Backyard Hencam

"Queen Tulip" Sitting on Don's Lap

Thought you’d like to know that Tulip is doing well in her cage in the garden shed. She was so depressed when she was being picked on in the chicken run, I was afraid she was just going to lie down and give up. Now she is talking to me when I go visit her and enjoying her regular feed, yogurt, and tuna (supposed to help her grow her feathers back).

Tulip (I call her “Queen Tulip” because she is so regal looking) is so much a part of our flock. I’d hate to lose her. She’s a bit aloof; not the first to jump on our laps. But when her feet are cold, she’s right there. I like her because she’s mellow and calm most of the time. Not typical of chickens. She seldom is noisy unless she lays one of her big, beautiful, light green eggs. Then she is the first to let us know (with Sweetpea cheering her on). It can be quite a chorus at times.

Hopefully, Tulip will be back in the run in no time. Thanks for your good wishes.

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This is what a hen looks like when she's sick.

Our gentle Tulip, the Ameraucana hen, is sick. Several days ago, I noticed that some of the feathers on her back had been picked off. Those of you who have chickens know that once they start picking on a hen, they don’t stop. They can be downright cannibals!

Tulip's wound.

The second day I noticed Tulip sitting in the corner of the coop, head down, tail down and the picking had continued. I know better than to let this go. I applied a think dark paste called Rooster Booster (made to discourage picking) and within an hour, the three other hens (Daisy is too busy being broody) had picked the pasty goo off. So much for Rooster Booster! I put in a temporary fenced area inside the chicken run (see picture) to keep the other hens away and when I went out a little later she had climbed, or flown, over the top and was hiding in the nest boxes.

I’ve prepared a little cage in the garden shed next to the window for Tulip to recuperate and grow her feathers back. She is in the cage now but seems very lethargic. She has all she needs; food, water with electrolytes, and I’ve given her yogurt (her favorite food).

Tulip's home until she heals.

Chickens are strange animals. They will suddenly die without warning. They will die from fright if chased or manhandled. They will die of loneliness. They will sometimes just lay down and die. I’ll give her some poultry antibiotic just to make sure she doesn’t have an infection, then time will tell.

Daisy is setting on unfertile eggs.

I’ve written about “broody” hens before. But Daisy has never been broody before. “Broody or setting” means the hen’s instincts tell her to hatch some of the many eggs she has been laying. In the wild the hen will lay a clutch of eggs. When she has layed enough, she will spend about 21 days setting on the eggs, keeping them warm, until they hatch into chicks. Awwwwww…………

Now, I shouldn’t have to explain this to you, but you need a rooster to have fertile eggs that will hatch. We don’t have a rooster so the eggs that our hens lay can never become chicks. If I want the hens to hatch eggs, I have to buy fertile eggs or buy little chicks and put them under the setting hen. No one ever said that hens were the smartest creatures in the world. They don’t understand when you slip some chicks under them, and remove the eggs she’s been sitting on, they are not their own. They just mother them as if they were!

All fluffed up, clucking, clucking, clucking.

Daisy has been acting “broody” for about a week. She is all fluffed up and clucking, clucking, clucking. She continued laying eggs every day. But today, when I reached into the egg box she gave me a threatening growl………… “Don’t touch my eggs,” she warned. Daisy has never pecked me. She is the sweetest hen in the world. I gently pushed her from the nest and gave her some hen scratch (treat). But she was back on those two eggs in about five minutes.

We will continue to take her off the nest to eat and drink. We’ll remove the unfertile eggs beneath Daisy. We’ll put buckets in the nests in the late afternoon after all the hens have finished laying for the day. We will put her on the roost at night. Other than putting her in a cage by herself, that is about all you can do to discourage a hen from setting on unfertilized eggs. Why don’t we get her some chicks? Because when we built the henhouse and run, we were only going to have 3-4 hens and it is quite small. But I got “chick fever” and, as a result, have five lovely hens. It wouldn’t be fair to any of the hens to crowd in a few more. So, Daisy dear, get over it. I know your biological clock is ticking but it isn’t going to happen. Motherhood is just not in the cards for you, sweet girl, but if I ever have the room for more chickens, you will be the first to get those little ones you’d like to have.

It Doesn't Matter What You Mother!

This has been around a while but it makes me smile every time I see it! Love to all on Mother’s Day.

Sweetpea sitting on eggs.

A few of our hens are laying nearly every day now. The best layers are the Buff Orpington and the Barred Rock. The hens are two years old now, “Chicken Prime”. This is the peak of their laying career. The eggs are large. Actually, it will probably be downhill from here as egg production slows as they grow older. I’ll be happy with a couple of eggs a week from each hen. Regardless of how long they lay, they will have a life with us here in Cambria.

A chicken has a life span of 5-7 years. At about 20 weeks of age they begin laying. For approximately two years they’re at their best, laying 4-7 eggs a week, depending on the breed, the season of the year, and the climate. They lay best when the days are long. In the wild, a chicken will lay a clutch of eggs (up to 30), then stop and sit on the eggs to keep them warm. We refer to a setting hen as one that is “broody”. The eggs will hatch around the 21st day. Egg ranches get more eggs than a backyard “chicken wrangler”. Egg farmers manipulate egg production by keeping lights on all night. Hens will continue eating and laying at a faster rate. These poor hens seldom live a long life. They are “spent” and die after a year or two of this pressure to produce, thus, they die young and their meat is used in commercial chicken soup.

A hen will lay up to 900 eggs in their lifetimes. I’ve heard of an Australian hen laying 370 eggs in a year but that is unusual. Our hens have stopped laying periodically. Sweetpea and Poppy have both gotten in the “reproductive mood” and stopped laying for a few weeks. They became “broody”. They don’t want to leave the nest boxes but their eggs are not fertile (no rooster there to do the job) and it is useless letting them sit on eggs. Also all of the girls have gone through a yearly “molt” where they lose their feathers and grow new ones. During this time, the hens have stopped laying for a period of about a month.

It is an interesting concept this whole backyard chicken thing. Economically, the hens pay for themselves by producing eggs that pay for their feed. I love the freshness of the eggs, the orange yolks, the firm egg whites, and the fresh taste of their eggs. I love watching the hens, too. They have their own little “society” all contained in a small area of our garden. They were raised there, that is all they know. I enjoy sharing this experience with others and hope that some of you will be inspired to keep a few hens of your own.