April 2010 Pullets- wanna wait with me?

[chicken garden lady]

I am also waiting. I have six little girls that are twenty-one weeks old. I also have four big girls that are two year olds. Even though I have eggs from the big girls I'm just as excited to see an egg from the new chickens. A friend of mine has first time chickens the same age and has started getting eggs. Maybe her girls could come over and show mine that they are old enough. I love having chickens even with the wait!

 

[HenToothDoc]

My brood started as Easter chicks and grew from there. I have 2 white leghorns that hatched the first week of April that started laying nearly two weeks ago. They are like machines laying at least 1 a day each. The rest haven't started yet including 2 Rhode Island Reds and 3 Buffs. I think 1 of my whites got too excited today and layed an egg this morning (after 1 yesterday mid-day). The only problem was she didn't wait to form a shell and the egg was soft and rubbery. I researched this and evidently it happens sometimes. I gave them some Oyster Shell just to make sure they are getting enough calcium. Hopefully the other pullets will play catch-up soon. Good luck to everyone else!

 

[tcates]

I hate to say it..... please forgive me..... but I am getting such joy and laughter from my April batch, I don't care if they ever produce eggs! I got them for the eggs, but I am finding such joy and peace just observing them and sitting watching their behavior, at this point, I don't care if they ever earn their keep!

 

[HHandbasket]

I agree--I got them for the eggs, but I am truly enjoying having them in my life right now! They are great companions and have great personalities. That being said, though... I want some flippin' eggs, darnit! LOL!

 

[SunnysideupstateNY]

I got my first egg today! From my golden comet! Yay!

 

[cjdmashley]

Congrats sunny! the first egg is the best!! almost like you never really thought they were ever going to lay!

 

[HHandbasket]

That's where I'm at right now. I'm starting to think it's never gonna happen and that I have a flock of duds. I think the changing weather patterns (hotter where it's normally milder, milder where it's normally hotter) have had a lot to do with it. This is the mildest summer I have ever seen in California in all my 48 years of being alive and living here. My garden has been a joke... we have fabulously fertile soil, and huge fruits on the vines but nothing getting ripe because we have had cool temps at night and not enough hot days. Here in this part of California, we have usually had about 15-20 days of summer heat over 100 degrees, at least a few of them over 110--so far, we've had 4 days of 100-degree heat all summer. Most of the summer, temps have been in the low 90s or upper 80s, only seldom does it creep up above 95. Usual summer evening temps for this area are normally around 75-85, but this year they've been in the 50s and 60s. The result has been a LOT of mold and rot for food-producing plants.

I cannot help but think that the same weather that is adversely affecting crop production is also affecting livestock. I know my birds should be laying by now, at least 4 of them are laying age but I have nuttin'. About 3 weeks ago, there was some squawking and squatting that the leghorn did & I thought I would get eggs that week, but it only lasted 1 or 2 days and nothing since. While all my birds are 20+ weeks as of this Saturday, I still haven't seen any red face development, and my RIR, while rather large, has no comb to speak of and absolutely no wattles whatsoever. Face is pinkish red in the mornings but pale by evening. Same with my barred rock. She's probably 20+ weeks and still no real comb to speak of and no wattles whatsoever, not even the beginnings of them. They're all getting big, but they're not maturing or laying eggs. I feed them all the right food and got tired of waiting for them to lay so I switched them over to layer food this week (they're 20 weeks, it shouldn't hurt), hoping that the extra calcium will make them make an egg !!!

The upside is that I have a whole yard full of very happy birds which I thoroughly enjoy, but the whole point of this venture was to provide eggs for the family, and that just isn't happening. If they don't lay by the end of September, hubby's threatening to get rid of them and tear down the coop and wait until we move to the mountains to get another flock. I don't blame him... if they don't lay by the end of September, they will be then be over 6 months old & most assuredly duds, esp. the leghorn (supposedly an egg-laying machine at 15-16 weeks... yeah, right, she's 20 weeks and doesn't even ACT like she wants to lay an egg).

I know I've said it before, but I am SERIOUSLY starting to think I bought a flock of duds.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

HHandbasket, don't despair. You are just on the edge of laying age. Sometimes the development comes on quite suddenly. Perhaps if you go out and talk to them about your husband's plans?

Good luck. I hope you get an egg soon. Once the first one lays, the others seem to get in gear. Although, one of my EEs gave me a green egg last Friday and nothing since. Takes some a while to get regular...

 

[SunnysideupstateNY]

Lol this was the first morning I didn't really think to look for one. I might not have found it if she hadn't laid it in the middle of the run! I'm crossing my fingers for everyone else! It was such a fun surprise to wake up to!
HHandbasket my veggies didn't do very well at all this year either. The only good crop I got was my garlic and some tomatoes. The weather has been funny this year.

 

[elizabethlongwood]

No eggs today, but we just heard our 21 week old Wyandotte singing the egg song. So cute!!!