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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] laying hens - HELP

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  • From: "Jill Taylor Bussiere" <jdt AT itol.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] laying hens - HELP
  • Date: Sat, 6 Dec 2003 06:41:45 -0600

I don't know how old your Araucana hens are, but after the first year, hens will moult, usually with the shortening of the day.  During this time, they don't lay eggs.  They will lose most of their feathers, and then they will grow in again, all new, and look pretty spiffy.  It is good for the chicken to allow this to happen, and not to use lights during this period.  Once they are finished moulting, you can either wait for the light to increase on its own in a few months, or you can turn the lights on a few extra hours each day.  You don't want to leave the lights on all the time, though - that is too stressful.  In fact, it can lead to the chickens pecking at each other as they get stressed out.
 
                                        Jill, WIsconsin
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, December 05, 2003 8:33 PM
Subject: [Market-farming] laying hens - HELP

Help!  We have a few hens for a small egg production for our vegetable customers.  This fall, the 12 araucana hens were just not keeping up with the demand, so we bought 20 "gold star" or red sex link hens, young, but starting to lay.  We expected to now have about 20 eggs per day, but production dropped to 4 - 7 eggs per day!  All the eggs are from the gold stars.  We have not seen a green araucana egg since the gold star hens arrived.  These hens are all free range, spoiled pets.  There are two roosters.    Does anybody have any thoughts or advice?  We are stymied.  We have talked, we have threatened, our customers have cajoled.  We have given extra treats of cracked pecans, we have withheld treats and scratch.  We are considering a chicken pot-pie machine.  Help.
Wendy Akin
Akin Farm
Terrell, TX  


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