Any one want to join me in waiting for eggs, posting and comparing notes?

[mjoubre]

Thanks NacientNeedle I will try that. I have hay and golf balls in the nest boxes. She has become more aggressive. She use to let me pet her but now she will bite me. Not too sure about her being voraciously hungry. I work during the day but I know they all come running when I walk outside but I think they want a treat. I can't wait to upload a photo. Her tail area or right in front or her tail doesn't look like there is much lacing there anymore and looks different than the others. I'm keeping my fingers crossed it is a she and that she is just maturing.

 

[NacientNeedle]

I forgot to mention that when they start to lay or are getting ready to - they hold their tail feather up - I'll keep my fingers crossed that you have a nice little egg layer about to give you an egg!

 

[Marcy54]

Hi, I am Marcy, I have nine pullets, wyandotte, three are silver and six are gold. I bought them three weeks ago today. They are supposed to be ready to lay in September. I am not sure how old they are, but they are starting to get pretty big and look like hens. I am finishing up a bag of grower this week, and then I guess I am going to give them some layer feed. I looked up the egg song, haven't heard this. They are starting to flap around and lie down in the nesting box. No other strange behavior is seen. Their pink waddles are getting darker.

 

[YgritteChick]

This thread is so much fun! I'm happy I noticed it. My pullets are about 14 weeks old and I cannot wait for them to start laying. None of them seem super close to laying yet, although some are starting to squat when we try to pick them up. The kids are loving that they seem calmer now, lol. Do different kinds of chickens tend to lay earlier/later than others? I have Black Australorps, Easter Eggers, and Salmon Faverolles.

 

[sssharon]

You may have a long wait. I have 4 New Hampshires and they are 22 weeks old and a Welsummer same age and nothing from her either. I read that the Wels lay at different times so according to what I read she may not lay until next spring. I have a B O that is about the same age as the others and she hasn't laid either. So you and I are in the same boat. The only laying in my chickens is my Barred Rock and she lays me an adorable little brown egg almost daily. I have what I think must be an Easter egger and her name is Pearl. She just turned 4 months old yesterday and I'm sad to say that I think Pearl is an Earl. She jumped on my BR and did the deed with her, and at first I thought it must be seeing things and then Pearl did it again today. Pretty funny huh.

 

[nuttyboo]

Waiting on 7 BSL AND 6 RIR all are 17.5 weeks I have about 8 with red wattles and combs but as for the glorious egg song and squatting notta!!! Waiting is turning me grey. I have one momma Seata who has been in and out of coop for last couple days, one good thing I'm getting lots of exercise walking back and forth to coop.

 

[Melabella]

This thread is so much fun! I'm happy I noticed it. My pullets are about 14 weeks old and I cannot wait for them to start laying. None of them seem super close to laying yet, although some are starting to squat when we try to pick them up. The kids are loving that they seem calmer now, lol. Do different kinds of chickens tend to lay earlier/later than others? I have Black Australorps, Easter Eggers, and Salmon Faverolles.

Hi YgritteChick! AND EVERYONE ELSE!!!!!!!

I can't tell you how happy I am to see so many new peeps here waitn away.. pulling their hair out, petting squatting pullets.. and dreamin of FRESH EGGS FOR BREAKFAST!!!!!! Welcome to all the new BYC members that have checked in and revived the thread! So happy to read all your stories, and updates.. and remember WE love pictures of those girls, and those new eggs! Never gets old!

To answer your question.. YES, different breeds sure do mature at different rates. Some know for early maturity and point of lay (POL) and others notoriously late. And even within the same "breeds", you will find hatchery stock birds as opposed to Heritage birds that can vary quite a lot in maturity levels, and especially in looks. Trust me when I tell you, a hatchery Black Australorp and a Heritage Black Australorp look quite different. To the new chicken owner, you may not notice the difference, but once you start to learn, watch, study, and get interested in chicken ownership, if indeed that is what you would like to do, you begin to see a whole new world open up. Now, most people just want to enjoy healthy birds, and reap the rewards of fresh eggs. We all have read the difference of nutritional values of fresh, free range, naturally fed egg compared to battery eggs. I can't even eat battery eggs any more, mentally for what those poor birds endure and for the esthetics of it all, not to mention the taste. Oh, truth be told,, I truly thought that was an exaggeration, but make no mistake... it is not! Hatcheries breed for prolific egg laying, and quality of eggs. Most hatcheries do a wonderful job in supplying this incredible boom of interest in all of us owning our own chickens. Then you have breeders, and people dedicated to the preservation of Heritage breeds, the breeds bred along the Standard of Perfection, not only for show purposes if that is what the breeder chooses to do, but more importantly in preserving the breeds with well known tried and true lines, carefully and painstakingly choosing to mate only the top quality birds to assure the breeds stay true to the way they were bred to be from long ago. Heritage birds may mature more slowly, but also are known to lay far longer than their hatchery "cousins" will ever be able to.

