19 and a half weeks old and still no eggs :( egg countdown anyone??

[PAchickengirl]

Looks like ill have to wait longer than I thought. I think we have dry pox. I am really bummed about it!

 

[B J Hopkins]

Looks like ill have to wait longer than I thought.

I think we have dry pox. I am really bummed about it!

Bummer, I just read up on it and it sure sounds terriable. Hope your birds heal quickly!

 

[Tikkajazz94]

I've gotten 2 to 3 eggs daily, one egg is getting bigger. Almost got attacked by a pullet when trying to get the eggs from under her. I think she'll make a good broody. I'm expecting a few more pullets to start laying soon

 

[Tikkajazz94]

My neighbour told me that giving them scratch as a snack, will incress the size of the eggs

 

[bruceha2000]

Do you think they might start laying in December once the days are longer?

If laying is related to the number of hours of daylight rather then the amount compared to yesterday, last week, etc:
The middle of January is about the same amount of light as now so crossing Dec 21 wouldn't make a difference. This is not chicken knowledge, just basic solar times.

Bruce

 

[bruceha2000]

A clerk at TSC said that I should only feed them layer feed and no treats/human food or they won't lay. Is that an old wives tale or what? I still feed them grower (because they are not laying yet), grit, crushed eggshells once in a while and during the week when they can't free range because I'm at work, they get "breakfast" to keep them busy (some combination of oats, flaxseed, kale/other greens, mealworms, cottage cheese, pumpkin/squash). On the weekends they don't get breakfast, they get to free range.

I don't know but our girls have been eating a bit less feed lately. We use to fill the feeder on Sunday and Wed PM or Thursday. Didn't need to fill it until last night this week. Couldn't be related to the BOSS treats, Chinese crunchy things, left over veggie Mei Fun, pumpkin, apple cores. Nah, couldn't be

They also go out and eat grass and whatever else they find. They get to go out as they like much of the day to eat grass and whatever they find, most days. It was so windy yesterday that they just hung out in the barn. Of course, it won't be long and the only thing they'll find to eat outside will be snow. My F-I-L said when he was a kid (and that was lots and LOTS of decades ago) all kitchen scraps went out to the coop.

The girls are 22 weeks old today. I got 1 egg a week ago last Friday, one last Tuesday, one Sunday, two yesterday and three, count them THREE (all in the nest box

), today. I'm not buying the "no people food or treats" thing.

Sounds to me like your girls are getting a nice variety of foods. Makes for happy, healthy chickens. But do go with the layer. I started when they were 18 weeks old because they finished their bag of grower, seemed a good time since some people were reporting eggs as early as 16 weeks. And I tossed oyster shell in the trough under their nipple waterer pipe a couple of weeks ago. Every egg has been nicely hard shelled.

Bruce

 

[bruceha2000]

... I got nothing going on over here. I've had the *very* loud egg song practicing going on and some squatting, but that's been happening for a bit now and no eggs.

One of my Anconas was belting out the egg song repeatedly and messing about in the nest box multiple times a day (I put her in after her second try at the aria) starting a bit over a week before she laid her first egg yesterday. Three of the twelve laid in the same end of the box this morning. I'd guess yours are close to starting to pay for their keep.

Bruce

 

[Rhoise]

If laying is related to the number of hours of daylight rather then the amount compared to yesterday, last week, etc:
The middle of January is about the same amount of light as now so crossing Dec 21 wouldn't make a difference. This is not chicken knowledge, just basic solar times.

Bruce

ahh yes Bruce but it is the hope of spring, and peak of the days getting shorter, it's only up hill from there on, but yes actually the 20th and 21st are only 1/2 a second difference in day length but were being positive here hee hee....the 22nd is 3 whole seconds longer ahahahhaahha

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

ahh yes Bruce but it is the hope of spring, and peak of the days getting shorter, it's only up hill from there on, but yes actually the 20th and 21st are only 1/2 a second difference in day length but were being positive here hee hee....the 22nd is 3 whole seconds longer ahahahhaahha

Exactly! Which is why I have a hopeful theory about the increased daylight of my farm's hillside SE exposure being about as "ideal" for natural off-season egg laying as it's going to get up here above the 45th parallel.

 

[Rhoise]

Exactly! Which is why I have a hopeful theory about the increased daylight of my farm's hillside SE exposure being about as "ideal" for natural off-season egg laying as it's going to get up here above the 45th parallel.

Oh yes! great hypothesis, and even though the "ideal" day length won't occur naturally until like April 27th or so next spring, I'm willing to take bets on the fact that these young pullets will be laying up a storm even in Feb & March if the weather cooperates and we get some beautiful warm spring days.....Leslie you and Nelson are gonna be swimminng in eggs and birds OMGosh......