[northfifeduckling]

Does anyone else find that different chickens moult in a completely different way? Mine are all the same breed but the first to go lost all her back feathers and not many others, grew them back in a fortnight and looks like new! The other 2 seem to have been going for weeks and look really scruffy all over, half the size they used to be and they don't appear to grow anything new just yet. I feel so sorry for them  . They all eat the same food. Do they moult every year? I'm sure one of the 2 did last winter, too.

[Rosemary]

My Warrens and Black Rocks in the old flock are moulting - they look awful - like ex-batts. And like yours, they all seem to have a different pattern. Hope they feather up before the cold comes.

[JEP]

the birds that moult all over are supposed to be the best layers
due to start laying again the quickest are birds are mixture of
slow to quick

[ellied]

My RIR (best layer) has started moulting and looks dreadful - meantime 2 of the rescue "freerangers" are now fully feathered and back in lay a third is half there and about equal with her in half brown half white and the wee scrawny one with the damaged neck now has her back covered and is starting to look more like a hen than an oven ready reject but she hasn't new wing feathers as yet

Egg tally went from 3/4 a day from the 4 hybrids to 2-5 and has settled at 3/4 again tho today I got just 1 egg from 8 hens I think that's an unfair swap for the feed so I've told them to sort themselves out a moult rota in future

[northfifeduckling]

it's the time of the year for them to slow down, Ellie, moult or not! We also get 1 of 6, very occasionally 2, the ducks might keep going for another week or 2 but will take a longer break into spring, where I get nothing!

[doganjo]

I had no hens eggs today(from 11) and only 1 duck egg a day for the last week (from 4).  It's the lack of daylight, Ellie.  They need about 12 hours daylight a day to lay I think, might even be 14.   I also have a white run - the LS girls are casting like mad!

[Sylvia]

I have one bantam egg very other day from seventeen hens and banties but three eggs from three Khaki Campbell ducks. When they take a break, the hens will begin again (hopefully )

[Womble]

Yup, it's definitely the time of year. We had to register with DEFRA this week because we hit the 50 bird mark. A bit ironic really, when I can't even fill one egg box per week at the moment!! 

[Izzy]

My chooks are moulting at the moment and the pattern of loss on two of them is very distictive. They have very bald thighs, which makes them look like leggy supermodels in super-short frocks!

[JEP]

 out of 30 hens we got 1 egg a day
wife even had to buy eggs last week

[ellied]

I know they can reduce at this time of year, but the 1 egg day was a 1 off, there have been 3 or 4 every other day the last week and normal service resumed the following day with 4 again so I think the BHWT girls who arrived oven ready have completed "moult" cycle by regrowing and are coming in to lay while of the 4 hybrids, only one is actively moulting and they're in their first winter so may not moult yet if I understand correctly

I currently have more than 2 dozen eggs for sale if anyone is short   3 egg omelette for lunch seems more likely tho, and I may have to think about lemon curd to use up 5 more

[northfifeduckling]

you can freeze them, Ellie, just scramble them and put in a box or bag and you will have some for omelettes, quiches, cakes when the girls have their well deserved rest!

[Laurieston]

In my second year as a chicken keeper I am trying to become a little more scientific with them.

Our older birds are barely laying at the moment, reasons probably as per previous posts on this topic, the young birds, born (hatched?) in Easter have recently started.  However, I noticed our cockerel, Jimmy, has started mating with one of the (last year) bantams again.  I wonder if he knows something which I don't about when his girls are worth spending his 'attention' on.  Something similar happened with the new girls, one was getting his attentions and laying, while another wasn't getting attention or laying.  I noticed him mating with her and the following week she was laying.

Maybe he was saving his... himself... until there was at least the possibility of producing offspring.

Does this mean that we can learn about when our girls are coming into lay, or out of moult. etc., by the way they are treated by our boys?

Laurieston

PS. the Bantams are double laced Barnvelders, sweet, curious, laid pretty much right through the winter and didn't go broody once in the summer.  I'd recommend them.

[doganjo]

And if you are passing any time I'll buy some off you - I have NONE just now.  Even my duckies have stopped! 

[dyedinthewool]

you can freeze them, Ellie, just scramble them and put in a box or bag and you will have some for omelettes, quiches, cakes when the girls have their well deserved rest!

If you use one of those silicone muffin tray (6 hole) they will freeze well and in neat little rounds.  Best to just 'cut' mix with a knife rather than scramble them.  Then pop them out of the silicone and into a poly bag as soon as they have frozen (quick freeze is best)
You can do the same with the whites and yolks - keep them in separate bags though i tend to freeze the 'whole' eggs in twos and the whites and yolks in ones.  i do find the yolks on there own tend to be bitty when defrosted so add a bit of water to mix them, but the whites make good meringues.  Write on the bags what's what...

PS you can defrost them in the micro just do for a couple seconds at a time otherwise youv'e cooked them.