First Egg Countdown

[highrockieschic]

Hausfrau77, I love your photo. That's great. My ladies are just over 21 weeks and still no eggs. I think it has a little to do with the changing of the seasons and the shortening of the days. I wonder when we will get eggs.... My girls have bright red wattles and combs and squat pretty consistently when I go to catch them. And yesterday I heard the egg song in the afternoon, but the one that was singing has been known to do that when there's something threatening around, like a house cat or a hawk. I keep checking the nesting boxes! One of the neighbor kids looked in there and said, "one of them laid a golf ball!" LOL!

 

[sunflower4you]

Hausfrau77, I love your photo. That's great. My ladies are just over 21 weeks and still no eggs. I think it has a little to do with the changing of the seasons and the shortening of the days. I wonder when we will get eggs.... My girls have bright red wattles and combs and squat pretty consistently when I go to catch them. And yesterday I heard the egg song in the afternoon, but the one that was singing has been known to do that when there's something threatening around, like a house cat or a hawk. I keep checking the nesting boxes! One of the neighbor kids looked in there and said, "one of them laid a golf ball!" LOL!

Good point about the changing seasons. Mine are 18 weeks right now. What if they do not reach POL until 24 weeks and by then it is mid-late October in a northern climate? Will they not lay until spring?

My 6yo boy said the same thing, "All these chickens lay are golf balls."

 

[hausfrau77]

Hausfrau77, I love your photo. That's great. My ladies are just over 21 weeks and still no eggs. I think it has a little to do with the changing of the seasons and the shortening of the days. I wonder when we will get eggs.... My girls have bright red wattles and combs and squat pretty consistently when I go to catch them. And yesterday I heard the egg song in the afternoon, but the one that was singing has been known to do that when there's something threatening around, like a house cat or a hawk. I keep checking the nesting boxes! One of the neighbor kids looked in there and said, "one of them laid a golf ball!" LOL!

Good point about the changing seasons.  Mine are 18 weeks right now.  What if they do not reach POL until 24 weeks and by then it is mid-late October in a northern climate?  Will they not lay until spring?

My 6yo boy said the same thing, "All these chickens lay are golf balls." 

My goodness you guys I was wondering the same thing here when we got our first! Hopefully you will find a treasure soon @highrockieschic and I will be watching for your news guys, take care!

 

[pennie23]

Have black austlorps and barred rock20weeks old, hoping for some eggs in the future, will post picture of chickens letter

 

[firstimeflocker]

Got my first egg this morning from my 24 1/2 week old Wyandottes! So excited!!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Good point about the changing seasons. Mine are 18 weeks right now. What if they do not reach POL until 24 weeks and by then it is mid-late October in a northern climate? Will they not lay until spring?

My 6yo boy said the same thing, "All these chickens lay are golf balls."

And yes, they will still lay. It sometimes takes them a bit longer to start laying though. (unless you have lights in your coop) I hatch all through the year and I don't light my coop, but the pullets will still start laying in winter.

Got my first egg this morning from my 24 1/2 week old Wyandottes! So excited!!

Beautiful, congrats!

 

[sunflower4you]

And yes, they will still lay. It sometimes takes them a bit longer to start laying though. (unless you have lights in your coop) I hatch all through the year and I don't light my coop, but the pullets will still start laying in winter.

I read somewhere that putting a light in the coop in winter with pullets that aren't laying yet could cause them to lay before their body is ready, resulting in a prolapsed vent. So I decided not to light the coop until they are already laying.

 

[jtn42248]

I read somewhere that putting a light in the coop in winter with pullets that aren't laying yet could cause them to lay before their body is ready, resulting in a prolapsed vent. So I decided not to light the coop until they are already laying.

I don't use supplemental lighting simply because I want their bodies to go through a more normal seasonal process. However, a lot of people do. With 14-16 hours of light a day hens will continue, in most cases, to lay as if it was spring or summer. But, it also interrupts the natural processes that they bodies need to experience.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I don't use supplemental lighting simply because I want their bodies to go through a more normal seasonal process.

This is why I don't light my coops either. If their bodies need the break, then they get it.

 

[Beamedik]

I have 10 chickens right now. 1 rir, 2 br, 2 americaunas, 2 black australorps, and 3 red sex links. Time of year and some lt molting has me down to 5 eggs/day, along with australorps being around 20 weeks and not laying yet.....one is sitting a lot lately, so, hopefully......