Daddy and the boys set fast at work the other morning to expand their chicken coop. Dad decided that he would like to plant some winter rye in our back yard in the next few weeks, so he no longer wants our chickens "ranging"... I have mixed emotions about this, because I DO enjoy watching them strut through the yard gathering bugs and worms... the down side is that they have made what little bit of grass we had left, virtually non-existent... So! included in this 4 foot length extension was 3 new nesting boxes for our remaining hens in hopes that they will soon began "earning their keep" with some egg laying.
This last weekend we traded one of our barred rock roosters for a barred rock hen and she already lays. The boys were so excited to find an egg, that yesterday evening my younger son pulled one right out from under her, still soft... oops... "honey... you can't get them THAT fresh... you need to let them have a chance to harden up..." Also on the list of "to do's" in trying to get some eggs was to gather up and separate the roosters... still trying to decide WHAT to do with them... poor things... Freecycle is one option, but hubby is worried that they will end up in the cook pot or as fighters. He and the boys don't like EITHER of those options... and upon closer inspection this evening, he thinks he found yet another rooster in the pack... that
would make roosters: 4, hens: 5. *sigh* and here we thought we were so "lucky" in having all hens when we first got them... Anyway, the boys did a great job on the coop, and if that isn't inspiration enough to make a hen lay an egg, well I guess we'll have to resort to feeding them some high protein 'crumble' food... the guy at the feed store told me that they started using it and it really works well... And, now, of course, the guys are VERY anxious to get some more hens... I sure hope that the ones we still have don't ALL turn out to be roosters! lol!!
would make roosters: 4, hens: 5. *sigh* and here we thought we were so "lucky" in having all hens when we first got them... Anyway, the boys did a great job on the coop, and if that isn't inspiration enough to make a hen lay an egg, well I guess we'll have to resort to feeding them some high protein 'crumble' food... the guy at the feed store told me that they started using it and it really works well... And, now, of course, the guys are VERY anxious to get some more hens... I sure hope that the ones we still have don't ALL turn out to be roosters! lol!! 
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