How I solved my egg laying crisis

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[@Sam_win58]

Rachel, I just came here after seeing a video from Christina Randall. The HUGE egg shortage isn't just from bird flu. The farmers are saying it's something in the feed. If you buy commercial feed from tractor supply, try feeding them non-commercial or table scraps. If they're eating their own eggs, then they aren't getting the right nutrients. Chickens everywhere have stopped laying because of the commercial feed.

[@Sconniegal]

Can’t wait to watch videos of the expanding Senza Farm! 😊

[@jessicaneff2205]

I must confess I don't know anything about chickens 😂 but I wanted to come watch & support! Your videos are always so informative. I hope you're having a good day!

[@wildpuffalumps]

Ok weird my comment was deleted, all I said was that hens like a dark nesting box that’s why they all like the corner box, it’s dark and in the corner the rest are open. You could try the roll-away nesting box’s the egg rolls into a container so the chickens can’t get to them. Hth. Btw that Brahma rooster is gorgeous!

[@knixiepixie]

This! That’s what my grandparents used, super helpful.

[@Jamesriverpockets]

It wasn't deleted most likely for some reason it got held by KZbin sometimes KZbin arbitrarily holds comments for review

[@EchosJourney]

A friend has the milk crates stacked with straw and she gets a lot of broody chickens. Sounds exciting about the cattle.

[@carmelrose6327]

Can't wait the new cattle videos 🐮🐄🐮. That going to be a new adventure. Great job on getting the lavender roster the boot for now.

[@helengarrett6378]

Not like lions, Rachel. Take some calcium tablets and crush them in into powder and sprinkle the food. If laying picks up that's it. See if calcium helps. Some chickens are just that way and eat eggs no matter what you do Besides, it's winter and the light levels affect egg laying. Definitely give chickens scraps and green stuff like half wilted things and lettuce, kale, left over vegetable stuff. They like green stuff and veggies. They like privacy and dark places. Also, you might also look in corners and hiding places they might make a nest outside of boxes. They can be sneaky. You are going to need hay and fencing. You will need not just fencing but electric fencing. Cattle are STRONG.

[@stephs9869]

In New Zealand we have recently banned caged eggs so now we have an egg shortage because a lot of the suppliers didn't switch to free range so I'm very jealous of your egg production right now 😄

[@titanicgirl774]

What does NZ classify as caged eggs?

[@stephs9869]

@rosie2112 at this stage it's hens kept in battery cages, I predict further changes will be made later down the track for the colony kept hens etc

[@TASIAawful1]

That’s great news

[@titanicgirl774]

@@stephs9869 thank you for your response!

[@amandamason6699]

Glad you caught him in the act saves time watching and waiting 😀Chickens definitely like dark spaces to lay. There’s a que at the bathroom 😂

[@tamekadavis544]

Not the Missy Elliott throwing it back.🤣

[@infidel3162]

You sound exhausted . Great idea with some cattle. Butler kennel Rottweilers also raises chickens and cattle and he feeds his dogs raw meat aswell as dryfood. So I would say go for it. Dogs do love the meats like we do. Im glad your little farm is working out. Hopefully the kennel permit goes through with no issues. 2023 will be good for you

[@deisimelchor]

She must be feeling good!! I imagine her holding it in like when someone is holding in to use the restroom I bet she feel so much better lol

[@johnkrupnik8717]

Also you need some roosting poles in there for them

[@s4medlyn]

The best food for chickens is what you grow for them in your garden and rabbit's.

[@TASIAawful1]

The chickens are so beautiful 😍 especially the roosters they are all dear little souls. I would love to own chickens but it will never happen for me it’s lovely to see yours Rachel

[@helengarrett6378]

If you were ever pecked and flown at by one of those dear little souls you might change your mind. Roosters and even chickens are like minidinasaurs. They can come at you!

[@dawnhart608]

💖💖💖💖

[@targetsunshine6060]

Whew! All these chickens!!! Nirvana “ a baby? Naw I’m not a baby I’m the Princess Lioness!” Preacher looked up like oh you see me 🤣😂🤣😂

[@dawoof5119]

maybe the hens like that one nest cause it looks more protected with the other box as a roof

[@marywilson1442]

Hi Rachel, I must say you do have some beautiful chickens in there. I wonder if that chicken is throwing the hay on her back because she might have lice. I don't see anywhere in there for them to take a dust bath. They like to roll in the dirt to keep the the lice and other parasites off. Also the ash from your fireplace they love that. You know you just got to make sure there's no hot ash in there of course. If you've got a place that you're dumping your ash just go scoop some of that up once it's cold and put it in there for them and they'll love it... Also I was wondering why you don't build a run off of your hen house. You can get something like what your tropical birds use when their outside. You could get something kind of like that with a roof on it so they can go outside also.. or make a run out of some of those dog panels that you have and then put wire over-the-top really easy to tie down with some metal tie wraps.. put them a dust pit out there and they'll be in chicken heaven 🐓🐣🐔🐤🐓🐥. Also are you giving them calcium you know like the oyster shells or something like that✌️

[@ParkerPeachesAnthemLights14]

My rooster for some reason loves empty nest boxes. He goes in makes a nest and just sits. It’s so weird, but he’s never gone for the eggs. My hens also have a box preference as well. It’s so funny because half the time 2 of them will cram into one box. I’m always just annoyed because there’s 6 other boxes plus a whole coop they can lay in.

