The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: ScotsGirl on February 18, 2013, 08:37:39 am
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I bought 10 hens supposed to be under a year old a week ago. I think one might be laying but no sign if eggs from others. Allowing for time to settle in how long does it Normaly take for them to start laying again? They are all commercial hybrid types.
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When mine have been moved or something else disrupts the laying, normal service is resumed in about 2 weeks.
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Mine were doing fine then the snow came and they gave up. Sun these last few days and the egg yield is creeping up now that they have left the barn and venture outside.
I hope that yours start laying soon and have you have the pleasure of trying to eat 10 eggs a day !!! We give our excess to neighbours and it seems that they return the deed in some way.
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Mine were beginning to pick up and then the snow arrived, and it put them completely off their stroke too. Now I'm down to an egg or two a day, which is ridiculous from 25 or so laying birds( plus their assorted fellas).
It does occur to me that mine need worming, so that might help.
I think yours should settle down in a week or two and begin to lay :chook:
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I have never wormed ours.
Each time I describe the laying activity of our birds to neighbours they always give sensible explanations and share their 80 years of knowledge of "smallholding". I was advised to give them cooked spuds when it was cold and now they tell me to ensure that they leave the barn and go into the garden "to eat grass". I shrug my shoulders but do as I am told because they are generally correct about other things.
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Mine always seem to come back into lay when there is deep snow, but I guess it is the day length, they have been laying for about 2 weeks now.
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A couple of my hens are starting to lay but I've not had much over the winter. I have one laying soft eggs with no shell. They are free range so I can only think the heavy snow affected her.
I should expect yours will pick up with the weather. If there's a chance they are laying elsewhere you could try a ceramic egg in your nesting box.
J xxxx
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Well these poor hens were described as free range but kept in a shed! They have now moved into my garden and I haven't the heart to put them back in field yet. My other hens are only laying around 50% but are several years old hence the new ones.
I have one or two laying either shell less or soft shelled eggs despite grit being available. I wormed last week and apart from changes in weather don't know what else to do. Oh we'll will give them a bit longer.
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If they are commercial hybrids and are less than a year old, then in my experience they would have started to lay before the winter weather set in and should continue for a while yet ...... until they moult. Moving can stop them for a short period, say 2-3 weeks, though.
:fc: that they are the age you were told.
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Our lot just started laying again then we got the blizzards and bitter cold weather so everyone is back on strike !
35 hens/bantams and we are buying eggs ::)
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Mine sometimes have the odd soft shelled egg when they first begin laying or recommence after moulting but consistently soft shelled eggs from the same hen could mean a hiccup in her egg production system and I'd think about culling her. I normally keep only the current year's hatch through their first Winter so they come into lay in late Autumn and lay through the cold weather. I normally have a only handful of exceptionally good ones I keep for a second year and they start laying in earnest once daylight hours lengthen in January.
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Mine started laying, but stopped when it snowed and nothing since. But the ground is very wet and they don't like that, so when it dries out hopefully they'll start up again.
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one of my hatches from last year is not laying - I think its because its just started crowing :eyelashes: