[twizzel]

My girls went off lay from October this year and drastically reduced production as can be expected. We had a badger attack 2 weeks ago and I lost a good 6 or 7 hens bring my brown hen (ex free range layers) numbers down to 16, plus 3 old light sussex   


From those hens we've had 3 or 4 eggs a day so not too bad, but today we are up to 8!    My ducks have started laying too... so I've had a duck egg for the last 3 days on the trot.


On Saturday night I picked up 20 ex free range hens from a farmer friend and had 8 eggs yesterday and 16 today... so I've gone from having no blooming eggs to them coming out of my ears! I expect these new girls will drop in production though, I think they are still on their artificial light timetable, and they need to moult too.


Has anyone else's hens picked up in the last week or so?

[lord flynn]

yes, finally plus a couple of pullets have just come into lay as well.

[john and helen]

i get 2 hen eggs from 4 hens a day and looks like the duck has started to give me 1 a day (got my 2nd one today)

[Marches Farmer]

Should start to pick up steadily after the 21st.

[Steph Hen]

Yeah, mine came back into lay about 10 days ago. 

[Bionic]

Out of 6 I have a couple laying now. My ducks were bought about 3 months ago. I have never thought of checking for duck eggs though. Pehaps I will have a peek tomorrow.

[Womble]

 
What's an egg?   

[bloomer]

we are on 1 egg a day currently between our 2 laying birds, i'm still patiently waiting for my july hatched marans and cream legbars to decide they want to lay!!!

[madchickenlady]

Have had six eggs per day consistently through the long nights from 18 hens, so am expecting great things soon!! Break out the baking tins! 

[lilfeeb]

I have no eggs at the moment. Hoping they will start again soon.

[ellied]

I have been getting 0-3 a day the last couple weeks, from 20 odd hens, but there are more than 3 with combs reddening and all but a few are done moulting, the chick is now 25 weeks so may start laying any day but I'm not finding enough for the red combs yet despite the garden being easy to inspect for once (leafless), so I may find a stash in the haybarn when I get the last bales out in February

Problem is after a few weeks of having to make do with half a dozen or wait a few days to get even that, my 3-4 regular customers appear to have given up and gone to the shops  so I had 2.5 dozen sitting in the kitchen and yesterday gave one dozen to one of them that WAS still coming in return for taking me to the hospital so no income but the other earlier dozen are now more than 2 weeks old so no income from eggs in the last month at all and just half a dozen saleable IF anyone comes, if not they'll be a gift to next door (another customer) when I go round for my annual glass of mulled wine on 24th which is the total extent of my "festiveness" capacity.

Could be time to start baking quiches again but I still can't face another egg after the summer so will have to take something out the freezer and put quiches in instead..

[twizzel]

I've got mince pies, sausage rolls to bake and my regular customers will be dead chuffed they are coming back into lay, so no problems getting rid of eggs 

[Stereo]

Our rhode red and mongrel pullets have just come into lay so lots of pullet eggs. Sussex seem to think winter is over as well so we are flying here. I suspect a cold snap might change things though.

[Backinwellies]

....... my OH is still not convinced hens or ducks lay eggs at all!!!    ......... come on girls give him a surprise for Christmas!