27 weeks and No eggs

[tommysgirl]

Congrats Little Egg! Well today I came to post because just as I had given up hope of the Delawares and Australorps laying before spring, had decided to not use the light and to enjoy the two a day we get from the Red Stars when one of the Delewares hopped up on the porch and laid an egg on the table right outside our front window. Then when I went out to feed them tonight; another egg of the same color in the nesting box!

They are very light beige in color. Much lighter than the Red Star eggs.

Sort of like those stories of women getting pregnant after deciding to stop trying

wickedlees: good luck, let us know when it happens.

 

[Little-farm]

HOORAY!!! It really is when you have given up looking. So very happy for you! I actually had both my sex link and my silver laced Wyandotte lay for me for the first time yesterday. It's like when one goes, they all start going. Must be the pheromones!! When it rains it pours.

 

[tommysgirl]

I think you are exactly right. We had an exciting week This is how egg production progessoin. Sunday, two of the Delawares laid their first egg. On Tuesday there were three Delaware eggs in the nest box along with the two Red Stars..for a total of 5 so all my Delawares had started laying, then yesterday...Friday...my son texted me a pic of the nesting box when he got home from school. 6 eggs and I had already picked one up that morning for a total of 7!!! so as of yesterday the 2 Australorps are laying as well. The Red Stars started at 19 and 20 weeks and the Delewares and Australorps started at or during week 29.

My uncle lives below us and he was free ranging his roo this week and he came up to say hello to my girls. Do you think that may have had some hormonal influence on them that got the slackers laying??

 

[wickedlees]

Yippee yippee!!! Had my first egg today! One of my girls not sure which.

 

[tommysgirl]

Congratulations! It's fun isn't it? Hopefully the rest of your little flock will get the picture and you will get more within the week!

 

[DianaMallory]

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!

You should supply extra light in the A.M. Have it on a couple hours before the sunrises and go off after the sunrises. Having the light go off at night leaves your birds in the dark trying to find the roost! Which can stress them out. Stress = no eggs! Also feed them laying feed!

 

[Little-farm]

Cogratulations wickedlees!! So wonderful to have our girls laying.....finally!! Happy days, and they are only going to get more productive!

 

[wickedlees]

Thanks guys! I'm excited and hope these girls get to layin' regular!