The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: lindaball1961@gmail.com on November 27, 2014, 08:58:47 am
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Hi folks. Has anyone out there got any hens that are still laying? I've got 3 RIR and 2 marans hens in their first years' lay and I'm still getting 2-3 eggs a day. I would have expected them to stop by now (not that I'm complaining!!) I'm not using artificial light or anything. When would one expect the girls to stop for the winter? Cheers-Linda
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My 29 young hens are laying about 25 a day and the older 40 are laying about 20. We don't light them so I'm pretty amazed. And delighted :thumbsup:
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mine are doing well also, plus my young pullets have started laying. I know its daylight driven but weather plays a part IMO and the weather hasn't been too bad as yet.
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My pullets haven't come into lay yet :-\ not had an egg out of my girls in months lol
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Yep, still laying as are our ducks! Our guys are all completely free range.
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Yep, still laying as are our ducks! Our guys are all completely free range.
Ours would be fox food :(
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Yea I regularly have hens laying eggs over the winter, however this winter they have stopped, they moulted and then they have now stopped laying, even though am giving them layers pellets. The other hens I have will probably start to lay next year, because I bought them as young hens this year.
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Yep, still laying as are our ducks! Our guys are all completely free range.
Ours would be fox food :(
The chickens put them selves to bed in a barn with a big perch, usually see them in the yard around 7am, I do shut the ducks away at night though, lost one as she had started going down to the river and sleeping out! Plenty of wildlife consumed in our woods - heron, birds, bits of lambs a few months ago, I don't think they need to come to us for a meal/killing spree! We've 5 dogs running about so I think they stay away for various reasons,so far anyway!
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Yep, still laying as are our ducks! Our guys are all completely free range.
Ours would be fox food :(
The chickens put them selves to bed in a barn with a big perch, usually see them in the yard around 7am, I do shut the ducks away at night though, lost one as she had started going down to the river and sleeping out! Plenty of wildlife consumed in our woods - heron, birds, bits of lambs a few months ago, I don't think they need to come to us for a meal/killing spree! We've 5 dogs running about so I think they stay away for various reasons,so far anyway!
dogs can be a problem too, I remember not so long ago one of my dogs started trying and succeeding biting the chickens, I got so angry that I sold him. I don't really have problems with foxes, even still I do put the chickens in their house before it goes dark and wait until an hour after it goes light to let them out, because you don't know were foxes could be lurking.
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Ours are more likely to get trampled by deer!
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Mine are let out at first light and free range all day. They put themselves to bed and I shut them up as soon as they are in. I'm paranoid about foxes but, touch wood, no problems as yet! My husband has 3 ferrets (in secure runs!!) and we have 3 large dogs running about so presumably this is something of a deterrent.
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I have the same regime and am getting one egg a day from a youngster and no duck eggs at all. Foxes abound here, and I lost all my lovely tame birds, so i'm not taking that chance again!
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All of the older hens have now stopped for moult/winter. The last Araucana who came into lay before Christmas last year has just stopped within the last week so she did brilliantly (and is now very moulty!). Mind you the buff Orps stopped in about July time. Grrr. Some of the first of the year's hatch started and stopped again (still battling red mite in their house so that might have an impact), now the Easter hatch has just started and I don't think the early July hatch will start until January time.
Oh, and one duck is still going.
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i have 12 hens and i am getting 2 eggs a day keeps them ticking away
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Mine have all but stopped but then most are the same age so they are all moulting together. At least my LS have started up again. Nothing at all from the welsummers but I think they just give up over winter which is fine by me as it means they lay their best eggs in the breeding season when everything is clean and dry.
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My 3 hybrids are still laying 2 eggs per day - in their 3rd winter, I'm astonished! (they have never stopped except the one that went broody). The 3 new pullets (1 cream legbar, 2 barnevelders) are not laying yet. All free range.
It will be interesting to see if the non-hybrid birds take a break next winter