Question about Chickens?

Question

I have seven chickens that are all Hens. No roosters. Two of them are Cochins and the other I don't know what they are. They are the bigger ones. 3 of them are white, 1 is brown, and the other is black with white dots. One of the chochins has been sitting in the coop for a couple days like she's trying to hatch an egg. Is something wrong?

Also does it help promote egg laying to put white rocks about the size of an egg in the nests?

Also what makes them cluck real loud sometimes? Seems like they do it after they lay an egg.

We open the coop during the day and they roam all over then we lock them up at night. We feed them chicken scratch and some pellet food too.

How can I tell what breed the other ones are?
Thanks

Answer 1

My parents used to run a chicken farm and I helped quite a bit, so I think I can help a little here. Without seeing a picture of your hens, your larger white chickens might be White Rocks, the brown one might be a Rhode Island Red and the black & white one might be a Barred Rock. You might be able to look up their pictures on the web...try putting in the words "chicken hatcheries" and see if some pictures come up. The one sitting in the coop might be getting her maternal instincts ready for hatching...which won't happen without a rooster. Putting white rocks in the nest shows the hen where it's safe to lay an egg, and she'll continue to go to that nest to lay her eggs. When they're happy, they cluck. I believe they communicate to each other their satisfaction with where they're living. Sometimes their clucking will sound irritated, which might mean someone is picking on them, stepping on them or disturbing their space in some way. If you take their eggs away, they will cluck at you, complaining that you're invading their nest. They may even fly at you or try to peck you. Just wait for them to get away from the nest before collecting their eggs. Allowing them to roam & scratch is good for them, and will give you good eggs and make for a healthier chicken. We fed ours scratch, ground corn, egg mash and left over bread. If you have any cereal, oatmeal, or rice that the family doesn't finish, feed it to them. If one chicken picks on another one, go to the feed store and get some No-Pick ointment and put it on the sore. It will stop the others from picking the poor thing to death (and they will if you don't stop it). Make sure their yard is fenced in, because there are lots of critters that would love to have a free chicken dinner! Especially neighborhood dogs, who love to chase before they kill. And if any of your chickens come up missing, with no signs of struggle, you might have a hawk in the area. We lost a couple of geese to an owl that got into their house, though the owl didn't carry them away. We also put down ground corn cobs for under their roosts, which was easier to scoop out and haul away to a pile out back. We'd then light the pile on fire, after the chickens were put in for the night. We always used straw for their nests. And always make sure they have lots of water so that their eggs are healthy. Maybe you might want to get a rooster, some time in the future, if you want to raise chicks. We did that too, putting the eggs in an incubator and making sure they hatched without risk from some jealous hen. Hope all this helped you. I'm sure there are places on the web where you can get more information. I'm also speaking from the experiences I had over thirty years ago, so there may be more up to date information by now. You can also talk to a hatchery or feed store and get some help there too. <*)))><

Answer 2

Murry McMurry Hatchery has a very good pictoral catalog. The black and white could be Barred Rock or Silver Laced Wyandot. Most hens will "set" to hatch eggs whether they have eggs to sit on or not. She will not lay during this time (3-4 weeks) and she will be very cranky. The cackling is normal. Can't say one way or the other about the rocks. They should be healthy happy hens with the turnout and feed. Check to make sure they aren't hiding their eggs when they are loose.

Answer 3

I have five Rhode Island reds and five of the black ones with white spots (whatever they are really called). I don't know how else you can identify their breeds other than to get a book about chickens. I know what you mean about the loud noises, I used to use it as my "egg alarm" but they do it at other times too. I don't even know why I'm answering your question since I have no real information to offer you, but I wouldn't worry too much about your chicken who seems to be trying to hatch, maybe she's a little confused. I think everything will be fine. I'm not sure that the white rocks will make much of a difference though, they might just try pecking at them. Check Amazon.com for chicken books perhaps.

Answer 4

its very difficult to tell the breed of the chickens by their colors only,and if you are interested in browsing and finding what breed are they , there is a link,find out yourself. the hen you mentioned is probably making her nest or may be she is 'brooding' a few eggs. i dont have any idea about white rocks,but i have heard the same. they cluck usually after laying an egg,but sometimes they do it b'cause they are excited. and its very good idea to let them roam some part of the day , this make them happy and promotes their health.

Answer 5

The white ones could be any breed, the brown one is most likely a Rhode Island Red (mine always looked brown and they are an extremely common, popular American breed) and the black speckled is an Anacona. ( look for green eggs with her)

I have never had success with fake eggs promoting laying...
You may want to provide a constant light/heat source, that had good results with mine.(to speed up laying)

Another way to get more and bigger eggs is to supplement with grass and greenery clippings as well as bugs! If they have access to these while they are out during the day, good. Otherwise you may want to throw them a handful now and then.

Answer 6

The hen on the egg is simply nesting. She doesn't know she can't hatch eggs. My boss has chickens, and he says they cluck when they lay one as if they are bragging about it. He says it is true that the stones in the nest will promote more egg laying. You can actually buy artificial eggs.

Answer 7

I merely study "Lion Amon adult men" very last week, it really is fantastic by ability of how, and Dorothy unravels the secret of the fowl in a way that made me giggle out loud in a room by ability of myself. in reality, she explains once and for all why the fowl crossed the line. The Lion asks, "Then what got here about?" "properly, Uncle Henry broke his neck, and Auntie Em cooked him right into a stew, and that i cried and cried. yet I actually could confess, he did style particularly reliable." *properly, it ought to were funnier in the unique Klingon...

Answer 8

I don't know about the breed but,you really need a rooster for them :)

Answer 9

try the message board at www.cockatielcottage.net they answer all bird questions