don?t starve and they move into the chicken?s shelters to keep warm at night.

I want to tell you all a story though it?s off topic:

When I was poor I et mostly convenience food which was cheap. When I was 25 years I developed paradontitis and rheumatism. The rheumatism was caused by the paradontitis as I found out years later.
The paradontitis was caused by the sugar contents in the food.
I was freshly married then. I loved to cook and to spoil my husband so he gained 25kg of body fat. He got rheumatism too, he blamed it on driving his Harley-Davidson almost every day in cold weather ( just like I did with my own motorcycle).
I did not want him to look like that so we started a diet. We started to eat organic and for 2 years we did not eat any meat and since then we eat whole wheat products. Today organic meat too. That was 25 years ago when we started and we still do it.
The rheumatism went away and the dentist helped me to get rid of the paradontitis. My husband lost 25kg of body fat. We are both in good health now. 54 and 58 of years, we are.

My dog Sam, a border mix, brother of Mickey, he developed cancer and protein allergy when he was 6 years old. I fed commercial food then. He lost all his claws and had tumours as big as eggs on his body, the veterinary send samples of them to the laboratory, they were malicious.
I did not want him to be euthanized, so I started to cook organic food for him and the veterinary operated him and cut away the cancerous tumours.
He recovered and passed away when he was 14 years old, never did he need the veterinarian again.
The costs for the feeding were much lower than the operations he had.

I?m a strong believer that you are what you eat. And I am convinced you eat the anguish of an animal, if they are not treated right before sacrificing themselves to be our food.
Eggs, they are so precious a food. A new life can be started but before is does we use all the valuable contents for ourselves.
So I say thank you whenever I take an egg out of the nest and I see it as a gift. My hens get the best of foods for that.



Offline CoolBees

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #23 on: January 30, 2019, 03:30:49 pm »
ORGANIC. I fed my chickens live mice and watched them peck them to pieces and eat them. Did that make my eggs organic?

Hahaha! It only counts if the mouse carries the appropriate Organic label.
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Offline Ben Framed

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #24 on: January 30, 2019, 03:32:33 pm »
ORGANIC. I fed my chickens live mice and watched them peck them to pieces and eat them. Did that make my eggs organic?

Hahaha! It only counts if the mouse carries the appropriate Organic label.

Then the mouse ate the label!! 😊😁
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Offline Acebird

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #25 on: January 30, 2019, 03:43:07 pm »
ORGANIC. I fed my chickens live mice and watched them peck them to pieces and eat them. Did that make my eggs organic?

Only if you live on a certified organ farm!  Mice are capable of eating large amounts of poison and not dying.  BTW that is a sure fire way of your chickens getting worms which undoubtedly you will feed the chicken more poison to get rid of them.
I don't deny that the organic label is being misrepresented but when you don't know the source and the process that it was produced under then organic is the best you can do unless you can grow your own feed.
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Offline iddee

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #26 on: January 30, 2019, 04:03:30 pm »
I doubt there was much non-organic feeds in the 1950's. I've wormed cows, goats, hogs, dogs, cats, horses, sheep. I don't remember my dad worming chickens. They were fighting bleep and their hens, and just ran the acreage. We had a year round Easter egg hunt for nests. We never had a chicken house or lot other than small cages for breeding trios.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

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Offline CoolBees

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #27 on: January 30, 2019, 04:19:51 pm »
Worming Chickens - I can't stop laughing! Iddee your killing me! That's a new one! Hahaha! ... last I checked, chickens hunted down every worm they could find and ... and ... ATE IT! Hahahaha! Maybe that's why chickens ocasionally turn on one of their own and try to eat it ... it had WORMS! Hahahahahahaha!
« Last Edit: January 30, 2019, 04:46:12 pm by CoolBees »
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Offline Kathyp

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #28 on: January 30, 2019, 05:34:30 pm »
Chickens do get parasites.  After I lost some young ones I started using Corid a couple of times a year when they were not laying.  Worked.

But, now I am well screwed.  Just had another egg cracked open and that hen was not in the yard. 

I'm going to hatch some this year so I may be doing a bigger cull than I thought to get rid of some of these older hens. 
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline iddee

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #29 on: January 30, 2019, 05:36:56 pm »
Keep reading Ace's posts, CB. You will get many ha-has from his fantasies.

Kathy, grind the oyster shells and add them to the feed, or buy calcium supplement.
Yes, they do get parasites and diseases, but I have never heard or treating them for worms.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

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Offline Acebird

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #30 on: January 30, 2019, 05:52:59 pm »
I doubt there was much non-organic feeds in the 1950's. I've wormed cows, goats, hogs, dogs, cats, horses, sheep. I don't remember my dad worming chickens. They were fighting bleep and their hens, and just ran the acreage. We had a year round Easter egg hunt for nests. We never had a chicken house or lot other than small cages for breeding trios.

I suspect they never had mites or ticks either.  leaving them on their own and not all jammed together in a coup they foraged on everything and took dust baths to control the mites.  It is not uncommon for chickens and pets for that matter to die from worms if they are allowed to hunt mice.
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Offline Acebird

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #31 on: January 30, 2019, 05:55:42 pm »
I have never heard or treating them for worms.

Google it, there are many references...
https://farmingmybackyard.com/deworming-chickens/
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Offline Ben Framed

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #32 on: January 30, 2019, 06:11:27 pm »
I doubt there was much non-organic feeds in the 1950's. I've wormed cows, goats, hogs, dogs, cats, horses, sheep. I don't remember my dad worming chickens. They were fighting bleep and their hens, and just ran the acreage. We had a year round Easter egg hunt for nests. We never had a chicken house or lot other than small cages for breeding trios.

