Nice puppy pic, but the dog was fourteen months old, and it was stated it was killing chickens. That is what farm folks do to chicken killers and egg suckers.
That said the dog look like a wirehaired pointer, and that is the inbred instinct of a bird dog to go after birds. The dog did not get the training to be disciplined around the chickens, and that is the owner's fault. She should have given the dog to someone that could use it for the purpose it was bred to fill, bird hunting.
You know, this is exactly it. There are people of all sides voicing opinion in this who have ZERO knowledge of farm/ranch life. Not a fucking clue. It takes mega effort to raise hens to the laying stage. 6 months. Thats 6 months of feed, flock management, predator management. Then you have 6-12 months peak egg production. If a dog attacks and kills production birds, That farmer/rancher is out all of that investment, and potential return. A production hen can lay 300 eggs a year. One bird. That is 25 dozen eggs from one bird. How much are farm fresh free range eggs? One bird and the farmer is out at least a few hundred dollars. That sounds crazy, but I raise chickens as a hobby. Its a big deal to lose several. That is why all raccoons need to be eradicated from existence.
My chickens are laying a lot further than 6-12 months. Do you mean free grazers that die due to predators? An egg layer should get you at a minimum of 3 yrs. An average of 4, and close to 5yrs. If your only getting good egg production for 6-12 months. Something is wrong.
I have no idea about any of this, and I love to learn new things.
Here is my question.
Does the time of year affect egg laying? Say you are in a northern climate with cold winters. Do the egg layers slow down in the winter because it's so cold out? And then do they produce more in warm summer months?
Time of year absolutely. When mine “molt” their egg production goes down like 75%. Also things like thunderstorms, random events like predators(dogs) disturbing them affects egg production. Basically, happy chickens give the best results. Now I’m in Tennessee, so my chicken coop is more designed for warm months. If you’re up north, you would need to invest in a more cold design. Chickens don’t need much tho. They can handle cold weather a lot better than warm weather. And in most situations, heat kills chickens much more than cold weather. Their basic body temperature is like 105 degrees. But if you’re in sub degree temperatures, might need some covered insulated designs, wind blocking openings, etc, and anything that can keep their water from freezing. Low 30’s is fantastic for winter temperatures. They love it. Keeping a chicken acclimated to its environment is important. You don’t want a 50 degree coop, in a 2 degree outside weather. They won’t come out. So if your those kinds temperatures on a regular basis, even 30 degrees may be to high. Go with low 20’s maybe. But keep a fish tank heater in the water.
Windows and openings are ok, but be mindful of location. If they are around the egg nest, seeing leaves drop or bugs flying around will disturb them and could hurt production. That’s their alone time. 😁
Nice puppy pic, but the dog was fourteen months old, and it was stated it was killing chickens. That is what farm folks do to chicken killers and egg suckers.
That said the dog look like a wirehaired pointer, and that is the inbred instinct of a bird dog to go after birds. The dog did not get the training to be disciplined around the chickens, and that is the owner's fault. She should have given the dog to someone that could use it for the purpose it was bred to fill, bird hunting.
You know, this is exactly it. There are people of all sides voicing opinion in this who have ZERO knowledge of farm/ranch life. Not a fucking clue. It takes mega effort to raise hens to the laying stage. 6 months. Thats 6 months of feed, flock management, predator management. Then you have 6-12 months peak egg production. If a dog attacks and kills production birds, That farmer/rancher is out all of that investment, and potential return. A production hen can lay 300 eggs a year. One bird. That is 25 dozen eggs from one bird. How much are farm fresh free range eggs? One bird and the farmer is out at least a few hundred dollars. That sounds crazy, but I raise chickens as a hobby. Its a big deal to lose several. That is why all raccoons need to be eradicated from existence.
My chickens are laying a lot further than 6-12 months. Do you mean free grazers that die due to predators? An egg layer should get you at a minimum of 3 yrs. An average of 4, and close to 5yrs. If your only getting good egg production for 6-12 months. Something is wrong.
I have no idea about any of this, and I love to learn new things.
Here is my question.
Does the time of year affect egg laying? Say you are in a northern climate with cold winters. Do the egg layers slow down in the winter because it's so cold out? And then do they produce more in warm summer months?
Thanks in advance!
Time of year absolutely. When mine “molt” their egg production goes down like 75%. Also things like thunderstorms, random events like predators(dogs) disturbing them affects egg production. Basically, happy chickens give the best results. Now I’m in Tennessee, so my chicken coop is more designed for warm months. If you’re up north, you would need to invest in a more cold design. Chickens don’t need much tho. They can handle cold weather a lot better than warm weather. And in most situations, heat kills chickens much more than cold weather. Their basic body temperature is like 105 degrees. But if you’re in sub degree temperatures, might need some covered insulated designs, wind blocking openings, etc, and anything that can keep their water from freezing. Low 30’s is fantastic for winter temperatures. They love it. Keeping a chicken acclimated to its environment is important. You don’t want a 50 degree coop, in a 2 degree outside weather. They won’t come out. So if your those kinds temperatures on a regular basis, even 30 degrees may be to high. Go with low 20’s maybe. But keep a fish tank heater in the water. Windows and openings are ok, but be mindful of location. If they are around the egg nest, seeing leaves drop or bugs flying around will disturb them and could hurt production. That’s their alone time. 😁