My original flock of layers is now 2 years old, went through their first laying season, molt, grew glorious new feathers, and were up and running again by the end of January of this year. I think this is a great time of year to enjoy chicks, in the warm weather, and then not soon after Christmas you start to get those eggs coming. The days start getting longer, and the girls gear up, and you enjoy eggs most of the year! I bought hatchery stock from Meyer and picked 5 different breeds, 2 each, of their best egg layers, and boy did the girls not disappoint. From 9 layers, (one turned out to be a mis sexed roo) I got anywhere from 5 to 9 eggs a day. The Golden Buff girls layed every 4/5 days, then take a day off... and go again. Most times they would give me 6 eggs a week. Truly amazing. There were MANY days I had 9 eggs, and we were ecstatic! We had eggs enough for our family of 6, and then started gifting them out to family and friends. Truly amazing. I went through considerable withdrawl come late November when the factory shut down, and I had to, hate to say it.....buy eggs from the grocery store! I only bought organic, true free range eggs The shame!!!

They picked up again late January, and have been just as I have read, about 25% decreased in numbers the second season, still giving us plenty of eggs for our enjoyment and still can gift some out, but not as much. The 9 egg days are not nearly as frequent, and I get 4-5 eggs per day, sometimes 3, more times 6/7. Today I had 8 eggs!

This is when my brain got to thinking....what's a girl to do when 9 girls stop laying.. or laying only sporadically. Looking practically at my flock.. of the 9 layers, I am attached to 5 of them. The other 4 are aloof, and just ... not particularly one way or another. . I don' t judge a chicken by "friendliness" although, I do enjoy when one is inquisitive enough to take the time to see what I am doing, and just hang near me. This shows me a cohesiveness I enjoy with my animals. My little farmstead here is a little world, all of it's own. I love when we are aware and choose to observe and even spend time with each other.

I haven't decided exactly what I will do when this laying season ends. I haven't evolved enough yet to process my own birds past their usefulness of laying, but understand and support those who do. I signed up for a chicken processing class, but couldn't make the date, and never rescheduled. Not sure I have it in me, as I do get attached, but perhaps that will change. I don't have tons of coop space, or maybe I wouldn't mind lots of chickens roaming around as pets, but also, I swear, if these fluff balls didn't poop everywhere they walk, I might actually be ok with it! Plans for the spring... buying some chicken fencing to keep the chickens behind the barn, and away from the house, the garage, the deck, the patio, THE FLOWER BEDS! Forget potted flowers too.. they love it all! And.. the holes.. the DUST BOWL HOLES! yeah... not fun. BUT.. boy do I love those eggs, and the lovely talking when I am mucking horse stalls, the cooing, and guttural sounds that are clearly communication with each other, but I swear to me as well. Perhaps those girls are saying.."Good Lord.. how long does it take this wench to finish that stall and go get us some mealworms", or perhaps it is more primal, like..."hey girl, anything in here worth scratching around for?' Either way, I love it, and I have fallen in love with just watching and observing, and I now know 6 different calls the rooster makes, and what they mean. So wonderful.

SO>... in an effort to prepare for the future, the Armageddon of when there are no more eggs... I have started to build a second flock of dream breeds I have dreamt of owning. I also purchased a small incubator and have become an insatiable hatch o holic. I am currently on my 6 round of eggs, but that's for another thread! lol... jk....The oldest newcombers I have are 16 weeks, 3 hatchery chicks I bought because I was afraid I would only have 1 egg hatch, and the little one would be all alone.. (chicken math excuse at it's best). So I have a Speckled Sussex, White Maran, and an Austra White, which will be my first white egg layer... yippie!

So keep the information coming, and lets keep each other company. Sorry for the long post...I'm waiting for my 17 year old to come home... and passing the time away.

Thanks all, I enjoy all the posts.
MB

 

[sssharon]

I enjoyed your post! I finally got pictures of some of my chickens. Actually most of them. There on my profile page clear at the bottom. Been a long time since I have talked to you and the three chicks on my page are the first ones I hatched. I call them my sweeties. One turned out to be a roo and I rehomed him to my daughter and I'm afraid another one might be also. Unless she is a hen pretending to be a rooster but I've seen her do the act two times to the same hen so I would say she is a rooster. Never have heard her crow yet or make much of any noise as far as that goes. She just turned 4 months old yesterday. What do you think? Give her some time and wait for her to crow?

 

[CatSol]

I have 9 -two month old chicken chicks that my chicken & Turkey hatched.... I know that the math says that half of them should be boys... Dreading the wait to see how may boys I do have. I am starting to see Combs coming in but like it has been posted... Some girls can develop early.
It is not easy to process these birds. I have done it with turkeys but that was only because they were raised for that purpose. I have been clear that my girls are pets. Even the turkey hen we have now has moved from the category of possible dinner item ... And she makes a great adoptive mom I just don't think I could process them when they stop laying. I am really worried about the chicks that might become roos.... Lucky a friend of mine had her husband help me with the last roos we had. They were tasty....
Love hearing all the new stories and seeing so many new people. Don't know what I would have done without this group. Thanks everyone

 

[Bobi9459]

Well finally 2 of my young ladies started laying not sure which ones yet