[dyedinthewool]

Up to 19 today from about 40 hens. I know that some of them are far too old to lay but haven't the heart to have a cull.

I know the feeling Daisys Mum.  I've several Orpingtons that really should go but I haven't the heart to cull them as they were my first hens.
I'm getting about 4 eggs a day from 17 hens including the  6 Orpys and 6 eggs a day from 8 new POL Isa browns.

[Stereo]

I think the lesson we learned early on is to choose which hens are your pets and accept that you will feed them into dotage. We've got 7 or so that won't go ever until the croak. The rest we plan to move on while they are still viable.  I think if you leave it too late you may have a problem.

We did buy 20 ex organic layers from my local producer which turned out to be mad, stary eyed, egg eating loons. The few eggs we did get had shells like paper. They were just done. I put them on preloved for free and they went within a day to one guy. I made it pretty clear that they were not too good and would understand if he wanted them for meat but he was adamant he wanted them as layers.  Not sure if he was just trying to make me feel better and I suspect that chicken curry was on special that night.   

[lord flynn]

its different if you are breeding them as well, I have a couple of good layers I wouldn't breed from again and a couple of poorer (but still respectable) that I will-they both have a place. All bar one of my hybrids snuffed it this year, the last one I'll cull next autumn if she's still about (she'll be 3). some will have to go to make room for ones I'll breed in 2014. Its worth having a couple of older hens about to teach the young'uns.


I've gone from having to buy some eggs week before last (I have 11 hens, 4 pullets) to having too many for personal consumption in the last week-and they aren't all in lay yet. am starting to think about breeding pens-was tempted to sell the cockerel (I have his dad) but get far more attached to the boys than the girls!

[northfifeduckling]

no eggs at all for the last 10 days or so, feeding 30 birds for nothing 

[madchickenlady]

Currently averaging 8-10 from 18 hens but one is an old hen recently homed with me as she was on her own, four bantams who are about three one is laying rest are poor layers at best preferring to be broody, just had one of them come off brood, must be the relatively mild weather! My three year old Amber lays nice big eggs most days and has done consistently from the start, most of my POL bought back end of last year are laying, bit hit and miss with my May hatchlings. I am currently trying to work out if the green egg I am getting is from a bought Heritage blue POL or my hatched Lavender Arucanna! Any ideas? Had a good winter really with enough eggs to see me through and some to give away as well, so I's a happy  !

[ellied]

Now there is a little more daylight I'm getting 3-4 a day (from 20) but had a week without any until I found a dozen in the hay barn so my few remaining customers appear to have gone to supermarkets as I've suddenly got 2 dozen dated eggs sitting unsold     

The one and only homebred chick has just started laying and already laid her first 5 eggs in 8 days which is nice - they're not that big and I initially thought the cream egg laying bantie was back in lay but no, I caught "chick" this morning practising a rather strange strangled postlaying singsong! 

One of the Sussex, the BR and one buff hen with a dark red head/neck are the ones I know are definitely producing, the RIR that had the bad wing has apparently started moult for the 2nd time in a year but the rest all now pretty much feathered up and looking good.  Some probably won't lay much, I got most of them a year ago and was told they were all at least 2 if not 3yo then so there will be a fair few 4 years old and my originals and the BHWT girls that are left are also well over 3. 

[suziequeue]

We are getting between 4 and 7 eggs a day from 27 but three are cockerels and at least seven are still too young really and the bantams isn't laying - so 4 - 7 eggs from 16….. I'm happy with that.

[bloomer]

what's an egg???

[devonlad]

From the 2-3 we were getting throughout most of October November and December our 10 hens have suddenly started going for it and we've had 5 for several days now. May be 2014 is a good year for eggs

[Kitchen Cottage]

2 eggs from 7 chooks... one of which is a cockerel but I have no chance of fertilised eggs because he's 1/4 size of the hens. 

1 egg is from Emily, my six year old hen, she puts the rest to shame! xx

[hughesy]

Things are starting to look up here. After a bit of culling and parting with a few birds we're down to 20 hens and haven't had many eggs at all for a while. The last few days we've had 4 a day. Hopefully they'll be back into full swing by the end of the month. Last year I had eggs in the incubator mid january.

[Mays]

I have 10 hens for this season, and 7 are laying

The incy is full, and I did a wee bit of candling last night, the are running at 90% fertile which I am delighted with, especially at this time of year.

and as a little bonus one of the silkie hens decided to start sitting, and has been sat tight not for over a week, so she is sitting on 6 eggs too 

I'm running on only two breeds this year; the Barred Wyandotte Bantam, and small fluffy purebred Silkies - a White cockerel, a white hen and a black hen... so I am not sure what colours I can expect from them, as they were a rescued trio and didn't have any history with them

[northfifeduckling]

1st post-moult egg today 

[suziequeue]

We're now up to eight today :-))

[kipper]

Ive had nothing for weeks then the last 10 days 2 or 3 a day from 10 hens .
Went out today to 8 eggs  so well chuffed.Still nothing from my 2 ducks though