California - Northern

[CALI CHICK]

I hope they start laying soon.

I miss the blue eggs.

I miss the blue eggs too from my EE girl. My other breeds (BO, BR, RIR) are either molting and/or broody so I expected them to stop laying for awhile. But, I don't understand why my EE stopped laying? She just started laying in October and gave us about a dozen blue eggs. Then, when the older girls stopped laying, so did she.

Is she confused or is the lack of sunlight affecting her that much that she stopped?

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
Okay, you are weird. I'm sitting here reading your post and

. I don't like organs either - my dog gets them. But maybe I'll cook up the gizzard for her.

 

[zooweemama]

Okay, you are weird. I'm sitting here reading your post and

. I don't like organs either - my dog gets them. But maybe I'll cook up the gizzard for her.

haha When I cook up the giblets my kids fight over who gets what. My husband doesn't like any of it. I love to eat the neck too.

 

[ronott1]

Quote:
Sunlight is the answer. Of the breeds you mentioned, the Rocks are winter layers. Hendersons chicken chart says that winter layers will slow down in the winter but will not completely stop. All chickens will lay more in the Spring. The Rocks will probably start up 6 weeks or so after they molt. My Barred Rocks and Partridge Rock pullets are laying. The Partridge Rocks are pullets and the Barred Rocks are back laying after a molt. One of my Basque is laying too. I am getting an average of 6 eggs a day.

The automatic lights will start this weekend.

We should of had a contest to see which of Papa Brooders hatching eggs would hatch in what order. The first is a silkie. EEs, Rhode Bars, Swedish Flower Hens and Farorelles have pips. I wonder which will be next?

 

[CALI CHICK]

Sunlight is the answer. Of the breeds you mentioned, the Rocks are winter layers. Hendersons chicken chart says that winter layers will slow down in the winter but will not completely stop. All chickens will lay more in the Spring. The Rocks will probably start up 6 weeks or so after they molt. My Barred Rocks and Partridge Rock pullets are laying. The Partridge Rocks are pullets and the Barred Rocks are back laying after a molt. One of my Basque is laying too. I am getting an average of 6 eggs a day.

The automatic lights will start this weekend.

We should of had a contest to see which of Papa Brooders hatching eggs would hatch in what order. The first is a silkie. EEs, Rhode Bars, Swedish Flower Hens and Farorelles have pips. I wonder which will be next?

You are absolutely correct. My Barred Rock IS laying. And they are beautiful, monster eggs now. Rocky lays almost every day. My silkie is laying almost every day too. Pretty soon we'll have nothing but Rocky's BIG eggs and Mysty Blues little eggs in the egg basket!

I'm not sure if I want to add light. I find that the girls get along better in the dark. Oh-you should see the drama that goes on between all the different breeds/ages in the coop!

Papa Brooder is so lucky to be hatching (I'm totally envious). Hope he has a GREAT hatch.

 

[ronott1]

Quote: I go back and forth with adding light. What I am doing now is letting them rest and then add light after they have stopped for a month. I might actually wait a bit longer since I am getting 6 a day. Probably no later then the first week in December. That will give them a good 6 weeks off from laying eggs.

I tried to pick breeds that were a mix of ones that lay in the heat and ones that are winter layers. Now I am trying to mix in dark, blue and Olive colored layers as well. Doing all of that and limiting my numbers is tough.

 

[tls_ranch]

Quote: I go back and forth with adding light. What I am doing now is letting them rest and then add light after they have stopped for a month. I might actually wait a bit longer since I am getting 6 a day. Probably no later then the first week in December. That will give them a good 6 weeks off from laying eggs.

I tried to pick breeds that were a mix of ones that lay in the heat and ones that are winter layers. Now I am trying to mix in dark, blue and Olive colored layers as well. Doing all of that and limiting my numbers is tough.