I suspect they never had mites or ticks either.  leaving them on their own and not all jammed together in a coup they foraged on everything and took dust baths to control the mites.  It is not uncommon for chickens and pets for that matter to die from worms if they are allowed to hunt mice.

Breed a few trios ourself. Would worm when in a "keep"
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Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #33 on: January 30, 2019, 10:36:07 pm »
My wife has had chickens in large chicken pens for 14 years now and we have never had worm problems, knock on wood. We have tried to allow them to free range but we have too many predators. One year they did real well free ranging until an alligator moved into our pond and wiped out 25 chickens in 3 weeks.
We have as many as 70 chickens in the main pen at one time. We do have a lot of sunlight in our main pen, more than 2/3 of it in direct sunlight. I hope that helps. This year it has rained so much that it hardly gets a chance to dry out before it rains again. I suspect being wet all the time may cause problems.

Jim
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Offline Acebird

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #34 on: January 31, 2019, 09:31:49 am »
My wife has had chickens in large chicken pens for 14 years now and we have never had worm problems, knock on wood.

Does she test for worms?  Chickens are like vultures.  If one gets sick or compromised the rest will peck it to death.  With a lot of chickens you might conclude that a chicken died because the others ganged up on her instead of thinking she was compromised to begin with.
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Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #35 on: January 31, 2019, 10:36:37 am »
My wife has had chickens in large chicken pens for 14 years now and we have never had worm problems, knock on wood.

Does she test for worms?  Chickens are like vultures.  If one gets sick or compromised the rest will peck it to death.  With a lot of chickens you might conclude that a chicken died because the others ganged up on her instead of thinking she was compromised to begin with.
No we never have tested for worms and we have had chickens as old as 6 years.
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline Acebird

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #36 on: January 31, 2019, 01:46:36 pm »
Yes, they can live a long time but they don't lay for a long time.  I have heard people say they had chickens live for 12-14 years.  Don't know if it is true or not.  We had two that lasted 6-7 years but they were treated well.
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Offline blackforest beekeeper

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #37 on: January 31, 2019, 03:46:02 pm »
I had a parasite of some sort once in the hen-coral. Each day one or two died (I had about 50 or 60 then). So I used an anti-worm-powder. Death stopped. But I gave quite a few to the foxes...

Offline Acebird

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #38 on: January 31, 2019, 05:25:40 pm »
If a fox has a bead on your chicken coup you either kill the fox or say good by to your chickens.  A fox took care of what to do with our last 6 chickens before we moved.
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Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #39 on: February 01, 2019, 07:47:57 pm »
Ace,
To stop predators, including neighbors dogs, from getting into my hen house, I buried one foot of the plastic coated chicken wire below ground. I also installed a fake electric wire, using standard electric wire insulators around the bottom of the pen.
The only predators that we have had in the hen house are snakes and rats.
If you build a henhouse, be sure to use the plastic coated chicken wire. When I built our first henhouse in our barn, I used new bare chicken wire. When I built a larger henhouse with half of it uncovered, I reused some old plastic coated chicken wire that a friend gave me. At the 5 year point of the first henhouse the wire was rusting away and I had to replace all of the wire with coated wire. The other henhouse is 14 years old and is still in good shape.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline Kathyp

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #40 on: February 01, 2019, 09:13:13 pm »
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a fake electric wire,

Why fake?  I have 3 strands that are very hot.  Just curious.
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline Acebird

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #41 on: February 02, 2019, 09:21:09 am »
Ace,
To stop predators, including neighbors dogs, from getting into my hen house, I buried one foot of the plastic coated chicken wire below ground. I also installed a fake electric wire, using standard electric wire insulators around the bottom of the pen.
In the past almost all of our chickens were killed by birds of pray that are protected.  Not much you can do.  They get the weak anyway.  The fox problem is more getting lazy with the pop door on the coup.  Specifically the timer.  With the wide swing in daylight hours and daylight savings time it was a PITA every spring and fall to change the timer.  We saw the fox show up and knew it would solve the problem of our move for the last 6 birds.
I have read plans on fencing a run.  You are suppose to dig down a foot and lay about a foot and a half out flat and bend the fence up at 90 degrees.  The wood chuck comes up to the fence and digs down and hits the buried fence and gives up.  If you bury it straight they will dig the hole 4 ft deep to get around it.  We don't have the corrosion problem.  Galvanize works just fine.
Brian Cardinal
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Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #42 on: February 02, 2019, 06:47:07 pm »
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a fake electric wire,

Why fake?  I have 3 strands that are very hot.  Just curious.
At that time we did not have power and the fake electric wire has worked very well. It would not work on a bear but it does on dogs, foxes and coyotes.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline Kathyp

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #43 on: February 02, 2019, 07:42:38 pm »
Quote
t that time we did not have power and the fake electric wire has worked very well. It would not work on a bear but it does on dogs, foxes and coyotes.

Ah!  I had to get a solar fence charger but it packs a heck of a punch if you hit it!
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #44 on: February 03, 2019, 12:30:02 am »
Kathy,
We now have one that protects Judy?s garden and our yard from the bears. They are not cheap, especially considering that it only takes one lightning bolt close to anywhere along the fence to blow it apart, literally.
I had 2 ac electric wire boxes blow the covers off with almost nothing left inside. They were in my old barn.
I later found that all of the 120 wires were hit. Every staple had burn marks and everywhere the wire made a bend, the insulation was melted away.  Very unsafe.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline SiWolKe

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Re: Egg eater
« Reply #45 on: February 05, 2019, 05:58:50 am »
Last week I put in fake eggs and started a light timer to encourage laying eggs and today I found the first two.
They had kicked the fake eggs around in the chicken coop.  :grin:
The hens are 2 years old now. They are very healthy looking and acting after the break.


 

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