Happy, Happy Girls...

The girls enjoyed some time out of their coop to take in some warm, sunny weather and scratch around for some goodies. As you can see they're looking great; they usually do once they've gone through their molt. They're also beginning to lay with more regularity now that the days are longer and the weather a little warmer.

However, we do have a problem in the hen house - we have an egg eater! Yup, at least one of the girls has taken a fancy to eating their eggs and if we don't get out to the coop shortly after ones been laid it's quickly broken and eaten. This is a more common problem than some might think and one that is very difficult to stop once they get a taste and it can also quickly spread to other birds through the coop but it can be done. I have several ideas that I plan on trying:

• Raise the height of their nest box
• Add a second nest box
• Cover their nest box and hang a cloth over the entrance so it's darker inside and not as easy to access. I use a milk create today that I customized and turned into a nest box but it's wide open making it too easy to get at the eggs once laid.
• Put a fake egg in each nest box. Hopefully this will deter them since all the pecking in the world won't produce the yummy taste of a real egg.
• Thinking about purchasing "poly peepers". Poly peepers are very flexible glasses or blinders that are affixed directly to the chicken through their nostrils. Once installed the birds can't see straight ahead, which should make it very difficult to see and find eggs to eat. They're actually pretty funny!
• Find new homes for these hens. After all they're old, 4 years this summer, in terms of being considered productive egg layers. Perhaps, it's time to start a fresh batch of pullets this summer.
• Last but not least and certainly an option that needs to be considered - the freezer.

Stay tuned...