Topic of the Week - Winter Egg Laying

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aart said:
Marans are not stellar layers....a 2 year old bird is not going to be laying in the winter without supplemental lighting, and even then there's no guarantee.
Many different breeds of birds do not lay like clockwork in prime season let alone all year round.
Did she molt this fall?
Is she 30 20 months old....hatched in spring of 2014 correction 20 months and 2015
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Absolute truth. Maran's are fickle. My Maran isn't much of a layer. I can't rely on her. Not especially compared to my Exchequer Leghorn. Though I do love my Maran's eggs and the surprise when she lays one. They are good size, pretty colors on the blue-olive green spectrum. Usually around 2-3 a week. If she wasn't so pretty I'd have culled her already for being so finicky. But she's sweet when she wants to be, and she's very beautiful. She's part of the starting group for my flock, and the popular alpha hen too. Which makes me wonder what kind of influence she is being if she is actually done, done.

To answer your age question, she's 21 months old...
 
aart said:
Most likely it's just for the season.
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Thank you for that. Since my flock is so young, I haven't felt the need to question their laying.

Honestly I feel stupid for saying but I just assumed a hen would lay for many years. Seems odd to consider that some hens just quit after only a few years when they live to be so much older.

Basically I just never felt the need to check their laying signs till my flock grew and my production went down. Even here in FL where temps haven't been extreme at all, my hens are on egg laying sabbatical- seasonal with free meals. My roo doesn't seem to be doing much mating dance either. But every once in a while my Exchequer Leghorn who's still young (under a year) has squeezed one off. Though its been a few weeks now even for her. I've been fortunate to have young hens lay at least a little through the winter break. This is my first year where all my ladies are taking it easy. So it has me a little concerned. Mainly because my Maran stopped weeks before the others did.

So okay, Question. ?
Will exams of their combs, vent, and feet look like they've stopped laying forever when they are simply just taking a seasonal break? Or is that not a reliable check to do during the winter break?
 
And just in case ya'll haven't noticed... I'm a newbie chicken mom (I've tried winging this on my own for a while now till I found this site), thanks for putting up with me and my 20 questions..
frow.gif
Nice to meet everyone, thanks for all the help.
 
WilloughbyStead said:
Quote: Yeah, the second year can kinda stink cause they often stop laying over winter, whether you use supplemental lighting or not.
She could lay for many years, only time will tell.....the ones that can just plain stop at 2-3 years are high production breeds like the sexlinks.
But nothing is written in stone when dealing with live animals, and all individual birds can produce at different rates/times of year.
You get what you get, when you get it(meaning eggs).

The vent and pelvic bone check will just tell if a bird is laying now..... or not.
There's no real way to tell if a bird will ever lay again, that I know of.
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aart said:
Yeah, the second year can kinda stink cause they often stop laying over winter, whether you use supplemental lighting or not.
She could lay for many years, only time will tell.....the ones that can just plain stop at 2-3 years are high production breeds like the sexlinks.
But nothing is written in stone when dealing with live animals, and all individual birds can produce at different rates/times of year.
You get what you get, when you get it(meaning eggs).

The vent and pelvic bone check will just tell if a bird is laying now..... or not.
There's no real way to tell if a bird will ever lay again, that I know of.
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Thank you! Some websites write it as the gospel before culling.
 
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WilloughbyStead said:
Hasgrits68 said:
Willoughby, If she was not a heritage breed then two years is about right. Production breeds, especially, lay lots of eggs for just a few years and then they are done. It sounds like signs are pointing to her being through.
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​Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I am quite sure a Maran is a heritage breed. I'm pretty sure she's an Americuana Maran Cross. She was sold to me as a Maran but she's got Americauna face, cheeks, comb. She also lays true blue- green blue- light green- light blue- blue green- green- olive eggs...

I'm just wondering if she's done done or just done for a season. She seems too young to just stop.
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Marans lay only dark brown eggs, that can change in its Brown tones. No green, blue in a true marans!
 
WilloughbyStead said:
Does anyone know when Maran's typically stop? I'm thinking its time to cull, my Maran. She's beautiful though and her eggs are awesome but she stopped laying before the other ladies did (in other words it didn't seem to be seasonal) and she wasn't molting. She just stopped. I picked her up today and examined her, her comb is pale, feet and skin aren't pale (have more color than it would when shes laying), and vent looks very pale, not moist and looks almost shriveled up (sorry Gretc-hen, for telling the whole internet). She's 2.
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I have a 6 1/2 year old Orpington that is still laying in Spring and Summer. She is not a stellar layer, but she still lays 2-3 eggs a week in peak production time. I have an 8 year old hen that has not laid in several years, but she is my only original he left, so she stays.

She is likely just taking a seasonal break.

aart said:
Only a few of mine have come back into lay.
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Lucky you! None of mine have come back into lay yet, but I've been dealing with predator issues too. So it's to be expected. They are getting more chatty though, so hopefully soon.

aart said:
Quote: Most likely it's just for the season.
Agreed on most likely seasonal.

And Marans only lay dark brown eggs, so you have a cross breed Olive Egger. Mixed breeds are by far my best layers, so I'm sure she still has a lot of egg production left in her.
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