[@toniodee7814]

It’s funny you post this video because earlier when I was waiting while getting new breaks on my car, I thought “hmmm Rachel hasn’t posted on life of senza in awhile” and oddly enough I also thought about your chicken videos. This is the honest to God truth. That was a nice shot of the preacher man giving kubo some discipline. They’re out there looking like two handsome panthers. Princess lioness with a guest appearance as well 😭. Nirvana is so pretty, man. I love when she makes that sad/submissive facial expression that she made at the 13:23 mark lol. She always look so sweet when she make that face. It’s interesting to see your hens have a waiting que on going in and laying. That was huge egg she laid by the way. Definitely looked bigger than what I expected. “Not the missy elliot throwing it back either” cracked me up 😂💀. Thanks for the upload.

[@erikarichardson]

They often start eating eggs if their calcium is low.

[@danielwagner6290]

I don't see a container of oyster shell grit in your coop...

[@kirkmo1666]

Thanks for sharing Rachel. Your voice impressions are hilarious.

[@vimalgeorgenobi4794]

Hi Rachel, I used to have chickens before, and I know some of their behaviors, so from what I understand, I think the rooster was only showing the hen a good place to lay the egg. Roosters usually do that. And they may even sit inside the nesting box until the hen finish laying or they may guard in front of the nest box and wait for the hen to come out. But , what I said was the normal behavior, but this cannot prove that the rooster could not have been the one eating the eggs. To find that out, you will have to watch them and see who is the one that starts pecking at egg.

[@fredjackson3736]

not sure if you had those baskets last spring and summer but, I would think the reason you aren't getting broody hens at the moment is because of the time of year not because of the trays you have given them. That being said I wouldn't recommend the current setup for raising chicks anyway as if the chicks fell off they wouldn't be able to get back up under the hen. Hope this is helpful and all is well on your homestead.

[@danielwagner6290]

Chickens eat eggs for a few reasons. No.1 reason - they need more protein or calcium in their diet. Than there is boredom, habit or just likes eggs. Sometimes the prettiest chickens are the worst chickens and you must get rid of them if you can't make them stop.

[@ang3linwond3rland73]

Just curious and forgive me if you have said anything about it but have you tried to use oyster shell supplements? My grandma had chickens for years, and while a handful of hens were just nasty egg layers (lol) she usually found it happened more if they didn't have the supplemental oyster shell. She would always keep a long trough of it for them, and I remember them all literally fighting to get to it first if it got low.

[@melodia112]

Do you use hen roost (roosting bar) for your chickens? I don't know what it is correctly called, but it is a wooden stick, that is attached horizontally in a corner for example, where chickens can sleep at night therefore they poop in one place. In my country, every chicken coop has that. Keeps them warmer in winter and at night.

[@helengarrett6378]

Roosting bars also keep chicken feet healthy. They can get bumblefoot and roosting on a round perch that has no splinters is good for their feetsies.

[@Night-ud4ew]

Yep!! Our chickens have roost bars too. We even used a raised garden platform bed (not in use rn) as an outside raised platform area for the girls while snow's on the ground.

[@kylierappley4993]

My friend gives there chickens cooked eggs and even chicken, they'll eat bout anything.

[@titanicgirl774]

Have you thought about hanging pieces of fruit or corn cobs to give the chickens something to do? Might keep the rooster(s) distracted from the eggs.

[@bettaaesthetics7791]

After having chickens, is there a breed that you would recommend for egg production?

[@karenvanderwall669]

are those baskets just for hens... my son has hens

[@Chrissi966GE]

Is it maybe not enough space for them or are they only temporarily in that stall?

