Minnesota!

[Cluckies]

This bird is my favorite. She's just solid. Sweet temperament. I know this topic is leading away from the good hard work Minnie does breeding for competitive winners. But even the crosses are something in my humble opinion.

Beautiful, what is that a cross of?

Sorry, didn't see you already answered it.

 

[jbenson]

lala - two of my kids are still in 4-H.  To have birds at good maturity for showing, we try to get them hatched as soon after Jan 1 as we possibly can, since they can't be hatched before that.  Last year was such a rotten year, we weren't really getting anything out of the shell before March - something that was happening across the upper midwest then.  This year is better, though I would like to have more out already than I do.  

I start as early as I can after the 1st though, and I go until June.  By then I am pretty sick of cleaning the hatcher and brooders LOL, but for up here, hatching later than that doesn't give the birds a chance to really get to a good point of growth and development before the cold moves in.  If they aren't done growing, then their energy gets put into surviving the cold instead.  They may catch up eventually, but it is tough on them.  

I am with you, start as early as nature allows and my last hatch is usually near the end of May unless it starts to get warm early and then I have trouble keeping the incubator temp steady. This year was the first time the weather has let me hatch Jan 1 since I started breeding anything 4H families would have any interest in. I like my mutts, but I am only going to hatch more when it is time to expand the laying/fun flock. Anything I plan to sell will be hatching pures.

 

[lalaland]

lala - two of my kids are still in 4-H. To have birds at good maturity for showing, we try to get them hatched as soon after Jan 1 as we possibly can, since they can't be hatched before that. Last year was such a rotten year, we weren't really getting anything out of the shell before March - something that was happening across the upper midwest then. This year is better, though I would like to have more out already than I do.
I start as early as I can after the 1st though, and I go until June. By then I am pretty sick of cleaning the hatcher and brooders LOL, but for up here, hatching later than that doesn't give the birds a chance to really get to a good point of growth and development before the cold moves in. If they aren't done growing, then their energy gets put into surviving the cold instead. They may catch up eventually, but it is tough on them.

yeah, that makes total sense. I was caught off guard this month when 5 pullets who had just started laying in Nov went into molt in January- I don't remember that happening before, molting at about 9 months.

Usually I'm getting chicks in early May, but this year had a later broody hatch in late June, and those pullets still aren't laying. Thats a long time to be waiting on eggs for them.

 

[duluthralphie]

yeah, that makes total sense. I was caught off guard this month when 5 pullets who had just started laying in Nov went into molt in January- I don't remember that happening before, molting at about 9 months.

Usually I'm getting chicks in early May, but this year had a later broody hatch in late June, and those pullets still aren't laying. Thats a long time to be waiting on eggs for them.

This is so strange, it must be the weather, I have read several threads about peoples chickens going into a mini-molt or they stop laying in January. I thought mine did it because of the overly technical aspects of the timer I bought and screwed up the programming on.

However, I am noticing a trend of some breeds stopping in January and some not. The one that sticks out to me is EE. I got 13 eggs yesterday which is way better than I have been getting at 4-5 a day. However, I had only 2 EE eggs in the batch. I do not think I have gotten a dozen EE eggs all month.

I am going to try and aim for a hatch just before Easter this spring. That will give me earlier chicks and leave my incubator open for turkeys and guineas in May.

 

[Cluckies]

I have two EE's, one started laying in October, then quit about 6 weeks later and still is not laying, the second one just started laying about 3 weeks ago. they were hatched around May 1st.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I love the blue eggs of my EEs. But I have to say that their laying longevity is not good in my short experience with them. All of them in Henopause long before others. They were done laying...most of them at just over 1 year old. No more eggs. They seem healthy otherwise. It kind of bums me out. I think it's a hybrid thing from what I've read. Next time I get a blue layer I'll be looking for a heritage type. Aracauna, Americauna, or cream legbars if I can find some and I don't squeak when I take out the wallet.

 

[cmom]

I have two EE's, one started laying in October, then quit about 6 weeks later and still is not laying, the second one just started laying about 3 weeks ago. they were hatched around May 1st.

I have some that quit laying too. This week I got some eggs from them. They are not laying to well yet but laying some eggs.

 

[Minniechickmama]

It is my experience that expecting eggs in December to mid-February is asking a bit much unless you have added light and taken other measures to ensure that the birds have everything they need to get them going again. When I just had a Motley Crew laying flock, I did not have added light, and I saw eggs start coming about late February, but once they started, that was it, they just kept coming. In the set-up I have now, I have lights on timer, and I can get a few eggs in December, a little fewer in January, but then in February I start seeing more consistent laying. I know especially the younger pullets will take a bit longer to really get them rolling out. We are working against Mother Nature in trying to get them to give up the goods at this time of year, so it is going to be unpredictable.
I honestly don't see any difference in my EEs being temperamental layers. In fact, that hybrid vigor has most of them laying before others and long after. I had a Blue egg laying EE that was laying right up until molt, then started again as soon as her feathers were in, then didn't stop until we hit that -20 temp and -40 windchill a couple of weeks back. Now, I got nothing.

I am going to have to take my camera out and take some pictures of all my pretty mutts to show off now. I know one you all are going to LOVE!

 

[Cluckies]

I am going to have to take my camera out and take some pictures of all my pretty mutts to show off now. I know one you all are going to LOVE!

Yes please!

 

[Minniechickmama]

You all are such addicts!!!!