My coop has two halves. One side faces east and the other side faces west. The hens/ pullets on the east side will lay through the winter more because they get more natural light through a big window. My west side's window doesn't face the rising sun and stays darker a tad longer. But, with big effect. The west side will stop laying completely in winter...pullets too. It's just the way the coop is situated and I can't change it now unless I add lights.

Even though I don't have lights, I'm still getting enough eggs to feed my family (from the east side) so I guess I'm ok with it. The pullets and hens on the west side will start up as the days get longer. The pullets on that side will have had a longer time to mature and rest in the case of the older hens who worked hard laying eggs, raising babies and moulting.

I read somewhere that a hen will lay about the same amount of eggs depending on her genetics (she's born with the total # of eggs she can produce). If given extra light she'll run out of eggs faster (some may say burn out) than if she had natural breaks due being broody, moulting or short winter days. Production hens will "burn out" fast...yes they lay a whole lot of eggs in a year or two...but after that they just don't have any more eggs to give. Heritage birds lay less eggs each year, but should lay for several years longer than production hens.

Trisha

 

[Happy Chooks]

Sunlight is the answer. Of the breeds you mentioned, the Rocks are winter layers. Hendersons chicken chart says that winter layers will slow down in the winter but will not completely stop. All chickens will lay more in the Spring. The Rocks will probably start up 6 weeks or so after they molt. My Barred Rocks and Partridge Rock pullets are laying. The Partridge Rocks are pullets and the Barred Rocks are back laying after a molt. One of my Basque is laying too. I am getting an average of 6 eggs a day.

The automatic lights will start this weekend.

We should of had a contest to see which of Papa Brooders hatching eggs would hatch in what order. The first is a silkie. EEs, Rhode Bars, Swedish Flower Hens and Farorelles have pips. I wonder which will be next?

My hatchery BR is going through an awful molt, but she looks close to getting back to laying. (her comb is still pale though)

My exhibition line BR went broody and started molting while raising babies, so it's hard to tell on laying since she wasn't laying anyway with being broody. With the combination of broody and molting, she has lost A LOT of weight, so I expect her to take longer getting back to laying. Her feathers are mostly in.

I'm getting enough eggs to get by thanks to my Icelandics, so I'm not in a big hurry. My olive egger's comb is getting bright red again, so she's close to laying again. Now if my slacker Barnevelder that hatched 3/21 would start laying, I'd be a happy camper. I also have a slacker Lavender Ameraucana that is 24 weeks and nowhere close to laying - she's still slightly pink in the comb. I swear my Cream Legbar that is younger than both of them is going to start laying first.

 

[Miss Molly]

Also my favorite "broody" is a black hen from my blue project. She's a large hen (for a Barnevelder) that has really nice lacing. She is an excellent broody...pretty much too broody, but she's earned a place in my flock as the designated momma hen.

Very dedicated while hatching eggs and good momma.

Beautiful lacing. She has like 17 chicks under her in this pic.




Her as a pullet


So again keep the best blacks...you may be happy with them



Had to edit/switch the middle pic...I used the wrong one LOL..

WOW, Beautiful.... Very excited to watch mine grow... thanks for all the info....and chicks

 

[Hangtown Farms]

The fishing line did not work. My pretty icelandic hen got it today.


I may be able to tighten the line. I had him trapped in the pen for a moment but before I could get at him he got out. I am suprised. I had the line angle like a net and would of thought he would of got tangled but the line had to much give.
I am going to try the t posts with barbed wire every foot apart. he can try that if he likes.
this has been pretty devastating . I have the rest of my empordanesa and penedesenca and now my only 2 icelandic's locked in the coop with food and water.
There is no way to fully close the tops of my runs and with the big one being so big.

I left a message with the game warden up here. hoping to get a call back soon.
It was pretty lengthy but in a nut shell.
Please come get the hawk. I am trying to protect my flock at all costs. If you can not come get the hawk. Please send my fine for eliminating the hawk to ....
I put it nicely and was not harsh.
you have a right to protect your property and your business