Author Topic: Vorwerk chickens (Read 2288 times)

waterbuffalofarmer · « **on:** November 23, 2016, 03:27:07 pm »

I was reading recently that Vorwerk chickens lay throughout the winter. I have been looking at getting some especially for that purpose, however my only concern is that their egg numbers are quite low. Can anyone make any suggestions as to whether there are other breeds besides these who lay throughout the winter and have a higher percentage?
Many thanks

macgro7 · « **Reply #1 on:** November 23, 2016, 03:41:08 pm »

To be honest all breeds will lay as long as you give them extra light.
I wanna do that with my ones as they stopped laying for now.
They say dorking lay well through the winter.
The only hen I had which kept laying all the way through the winter (only stopped for about two weeks!!!) Was white commercial leghorn. She was fantastic! I wish I had more of them lol
And the thing is she kept laying without any artificial light at all!

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #2 on:** November 23, 2016, 05:12:55 pm »

I raise mostly rare breed large soft-feathered fowl and find that if I time it right the first hatch of the year will start laying about now and carry on until they moult the following summer. I don't set eggs until lambing's finished, though, so if we decide to lamb late it doesn't work out. We keep birds for only 18 months then sell them on, as we find young birds cope best with our exposed hilltop. I prefer not to give additional light.

Bramham Wiltshire Horns · « **Reply #3 on:** November 24, 2016, 10:14:18 am »

i let my hens rest over winter and believe it prolongs the life of the bird and egg laying abilities (all though i dont have the reasearch to prove this)
i had some ehgg laying birds that with a mixed flock of pure breds and they where still laying 5 eggs a week so beleive the rest of winter did them good

i have some IG x LS HENS and some young coucou de renne none of which have started laying as yet but hoping after xmas they will start throwing them out