[@kristinakleckaroska3903]

Cows?! That's the hardest animal to keep, raise and feed (from experience). Please first get just one and see how its going, because its a lot of work. I recommend pigs all day every day. They're the easiest to keep, grow up pretty fast and their meat is better. Plus they don't stink like cows do😁

[@helengarrett6378]

Pig you-know-what does so stink! They can tear up the ground rooting around and they are pretty hard to move. Some pigs eat their babies or crush them and it's heartbreaking when a bad momma pig hurts a baby. Most are great mommas and will go after you to protect their piglets. Some have tusks that need to be sawed off too. Every animal has needs and requires work. Moving hay bales for cattle requires a tractor. Rachel isn't going to wrestle a bunch of hay bales for very long before she discovers it will give you a back ache. She doesn't have enough pasture to keep that many cows without overgrazing the land and causing erosion. The cows need to be tamed to milk them and then there is loading them into something to take them to slaughter or if she does it then she needs that Tractor to load the beef for offsite butchering. I wonder if the romance of self sufficiency has caught Rachel up. She's a single woman with a growing daughter who might not want to be a farm hand for a couple more years. Rachel definitely could use help with the kennel. The whelping situation helps but she needs better fencing for the dogs right now without cattle, pigs, goats or horses. I give Rschel lots of credit but she is a single mother! Lots of work already! Think carefully. Rachel. It can be done but she's going to want some help before long. Putting in t-posts and electric wire to contain the cattle is also work. I am not discouraging her but offering some thoughts on planning for expansion into more kinds of animals before the chickens are sorted out and the swimming pool is sorted or filled. The buildings might need some repair too. Maybe a year or so and just a milk cow?

[@Night-ud4ew]

@@helengarrett6378 YES!!! Thank you, I was looking for this comment. You need to repost this on the main video, or either way i hope Rachel sees it. I was thinking "COWS?! That is WAY too much for Rachel to take on any time soon". A few goats would probably work out but Rachel wouldn't be really capable of BREEDING them for...a W H I L E. That's a lot for her and Savannah to be doing! And a BULL?! WHAT THE HECK? There's nOOOOOO way Rachel can handle that. Bull needs to be in a completely different pasture for AT LEAST half the year (almost year round recommended, but at LEAST while calves are calves)

[@johnkrupnik8717]

You know what honey you might have too many roosters with those chickens police roosters with the hens they might produce more eggs for you when rooster is good for like 10 hens that might be the problem also

[@s4medlyn]

I support growing your own food that said that means all your animals you understand ?

[@EchosJourney]

First one yay!

[@michelekellar7817]

?? Will a chicken keep laying one egg after another? Does it take a while between?

[@stephs9869]

They are all different and depends on the environment. Some may be able to do one a day, other maybe a few a week

[@johnkrupnik8717]

You clearly need a better nesting system

[@nicksinyc]

Nirvana is looking ready

[@pamelawitvoet8267]

Don’t forget you’ll get milk from the cows when they give birth to the babies

[@hopecarmickle3374]

OK so I have some questions I’m sorry because I’m trying to learn about chickens cause I really want to be able to have some of my own because I can’t afford to buy groceries in the store anymore and I love animals so what’s the difference between the other eggs in the blue egg and what makes the blue egg special that you only pull that one out and not the others yet and what is so special about the blue egg that makes the other chickens want to eat just those ones??? Hopefully that makes sense and I don’t just sound stupid.

[@kirkmo1666]

Please don't quote me... the blue egg isn't real it's made of some hard substance. It's a decoy to discourage the egg eaters. Lord I pray I didn't miss lead you. Now what I wanted to really say is "I agree with you about those groceries. Here in Houston the prices for eggs are ridiculous.

[@Jamesriverpockets]

I took the only real egg out of there the other ones were all ceramic

[@kirkmo1666]

So liberating when she responds. Isn't it?

[@hopecarmickle3374]

@@Jamesriverpockets so the blue egg is a good egg? Sorry I am just so confused

[@helengarrett6378]

@@hopecarmickle3374 Some kinds of chickens lay bluish, greenish or pinkish eggs. They are kept just for the pretty eggshells. It's a novelty like some kinds of chickens lay brown eggs. They all taste like eggs and look like eggs inside. Keeping chickens well requires a little knowledge. They can get parasites if their coop isn't kept clean enough either by cleaning it out or by covering poop with fresh straw to bury it. It can compost with the straw method then it has to be removed annually which is hard labor. Their water, like any bird, must be kept clean and sometimes the water is where medicine goes if the flock gets parasites. They require grit and sometimes minerals like calcium. They can get bumblefoot which requires care. Chickens have a pecking order and sometimes one chicken gets bullied or roosters get overly involved in their job and can wear out a female. Free range chickens are subject to predation but an enclosed run minimizes that except that sometimes rodents or snakes can get in the smallest spaces. You'd be surprised where predators can get in. It's all about animal husbandry. Research before you get chickens. It can be done well or not so well.

[@tammyelakta7242]

Do u still have the tiny chicken you had a couple months ago

[@Jamesriverpockets]

No

[@GianniAzul3609]

Might it be possible that no one is going in and actually breaking the eggs to eat them but rather eating them after the hen lays them but misses the nest box and they land in the floor? That Brahma hen was facing the wall and she had her tail end toward the ground.

[@deisimelchor]

Will you still be buying the donkey to watch over your chickens and herd ?

[@Lazyspaceout]

You are not the father!!!!