California - Northern

[juststruttin]

Yes!

There was a promotion recently with the Golden Feather membership. If I bought a year, I could give six months to someone.

Golden Feather is worth the cost.

I totally agree and its nice to support BYC which is such a great resource.

 

[juststruttin]

I put up an add in the BST section and put my website in there and they PMd me with the rules....oops

You can post in your ad to see website for more photos and people know to go to your profile to get link to your site.

FYI, I just went to your profile and it looks like the link to your website may have a typo. Is your site: Gracefulchicken? Cuz it is written Garcefulchicken.

 

[juststruttin]

My Marans are laying almost every day too. They've just reached POL

Age is key. I have found that birds that reach POL right before Fall usually lay well in the fall-winter; and the hens that laid heavy all spring and summer usually take the fall off and start up again in mid winter (Jan/Feb).

My basque hens are a perfect example. The pullets were good layers last fall-winter and continued laying well through spring and summer. Then they came to a screeching halt this fall (November). They are just now starting back up in mid Jan. They basically took 2 to 2.5 months off. I am very happy with their overall production considering I averaged 5-6 eggs a day from my 7 girls for months. It is important to consider the overall picture when evaluating production.

You also need to factor in time for them to go broody, and molt. Last year my Barnies seemed to be the perfect storm. As soon as they started laying again, they went broody and as soon as they got off the nest they molted. I am hoping my POL pullets will be better performers this year. Fall/Winter production has a lot to do when your birds hatched and where they are in their laying cycle.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote: I have business cards, tatoo's and bumper stickers - but no badges.

Are you going to the Stockton Show? I'll be there.

 

[Hangtown Farms]

@Hangtown Farms
I trying to learn more about the U of A blue's. How is the egg production of these besides they look just like a silver ameraucana's eggs?

they lay very well. Everyone up here was slow this winter but with longer days everyone should start up again soon.
I never did a proper count on how many but seem like it was close or the same to a leghorn

 

[lawatt]

re: Marans, my two cuckoo hens have been slow to get back to laying, after molting & what weird excuse we have for winter this year -- one has JUST started again, but her eggs are huge!

and the one birchen marans that's old enough to lay has been very regular, probably 5-6/week (i haven't kept careful track), and much darker than the cuckoos -- and SUCH beautiful birds. another birchen is looking close to POL, yay!

 

[farmhand]

Age is key. I have found that birds that reach POL right before Fall usually lay well in the fall-winter; and the hens that laid heavy all spring and summer usually take the fall off and start up again in mid winter (Jan/Feb).

Interesting management technique to keep eggs flowing all year. If you place hens together that start on different laying cycles, would they begin to sync their laying cycles over time?

 

[Hangtown Farms]

Age is key. I have found that birds that reach POL right before Fall usually lay well in the fall-winter; and the hens that laid heavy all spring and summer usually take the fall off and start up again in mid winter (Jan/Feb).

My basque hens are a perfect example. The pullets were good layers last fall-winter and continued laying well through spring and summer. Then they came to a screeching halt this fall (November). They are just now starting back up in mid Jan. They basically took 2 to 2.5 months off. I am very happy with their overall production considering I averaged 5-6 eggs a day from my 7 girls for months. It is important to consider the overall picture when evaluating production.

You also need to factor in time for them to go broody, and molt. Last year my Barnies seemed to be the perfect storm. As soon as they started laying again, they went broody and as soon as they got off the nest they molted. I am hoping my POL pullets will be better performers this year. Fall/Winter production has a lot to do when your birds hatched and where they are in their laying cycle.

me too. My U of A did this The silvers a little too. The Black Penedesenca where roughly the same age but stet a few weeks later usually and they just started to lay a week ago . I got a few eggs in the fall from them though

 

[ronott1]

Interesting management technique to keep eggs flowing all year. If you place hens together that start on different laying cycles, would they begin to sync their laying cycles over time?

No. Each hen will lay eggs according to her schedule. For daily laying, the average is 24 hours but there is an up and down average so some hens lay every 22 hours and other lay every 25 hours. Molting is never synced.

After the first year though, they will molt in the Fall to winter. They will molt more often as the get older too so an older hen may molt two or three times a year.

 

[ronott1]

re: Marans, my two cuckoo hens have been slow to get back to laying, after molting & what weird excuse we have for winter this year -- one has JUST started again, but her eggs are huge!

and the one birchen marans that's old enough to lay has been very regular, probably 5-6/week (i haven't kept careful track), and much darker than the cuckoos -- and SUCH beautiful birds. another birchen is looking close to POL, yay!

My Blue Marans molted out and began laying very large egg this year too. She is two years old now and lays 3 to 4 Jumbo eggs a week. They barely fit in the egg cartons.

Gotta love those eggs!