[Annie22]

My Aruacana hen has just laid her first egg, I was getting a bit worried about her as she is almost a year old and all the other hens have been laying for about 6 months now.

[Fleecewife]

I don't know why she took so long to start laying, but aren't the eggs a beautiful colour?  I keep a few Columbines which are half Araucana and they lay the same blue eggs.

[Annie22]

I don't know why either, probably interbred from the people I bought her off, I know she has just started laying because it is a nice pullet sized egg, but she is laying now while the others have stopped, it's winter here now so won't expect many eggs until later in July when the days start getting longer.  I thought as the others had started laying I would be over the excitement but obviously not. 

[little blue]

[Fleecewife]

Hi Annie22.  Maybe your hen is a closet Brit and is jolly well going to lay when the rest of the top half of the world lays 

[Annie22]

Well she has laid three days in a row, so I think you might be right Fleece.  Actually some of the others have started laying on the odd day.  Our older hen "Ducky"  Always stopped laying around May and started up again in July until she stopped laying completely.  I think they are getting close to "breeding" season as our roosters are starting to take a dislike to each other.  George are Welsummer is kept seperate with Mildred, he is smart and while they are all free ranging avoids the other roosters.  That will all change soon they are going to have their own chicken breed sections when our sow is moved on the weekend, as they will be going into her paddock which was set up for chickens but has had goats the odd steer and now May the sow, so finally it is going to house the chickens, the chickens have good housing just not in their area.