The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: littlechick on January 28, 2011, 12:59:22 pm
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Hiya
My light sussex and blue marran that I bought last May (they were 19 weeks then) they both produced two eggs a day until November when they were both in Moult ::) so knew then that my egg days were on hold!
Now they finished moult through december (now with full beautiful feathers!) But they still are not laying :-\
They look really well and both are eating well and even with the meal worm they still will not give me some eggies!
Is this normal around this time of year?
Will they lay again :'(
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yes, it's normal and yes they will lay again - in their own time! ;D
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All is well. Your girls will start to lay again.
:chook: :farmer:
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As of three days ago I'm getting three eggs a day from 7 layers, from absolutely zilch for the last month and only the occasional one before that. My two youngsters may start soon, and I have one passenger - but as she's called Lucky she can stay as long as she likes. ;) ;D ;D
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FEW! :D
I hope they lay soon then... I resent buying them from the shop (and they are not earning their keep ::)) good job I love them ;D
Wow would love more than two.. 7 seems like a good number! ;)
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FEW! :D
I hope they lay soon then... I resent buying them from the shop (and they are not earning their keep ::)) good job I love them ;D
Wow would love more than two.. 7 seems like a good number! ;)
I've got 10 - 3 Light Sussex as well, but I don't think they are laying yet. It's the ex batts that are doing the job! ;D ;D ;D
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mine have started again about 3 weeks ago but it might depend on the breed too how long their break is. And on the individual, lol. the ducks will not start before February. :chook: :&>
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My LS have been going steadily all winter, but the Marans always stop Nov-Feb (ish) I've started getting the odd Marans egg now again but only one a week (from 4 hens).
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i have 11 hens and am getting 1 - 3 eggs a day at present. to be fair, 5 of them haven't started laying yet, i think they have delayed their pol because of the winter, they should have started laying about 2 months ago.
i love having them all around, even if their not too productive right now.
spring is just around the corner now!
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And you don't just want them to be laying machines. Unless they have a real problem I think they live longer if they don't get forced to lay, e.g. with light in the dark season. :chook: :&>
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My ducks stopped laying on the shortest day and are still in moult. Bantams stopped about end of November but started again on 2nd Jan which suprised me, have had an egg a day or everyother day, then 2 per day and am now up to 3 per day, one of my chickens fell in the pond on Wed and drowned and I knew she was a layer but obviously the others are coming in now, judging by the amount of jumping on my cockerel(s) do they are certainly ready.
NB, If I dont sell a couple of trios within the next couple of weeks, there will be only one cockerel, just have to decide who will be the lucky boy!
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My 12 layers were producing a pathetic 1 to 3 eggs a day at the start of the winter (ie: nights drawing in). Saw from a post on this site that some keepers were giving warm porridge to their hens in the cold weather - so I started to give them around 400grams of porridge oats, mixed with hot water between the 12 of them and the cockerel (let it cool a bit first obviously!!), in addition to their usual feed. I also changed their feed from layers pellets to layers mash at the same time - low and behold - within days the egg production shot up to 4, 5 then 6 then 7 and now usually 8 to 10 eggs a day. Not sure whether its the change from pellets to mash or the porridge or both! But it worked!!! :D
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Porridge! :D wow we have that for breakfast every morning! I shall give it ago ;)
Thank you everyone, and I don't see them as laying machines... its just nice when they are laying ;)
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I didn't mean you, littlechick ;), that was a general "you" ! :) :) :&>
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:D thats ok !
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my girls love porridge when its cold, :wave:
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I will give this ago tomorrow! ;D :chook:
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Cold hens need more food, hot mash in the mornings, corn in the hopper, the sometimes supper = lots of eggs !! Its nice to talk to them but they cant just be pets !!!
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Pure breeds will lay less than crosses or hybrids. Light is the reason why they stop, not temperature per se. Although it probably has an influence too.
I find that in their first winter they lay steadily through without any additional light, but then for their second and any later ones, light to extend the day for them helps. I don't change their food other than to give mixed corn (incl maize) in the afternoons in winter, and just wheat (and less of it) during the summer. Mine have layed through minus 20 this winter, and are in their third winter! The pullets started to lay on Dec 22nd....
Most of mine are crosses by now, initially we had pure RIRs and Lt Ssxs (utility strain), but Maran cockerels and now Lt SSx have changed that...
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Our 6 girls dropped production to just 1 or 2 from November but are now back up to 3 or 4, possibly more as I discovered a large cache of eggs in a reedy corner of the garden this morning, so someone's been laying al fresco.
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I discovered a large cache of eggs in a reedy corner of the garden this morning, so someone's been laying al fresco.
I never found any hens eggs outside yet, must check! The ducks are always having it on once they go broody, it's always Easter here once they start laying ::) :&>
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You should look, Kerstin - I often find eggs lying outside- usually on a few scraps of twig or straw. And my window cleaner found some empty shells in the gutters when he was cleaning them out, so obviously I haven't been quick enough in picking them up and the magpies have had them. ::) ::)
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Well the Marran is laying! ;D and they both LOVE the porridge!
We always talk to them, they are apart of our family :chook:
I have never seen any eggies outside the shed though, wouldn't surprise me if the started to in summer when they have a longer 'free range' :D
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my girls lay in the bushes round the pond they have 2 nests, think it depends on the mood of the first layer of the day which nest is going to be used, they never lay in there housey :wave:
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I discovered a large cache of eggs in a reedy corner of the garden this morning, so someone's been laying al fresco.
I never found any hens eggs outside yet, must check! The ducks are always having it on once they go broody, it's always Easter here once they start laying ::) :&>
One end of our garden is quite heavily overgrown with rushes and it was in here that the Kunes had found them. There were perhaps as many as two dozen eggs - they were pretty smelly, so smelly in fact that I paid the kids a pound each to collect and bin them for me :)
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I'll probably find a few duck egg nests from last year once I really start tidying up! I found one of the hens' eggs a few times just outside their house, she must have put it there because Top Hen was in the nesting box! I'm glad we are not really plagued by magpies as yet although last year I saw some first time ever around here. :&>