Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[satay]

I got a couple of slackers an araucana (still to lay her first egg) and a silkie my Banty roo is busy servicing all the hens including the big girls. My marans chick are getting bigger and those pics of marans eggs are gorgeous color

Thanks Chook I am sure you will have some lovely egg colours to share with us soon. I remember waiting for my first marans to lay.. Was soooo excited when I got the first egg.

 

[appps]

My araucana was 10mths old before her 1st egg. I have 2 more here that still havent laid and one of them is mearly that old the other maybe a tiny bit younger. Hoping both will get their lay on after winter. My aussies started at 5 months and 6 months. Silkies can take up to a year i heard

Never heard that, ours started Laying same time as the others. I wonder if the year is just because they come of age so as to speak as it's heading into winter when they normally slow down anyway so it's just the extra wait till spring you would have even if they'd started laying.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Never heard that, ours started Laying same time as the others. I wonder if the year is just because they come of age so as to speak as it's heading into winter when they normally slow down anyway so it's just the extra wait till spring you would have even if they'd started laying.

Hatch time has a lot to do with it. Now is the ideal time to hatch chicks of any breed if you want them at point of lay in spring. If you hatch in jan/February they will be coming into POL as the days get shorter and could possibly hold off till spring. then you run the risk of them having their first molt , before they start to lay which will halt production for a further 4-6 weeks. Timing is crucial.

 

[satay]

Hatch time has a lot to do with it. Now is the ideal time to hatch chicks of any breed if you want them at point of lay in spring. If you hatch in jan/February they will be coming into POL as the days get shorter and could possibly hold off till spring. then you run the risk of them having their first molt , before they start to lay which will halt production for a further 4-6 weeks. Timing is crucial.

So agree with you Fancy. I have an older neighbour granted he is nearly 70 who is convinced chickens don't lay over winter and will never lay at easter I have tried to explain to him that it is due mostly to when they are hatched. He is not convinced even though I have showed him eggs laid at easter. He told me they must be old ones I have missed as no chicken ever lays over easter...I give up

 

[K Spot]

Hay have all your FWM's taken noticeably longer than other breeds to lay their first egg?
I was told by one person that I should expect my Marans to begin laying more at 25-30 weeks old rather than the 'usual' of 18-20 of many breeds.

Hi Luke - As @satay mentioned, I have a blue wheaten marans from her eggs hatched before Christmas and laid her first egg last week. She's approximately 29 weeks, so I guess what you were told by that one person is certainly true in my case.

 

[Fancychooklady]

So agree with you Fancy. I have an older neighbour granted he is nearly 70 who is convinced chickens don't lay over winter and will never lay at easter I have tried to explain to him that it is due mostly to when they are hatched. He is not convinced even though I have showed him eggs laid at easter. He told me they must be old ones I have missed as no chicken ever lays over easter...I give up

I should say, the exception to that rule are of course silkies. Mine lay all through winter and make up in quantity for their lack of size.
Could have something to do with the fact that they spend most of the warmer months broody .

 

[K Spot]

What can I put around the vents of some of my girls to determine who lays what egg? I have a feeling I have a couple of new layers, I suspect either my little black silkie Whoopi or my bantam pencilled rock girl. I would like to know who is laying these small eggs

 

[Fancychooklady]

What can I put around the vents of some of my girls to determine who lays what egg?  I have a feeling I have a couple of new layers, I suspect either my little black silkie Whoopi or my bantam pencilled rock girl. I would like to know who is laying these small eggs 

I've heard of people placing a bit of food colouring inside the vent. Probably blue not red, you might give yourself a bit of a fright. The others may find it interesting and peck at the eggs.

 

[SherrieC]

I have 2 Wyandottes that were hatched on Nov 1 and they have started laying over the last few weeks, my blue laced one may be going into moult as I'm noticing a lot of grey feathers that look like her fluffy feathers, either her or its my blue Australorp that just came out of being broody.
My 3 Australorps were hatched early September, they all stopped laying by May, one went broody, the other two went into moult (I did have a 4th but she died) One returned to laying recently but stopped again and the other is laying again now. I have 2 Plymouth hatched late September, they have both been through a moult. One looks like she will lay any time and the other is still regrowing her feathers.

 

[Deej211]

Congrats on finding some new ladies. Don't you hate having to wait for them to arrive lol, I am sure your wait will be worth it.

excruciating. Lol. They get here on the 1st!!