Chicken-topia
What is wrong with my chickens? Why do they defy me? It used to be that they were constantly escaping from their enclosures, but I put a stop to that with the 12 foot wall topped with razor-wire and look-out posts (well, actually some chicken fencing). But now I look at them – 4 chickens living in a 200 sq metre paradise garden (that’s 50 metres each!). They sleep in a large, limestone barn which they have all to themselves, they have bountiful supplies of water, dirt, grass, straw. They have treats from the kitchen every day. The cockerel has strategic vantage points from which to crow and strut his stuff. And the views… well, people would pay good money for those.
And yet, when it comes to giving me a little compensation for all I have done for them; in the form of, say, the occasional egg… Nothing. Nada. Rien! We’ve seen no eggs for 2 months! I am coming to the conclusion that my lazy chickens are not worth keeping alive, in fact it may be time to put them in the oven before they get too old and chewy. They scorn my Chicken-topia and they’ve turned their backs on their natural instincts in a malicious bid to deprive us of eggs!
redforkhippie said,
July 11, 2007 @ 9:32 pm
Our hens aren’t laying yet, either. My husband thinks the weather has something to do with it … Oklahoma has had an unusually gray, rainy spring and summer, and it sounds like France has been getting the same. Evidently chickens are prone to stop laying eggs in winter, and when it’s dark and cloudy out, they think it’s winter. I’m hoping our recent sunshine (we’ve had a few decent afternoons this week) will get them going.
Scarlet said,
July 12, 2007 @ 7:45 am
Every time they stop laying we find an excuse - not enough light, too cold, too hot, wrong time of year, not enough grass, not enough straw… the fact is that this behaviour has gone on for so long that I now realise we have militant chickens!!
arnoldthemethodical said,
July 12, 2007 @ 6:08 pm
Do they get layers pellets or their old shells back to them. My birds layed eggs without shells when I first got them ( previously poor diet) and I read that if you don’t discover this straight away your birds can get a taste fo their own eggs which can be hard to do if the living acc is large. Although after couple of month you should have tripped over one or two eggs by now.So search them for egg cups teaspoons and napkins everynight.
Scarlet said,
July 12, 2007 @ 7:32 pm
Oh, poor man, you’re still trying to find a logical reason when the simple truth is my birds hate me! Why else would they plot constantly to escape and scratch up my veg… Have you seen the film ‘Chicken Run’? It’s not made-up, you know, it’s REAL!!!
arnoldthemethodical said,
July 13, 2007 @ 6:48 am
Sorry The thought of the poor sods getting necks rung made be babble on.It now reminds of the note in the butchers window,….’Chicken Run you’ve seen the film read the book now come in and eat the cast’ YUM YUM…
redforkhippie said,
July 14, 2007 @ 6:03 am
I am excited to report that our hens finally — FINALLY! — produced two small but more or less respectable eggs yesterday. We have not eaten them yet but probably will tonight or tomorrow morning. One of the girls was acting kind of shifty and fidgety this evening, so I expect we’ll have more in the morning.