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Tuesday, October 2

L is for Laying!

Hens are quite funny - this morning before I opened the hatch, I opened the main door and there they all were waiting to leave by the hatch.
 


Despite the main door being open they still formed an orderly queue!
 
 




Once the hatch was opened they came out, ready to tackle their breakfast!
This morning they had some soaked bread...they prefer brown! lol!
As the weather is colder I ensure they have a nice porridge mix,
rice and corn to warm them up and keep them happy.
 
 

 
Our hens continue to lay their eggs and whilst production may drop slightly, we should have sufficient for our breakfast.
 


Eva was waiting to go inside and lay her egg.
 
 



Ernest was tootling about with Bev - so I knew who he was waiting for.......Mabel -
here she was inside. My garden bucket is very attractive to the hens. They are attracted to the colour red. This is why so many of their feeders have red trays.
 



Once Bev had done her work Eva popped in to do her bit for the Nesbitt breakfast table, as did the rest of the girls. Bev is always the last to lay, prefering the afternoon to the morning.

I was reading the weekly newsletter from the  local farm where we get our boxed vegetables,who have just installed lights in their henhouses to extend the hours of light the hens receive each day, thus ensuring the egg production is at its most. I have been considering this for some time, but really think that our hens are quite in tune with nature and the seasons so am leaving things be. We know if the night is going to be cold as the hens huddle together, instead of spreading out on their bench. Now the nights are drawing in they like an early night, usually all tucked up by 6.30pm.

Another day shared from the Nesbitt henhouse.
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18 comments:

  1. Yes Denise we find that our hens are now going to bed much earlier. They are still laying but not as many now that they can't get to the straw - they had found a habit of laying on the straw instead of in the nest boxes!

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  2. Lovely photo of the hen in the garden bucket!

    It does seem to make sense to stick to nature's rhythm.

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  3. What a treat: a freshly laid egg!

    ABC Wednesday

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  4. Delightful hens and love their personalities.
    Fresh eggs every day would be wonderful.

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  5. Your hens sure lay delicious eggs! And it was so much fun to meet them all in "person." LOL Good to see my little adopted Ernest is doing well. And I agree with you - let nature take its course. Hugs xxx

    Leslie
    abcw team

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  6. Delightful post ~ fantastic shots of your farm life ~ (A Creative Harbor)

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  7. Well I learned something new. I had no idea hens prefer the colur red.

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  8. So in love with your chickens. How fun that they love your red bucket to lay their eggs and not the nests.
    In a book I read "Still Life With Chickens" one winter it was so freezing cold, even with laying in more straw some of her chickens got frost bit. She kept fighting the idea of stringing an extension cord over to the hen house to hang a light but she finally did and the hen house did warm up and the chickens were so much warmer and happier, she could hear then softly cluckingat night. For her it was about her chickens being warm and not laying more eggs.
    Love little Ernest, he is so cute and the ladies are lovely.

    cheers, parsnip

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  9. they follow the queue - well-trained poultry!
    ROG, ABC Wednesday team

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  10. The bucket looks as though it was made for her. Queuing for breakfast, its just like a hotel buffet.

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  11. Oh I just love these posts and photos. I feel like I know each of the girls on such a personal level! Good luck with the cold long nights and shorter days. I look forward to your next installment.

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  12. How fun, chick in a queue--now thats worth a laugh. They certainly are well behaved, I agree to let nature work on their laying eggs.
    Ann

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  13. There is nothing better than fresh eggs! I can hardly stand store bought anymore. I wonder why they are attracted to red? A curious thing, indeed! But, made for so many great photos, those 'girls'!

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  14. I love you chicken pictures and stories ! It's very interesting I learn a lot about chicken !

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  15. Can hear the clucking from here♫ My sister has started keeping chickens and loves telling stories about them as well!

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  16. I hope you're going to write a book about your hens, even if it is a "How to" book. You must be an authority. Lights to extend laying is getting a bit too like batteries for my taste.

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  17. Your chicken are well-disciplined!

    Catching up with ABC. Got busy the past couple of days and just now have the time to visit entries.

    Leaping Chipmunk
    Rose, ABC Wednesday Team

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  18. Such lovely 'Girls', so precise in their habits too. Which hen is the 'boss', I wonder? I still long for one of your lovely new laid eggs, Denise, we really enjoyed your gift, of the eggs, when we visited....
    Of course, Mabel's egg was the most delicious. I see that leslie has adopted Ernest...so sweet.
    It was great to meet Leslie, at long last, and I very nearly didn't make it, due to my ongoing health issues... However, we Did meet, as you know and it was a most memorable occasion, that I shall never forget...
    Lol Di...xxx

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Thank you for your comments, always nice to know somebody has taken the time to let me know what they think.