This story has been a bit of a saga. Remember back when I got Molly the leghorn to go broody and slipped some eggs under her? Well, none hatched. I think it was a combination of inexperienced first-time mother and low fertility rate of eggs. She was sitting on 6 eggs: three exploded in the … [Read more…]
After [going broody since Christmas](http://green-change.com/2009/01/07/broody-chicken/), Molly the leghorn then decided that it was time to molt. When they molt, chickens lose lots of feathers, and new ones grow to replace them. The process requires lots of protein, so they normally stop laying during molting. They look pretty scruffy for a while too. Finally last week, … [Read more…]
I’ve long watched [other chicken-bloggers report their first eggs](http://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=%22first+egg%22&btnG=Search+Blogs), and now it’s finally my turn! When I came home from work today, I went out into the backyard to have a look at the garden and the chickens, as I normally do. On a whim, I opened up the door to the roost to check … [Read more…]
Since [Molly the rooster moved out to the farm](http://green-change.com/2008/11/13/chicken-quest/), we’ve been wanting to get another chook or two for the chicken tractor. Our three black silkies are just about to come into lay (I’ve been saying that for 3 weeks now!), but we thought it would be nice to get a ‘proper’ layer as well. … [Read more…]