Allow Hens to Lay Eggs on Lawn Tiles

[Badgirl 115]

As it is now, hens can only lay eggs on grass or dirt tiles. Grass makes it so you can barely see the hen, eggs, or any chicks that may have hatched. Dirt is just plain ugly in a pen.

Lawn looks much better and doesn't obstruct the view of the animals. This minor change would make a lot of chicken farmers happy

[KunAlt 844]

+1

[Aaron_IRL 256]

How about hens living past aged, or a better chance at eggs actually hatching?  I just recently got into the idea of having chickens because we started seeing them spawn on the island.  I made a 3x3 pen area, fed them well, and was getting eggs pretty consistently.  None of them have hatched.  Will they not hatch on lawn?  I moved them to lawn to hatch so I could see them.  Either way, when this last hen of 4 dies, I am out of the chicken business.  They also seem to eat a lot, and get diseased easily.

[Roseborgne 13]

+ 1.. I so agree, it's so hard to look for little yellow chicks on grass tiles..

[Badgirl 115]

How about hens living past aged, or a better chance at eggs actually hatching?  I just recently got into the idea of having chickens because we started seeing them spawn on the island.  I made a 3x3 pen area, fed them well, and was getting eggs pretty consistently.  None of them have hatched.  Will they not hatch on lawn?  I moved them to lawn to hatch so I could see them.  Either way, when this last hen of 4 dies, I am out of the chicken business.  They also seem to eat a lot, and get diseased easily.

 

I started with 8 hens and I'm down to 3. They all died at aged too. I have them single in 1x1 pens to make sure they eat because they don't move around much in a bigger pen and therefore will starve easily.

Roosters on the other hand live a long time without even being fed. I have 3 that i let loose on my deed that  I never feed. They seem to feed themselves.

[Klaa 4,872]

Hens should be able to lay on any tile, not sure on Mycelium.

 

Heck floors too for that matter, as long as the hens are fed.

[Jibberish 410]

not sure on Mycelium.

If they can be corrupted, why not?

+1, don't keep chickens anymore but for those that do this would be useful.

[LorraineJ 1,099]

+1 for at least lawn, and I'd love if they could lay on paved tiles.

 

I am not sure if they lay viable eggs if they don't have a rooster nearby. I always thought not, but then someone said they could. Does anyone have live eggs without a rooster? Also, someone said they only lay eggs that hatch if you feed them seeds, but a friend claims they lay eggs for him with mixed grass, and barley. I think they might not lay if you give them rice, but I never followed out an experiment for sure.

 

And that is BECAUSE, I need to fence them into pairs. I had requested this months and months ago, and many people agreed, I hope again it could be considered. I wish there were little low fences that only chickens/roosters, pheasants, and pigs could not cross. It's so ugly to build 1x1 super tall fences just to keep these small animals corralled. Those low roundpole fences are so lovely, something like that would be great.

[Mynnah 15]

I have mine on fields (wemp/cotton/whatevertakesmyfancy) and I drop 10 ea seeds (mix cotton/wemp) 10 grass & 10 corn (corn to fatten them up).  I have had regular egg laying and have successfully had 4 eggs hatch so far.

I don't know which is the best combo for the laying but I drop every day & freshen up their food as I tend to the tiles.  I didn't have any roosters to begin with, 2 have hatched so far and have had no change/impact to the process.  I keep 1 hen per tile (but I already have defined pens so it's no issue).  Alliance friends keep hatching roosters  but drop similar food items to me.

 

Good luck.

[Kagrenac 812]

Pretty sure they can lay eggs anywhere.

[Badgirl 115]

Pretty sure they can lay eggs anywhere.

 

nope, I used to have packed dirt in my pens and never got a single egg. After I cultivated them into dirt tiles they started laying.

[Kagrenac 812]

nope, I used to have packed dirt in my pens and never got a single egg. After I cultivated them into dirt tiles they started laying.

Have had them lay on packed/crops/steppe/myc, and have found an egg on rock.

[LorraineJ 1,099]

I have mine on packed dirt, and they lay eggs that hatch. They've also laid good eggs on crops, unpacked dirt, and grass. They totally stopped laying when I tried them on lawn, marble pavement, and magic grass. I've never tried sand or rock or mycelium. As I understand it, it has to be natural tile. I'm interested to hear of anyone that gets hatching eggs on pavement/lawn/etc., and people who get hatching eggs without roosters.

[bwg 537]

How about a new fc item, Chicken coop.  Chickens may lay on any tile adjacent to a chicken coop.

[Mynnah 15]

I have mine on fields (wemp/cotton/whatevertakesmyfancy) and I drop 10 ea seeds (mix cotton/wemp) 10 grass & 10 corn (corn to fatten them up).  I have had regular egg laying and have successfully had 4 eggs hatch so far.

I don't know which is the best combo for the laying but I drop every day & freshen up their food as I tend to the tiles.  I didn't have any roosters to begin with, 2 have hatched so far and have had no change/impact to the process.  I keep 1 hen per tile (but I already have defined pens so it's no issue).  Alliance friends keep hatching roosters  but drop similar food items to me.

 

Good luck.

 

 

I have mine on packed dirt, and they lay eggs that hatch. They've also laid good eggs on crops, unpacked dirt, and grass. They totally stopped laying when I tried them on lawn, marble pavement, and magic grass. I've never tried sand or rock or mycelium. As I understand it, it has to be natural tile. I'm interested to hear of anyone that gets hatching eggs on pavement/lawn/etc., and people who get hatching eggs without roosters.

 

LorraineJ, I had mine hatch before I had roosters, I've since hatched 2 roosters & 2 hens.  

 

 

edit:

 

bwg, on 25 Sept 2014 - 7:47 PM, said:

How about a new fc item, Chicken coop.  Chickens may lay on any tile adjacent to a chicken coop.

 

 

I've asked for this previously, as have a few in the ideas section, am hoping that it is in the works.    Along with food bowls so can drop plenty of food down for the animals and have a slower decay rate.  

Edited September 25, 2014 by Mynnah

[LorraineJ 1,099]

A chicken coop or bowls that could hold food, and broadcast that food is available without having to have them all converge together next to the feeder would be great. They get sick too easily with three on a tile. That's why I really would love the low fences to space them apart.

[Kegan 3,926]

I would say use them as the first experiment with a barn like structure. I think i remember that the FSB was originally meant to be a chicken coop but i guess it changed into the food storage bin. I would like to just see a maybe a four tile structure with a coop and a small pen area  you could lead the check to the coop and load it into the coop and the pen would show more chickens as you go. 

 

I guess you would just go collect the eggs and if you wanted to butcher the chickens themselves. Kind of what they have in ATITD for sheep and camels if you have ever played that game.  

 

Edit: Oh and bump.. i am working on my chicken area for my deed tonight, lol

Edited September 30, 2014 by Kegan

[Zorky 14]

I get eggs on lawn, crops, wemp and grass. Dropping some corn/potatoes or grain, even enough mixed grass will hold them fed up.

Roosters don't hurt, we have hens together with roosters in larger pens, they can run around and pick up their food from several tiles. Even my hens on GV are laying 1-2 eggs/day. Sadly they'll mostly die when getting aged.

But the cared for venerable fat hens are sitting there about 2+ years now