Chicken Q&A

Recently, some of my friends have been asking questions about our chickens so I thought I would get a couple of them together and do a Q&A post. I hope you will find some of this information useful!

I have included their links to their blogs so if you get a chance, stop by for a visit! :> )

Bevy @ "Livin' In Peace" said...

At the price of eggs right now you have a GOLD mine ... how many hens do you have and do you have a nesting box for EACH one or just 4 for 8 chickens?

Hey, Bevy ~ We have 7 hens right now, but only 6 are laying, although she should be starting soon. However, we are getting 6 eggs each day and I am so EGG-cited! lol (sorry, I couldn't resist!)

Most all the books and resources I have read so that you need one box for every 4 to 5 hens as the minimum, so your hens will feel comfortably laying in them. They should be big enough for your hen to stand in comfortably. Usually 12 x 12 x 12 inches is adequate, but building bigger is usually a good idea. We have had 3 eggs in one box in the mornings so it's nice to know they don't mind sharing. lol

Check out this clever idea for nesting boxes..........I wish I had thought of that!

Lisa @ "I'm At Home" said...

cool! I've always thought it would be neat to have chickens. :) Is a chicken and a hen the same thing?! And you must have a rooster? :)

Good question, Lisa ~ Chicken is a collective noun given to a group or flock. Over the life of a "chicken" it has many different names depicting the different stages of life. They all start out as chicks. A female chicken who is under a year old, and who has laid eggs for less than 6 months is called a pullet. After that, she becomes a hen.

As for the rooster......this is a common misconception. You don't need a rooster for your hens to lay eggs, only to fertilize the eggs to hatch them into baby chicks. Hens will lay just as many eggs whether there's a rooster around or not.

Autumn Mist @ "Chickens In My Kitchen" said...

Congratulations, you're doing really well! We had our first duck egg today. I wasn't expecting one until after Christmas really, they are very young and I thought the cold weather would put them off, but obviously not. And don't you find they taste so much better than shop bought?

Thank you, Autumn Mist! We are so blessed that they are doing so well. And CONGRATULATIONS to you as well on your first duck egg! :> ) I have found that so far, the temperature changes has not bothered our girls from laying. I have had to put the heat lamp on a couple of nights, but so far so good. As for the taste of the eggs, I have to say there really is such a big difference. The first time I made scrambled eggs with them, I was in HEAVEN! YUMMM!

Kat @ "Heart 2 Heart" said...

How long does it take for them to lay eggs? How old does the chicken have to be?

Kat, that is one of the first questions my friends ask me. I'm starting to wonder if they have some ulterior motive other than curiosity! lol

Chickens never lay more than one egg per day as it takes an average of 23-26 hours for it to develop. As a rule, chickens lay in the morning, but each day a little later. Sometimes the last egg of a series is produced in the early afternoon. When it gets too late, they take the next day off.

As for their age, chickens will start to lay at about 4 to 6 months old. They reach peak production at about 18 months and from there, production drops until they are about 3 years old. This is very general and varies with different breeds.

Thank you, ladies for your great questions. If you have any more, please feel free and let me know!