animals are amazing therapy

[tielan]

I have to stop myself from watching the chickens eat. (In particular, it distracts Honey, who thinks she's going to get treats from the human. TREATS FROM THE HUMAN.)

There's a bit more work in terms of looking after them - getting up to feed them and let them out, particularly on the weekends, so the neighbours don't get too pissed off with me. (They don't crow, but they do cluck VERY LOUDLY and at least one of the neighbours has a room that overlooks our corner yard.)

Hainan laid one egg with a weird papery shell, then there was a gap of a day, and then a normal egg (very small) and the crushed-and-bloody remnants of what looked like another weird papery shell. Neither she, nor Honey have laid over the weekend, so if they don't lay today, I might have to take them to see a vet.

I've checked both of their vents and they seem okay? I guess the big concern might be heat stress - it's been getting pretty warm lately, and I think they're going to need somewhere seriously chilly in which to hang out during the summer. Under the house might do, but I'm going to have to set up some screens to block them out from going all the way under the house and out the other side.

Still, they're engaging little creatures, with lots of personality....

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Passer-by randomly reading your journal says: do the chooks have access to shell grit? Laying hens need extra calcium and thin-shelled or no-shelled eggs usually means they're lacking in calcium, which a good quality shell grit will fix. It's better fed separate to their regular food so they can eat as much as they need. (If you already know this, please ignore me!)

Also heat stress can indeed stop them laying.

[tielan]

I haven't given them much shell grit. Mostly I've been grinding up old, boiled eggshells and scattering it in their feed, but yeah, I might have to buy some shell grit separately...