that's all...just super anxious and a little puzzled and wanted to vent. Two (Red Star) of my 7 started laying at 19 and 20 weeks the other 5( australorp and deleware) are "on the dole" I bribe threaten and cajole but it does no good. It has been a sunny and warm fall for the most part, the are let out of their 8x9 pen to roam freely about the yard for several hours most days. They happily scratch around with their fluffy butts as if giving me the joy of watching them is sufficient and they owe me nothing. Harumph!
I am having the same problem. I have 3 layers, but 9 potential layers. The first 3 I got on April 30th, 2 of those are laying (araucana and buff Orpington) and oddly enough my silver spangled hamburg who is 6 weeks younger. The rest....nothing. Our daylight is only 10 hours here in Maine right now, and I don't expect anyone else to start until spring. If they do, great, but I am not hopeful at this point. I also let them out for several hours during the day. Such a bummer, but I guess I'll be overloaded in the spring! (the ones not laying now are my Delaware, Australorps, black sex link, buckeye, cuckoo maran and silver laced Wyandotte)
I too am having empty nest syndrome! NO FLIPPEN EGGS! 4 Birdies, 3 black Austrolopes and 1 Americana. I got them at 6 weeks old on July 5, so they are old enough. I let them out to range around the yard and peck, scratch etc... all day long, I don't have a light, I've heard it can be bad for your chickies in the long run? is that true? What can I do, they have no stress and I'm thinking at this point these freeloaders are getting to spring before I see any eggs. Not that watching them chase my cats isn't worth the feed and "work" LOL
Nice to know I have company in the vigil. We stuck a light in there and left it on for a couple of hours from dusk on. It is off now. wickedlees I think...and I am new so really don't know anything yet...that if the light is simply to provide a few more hours of light and not left on all night that it is OK. It messes with their sleep cycle if it is on all night. But if it is just on for an hour or two in the morning and at dusk my impression from my research is that it is fine because they aren't in the light 24 /7, just more like the light cycle is in the spring . We are at about 11.5 hours of light a day here. I kind of expected the Australorps to be last, but I really thought they would all be laying by now. Funny that we all have them. I chose all three breeds because they are good layers once they START Little Farm I know what you mean about expecting to be overloaded in the spring. My Red Stars each give me an egg a day at this point. Next time I get chicks I would like to get them earlier so that there is a better chance they will start laying before the fall. I am a teacher so need to wait until I can watch them closely in the first couple of weeks so that probably won't happen unless my principal will let me have them in my classroom until I can feel certain that they are past the pastey stage. Good Luck! Let us know when you get eggs!
The Australorps and Delaware are dual purpose breeds and are not going to lay as well as the Red Stars and mature much slower.
Thanks smoochie. I am enjoying all three breeds for what they are, even if I can't yet make a daily omlette.
I don't use a light, I figure they need the extra energy to keep warm- we are getting colder now. It was 22 this morning. I don't mind sacrificing the eggs for them being warm. Since its natural, I don't want to mess with that. I believe they only make a certain number of eggs during the embryonic stage (like all of us girls do) so I guess you'll extend the egg laying if you let them have a break during the winter. I can totally understand using a light though! It's just a decision I've made. I thought my sex link would be laying by now since they are suppose to lay through the winter (one of the reasons I got that breed) she is growing fast, so maybe she will surprise me one day! Let us know when more layers pull their own weight- i'd be interested in the timing. (I can't wait to find my Maran's chocolate egg!)
Hey there! Wanted to let you know that I got a mystery egg today!! I believe it is from my Delaware, she has been hanging out in the nesting boxes lately, but I had not seen any eggs until today!! It is darker than my buff orphingtons, and has little speckles on it. So very exciting! Maybe she will fill in for my orphingtons laying, since my dog just attacked her, and she will probably go on strike for a week or so. She is fine, just a little wound under her wing. She is in the bathroom in my other dogs kennel and is resting in the dark. The dog has on a muzzle now when outside! She is 8 months old (the dog) and will probably grow out of it, but the muzzle will do for now- no more of that, thank you!
I'm still egg-less. I swear they are about to be dinner! Well, not really. I am adding a light tomorrow. FINALLY my husband is home from AK and boy is his Honey-do list long! I am also going to up add some braggs to their water tomorrow, and find a feed higher in protein, I usually give them a carton of yogurt every morning with fruit or veggies of some sort from the ethinic market that marks down produce all the time. SO.... let's see if we can't get an egg this year. 31 day left!
The mystery egg actually belonged to my cockoo maran who was almost 30 weeks when she started laying last week. I had found a few in the nesting boxes, but over the last few days she has been singing an egg song over by our compost, and I didn't put two and two together. I went and looked today and there were 3 frozen eggs and one warm one just laid. So, if your hens are outside and singing egg songs- look around! They might be laying outside!
