Cream Legbars

[SlipsWife]

All our hens have slowed down the last week or so, with no real 'obvious' signs of molting. I was leaning towards it being an adjustment to the heat, we are already in the mid/upper 90's going into triple digits over the next few days. I'm hoping once they adjust to the heat, they will pick back up. Ironically, our CL girls actually seem to be laying better than our Turken, which makes no sense to me. She could possibly be molting since we haven't seen an egg from her in over a week but again, she's not being obvious about it. We had a partridge Plymouth rock that molted and looked horrible, so maybe I'm not catching the signs of more subtle molts.

 

[TherryChicken]

Liam got de-spurred two days ago.  It cut them back quite a bit to where they were only about 1-1/2" long with an exacto-knife about a 9 months ago and they have grown about an inch since then.  This time I got the pliers out and did twisted them off.  I would guess 2 to 2-1/2 years old on Keket's Rooster.

Note:  The first spur came off with out any blood at all.  The 2nd was not as clean and bleed a lot.  Next time I will try the potato method to see if I can get both to come off with out any bleeding. Yes, I have him isolated in a rooster hutch so that the hens don't hinder his recovery.


Yes,  I was getting and average of 3 eggs a day from my breeding pen of five (5) hens until I left town two weeks to go to the Western Regional CLB Club activity.  When I got back I was down to one egg every other day.  I am not sure what is going on.  I would suspect that they went into a forced summer molt due to change in feed or lack of water one of the days while I was gone only the two Black Copper Marans hens in that pen are still giving be 10 eggs a week between the two of them.  I am not too worried though.  They are all healthy and proven layers.  I am sure they will be back on line in 4-6 weeks and should be laying well at the end of the summer when some of the other flocks decide that it is too hot to lay eggs and take their paid vacation.  I have 5 CLB hens laying flocks, and they are all still laying great. 

My last hatch (and last of the year...yeah). Had incubation temperatures of 104 degs during the day and cooled down to 99.4 at night (it is in an out building that is not cooled and gets really hot during the day with 2-3 incubators running as well and a wine cooler for storing hatching eggs and heat lamps for a few brooders.  The hatch resulted in a 50/50 split between pullets and cockerels (at least for the Cream Legars and black-sex links, I am not sure what the one Blue Breda that hatched is).  The hatchrate was fairly decent too, so I don't think that the high temp was much of a problem for the hatch (not that I could have done much if it was since I agreed not to hatch in the house any more).

im not getting eggs at all from 5 hens.

 

[TherryChicken]

My 2 1/2 year old CL is still giving me an egg a day.  I don't know how she does it.  The eggs are generally about 1.9 ounces though so they are just short of size large.  My preference is for a daily egg even if it is smaller - rather than every-other-day -- very large egg.  One CL is about an every-other-day layer now thought - she will be 2 in October.

But now that GaryDean26 mentions molt...my roosters seem to be depositing their wing feathers on the ground - so perhaps it is a molt in your flock.

Talking about molting -- isn't a fast-feathering chicken considered more productive because she goes through the molt faster and gets back to work?  Would this have anything to do with the K gene?  If you want to have super neat/tidy barring - then you want slow-feathering - am I right?  But if you want a get back to work quick hen- you want fast feathering....
any viewpoints on this?

no molting here

 

[Ashdoes]

We have five hens as well. Some days I get one, most days three and about three times a month I get five eggs. The warmer it gets, the less they seem to want to do. Although, these Creams are such big foragers, that they've got the rest of the flock out way more then last year. I swear, Cochins are the laziest I've seen, even next to Silkies, but they're out a lot more now with a Cream Roo.
I'm hoping when I transition back to a Cochin breeding flock, our leftover Creams keep them active. I wish one of the Creams would go broody, so she could raise a Cochin Roo for me, and teach him from the start to be outside more.

 

[TherryChicken]

We have five hens as well. Some days I get one, most days three and about three times a month I get five eggs. The warmer it gets, the less they seem to want to do. Although, these Creams are such big foragers, that they've got the rest of the flock out way more then last year. I swear, Cochins are the laziest I've seen, even next to Silkies, but they're out a lot more now with a Cream Roo.
I'm hoping when I transition back to a Cochin breeding flock, our leftover Creams keep them active. I wish one of the Creams would go broody, so she could raise a Cochin Roo for me, and teach him from the start to be outside more.

thats not good for us.. we need layers.

 

[ChicKat]

no molting here

Just a general question - do you deworm your chickens? Sometimes, especially where it is hot like TX - it can make a difference. I use a cattle pour on 'Cydectin' - kind of just do it on a regular schedule (3-4 times a year) - like when we give the dogs a heart-worm pill (every month).

I know in the heat my chickens generally eat less... But it does sound like several others are having a slow-down in egg production...
And your hens are young right? My little old EE is pretty much dropping out of the laying force and she will only be 3 in September....but I think her laying days are coming to an end....

 

[TherryChicken]

Just a general question - do you deworm your chickens?  Sometimes, especially where it is hot like TX - it can make a difference.  I use a cattle pour on 'Cydectin' - kind of just do it on a regular schedule (3-4 times a year) - like when we give the dogs a heart-worm pill (every month).  

I know in the heat my chickens generally eat less... But it does sound like several others are having a slow-down in egg production...  
And your hens are young right?  My little old EE is pretty much dropping out of the laying force and she will only be 3 in September....but I think her laying days are coming to an end....

they are mature, yes they have been dewormed and tKen care of for parasites.

 

[ChicKat]

they are mature, yes they have been dewormed and tKen care of for parasites.

I hope that you do find out what it is---and then post back to let everyone know -- Hope you find out.

 

[TherryChicken]

I hope that you do find out what it is---and then post back to let everyone know -- Hope you find out.  

I know if they go somewhere else they will lay.

 

[Coupe de Ville]

Hoping have landed in the proper spot... already posted once in the wrong spot -

I have a crazy request... I raise Jersey Giants and am a sucker for Blue Eggs...
I have a broody hen and an incubator full of what seem to be dud Blue Giant eggs -we are 3 days past what should be hatch date and this is not my first time hatching so I think the shipment went bad

I am am searching for chicks to give my Jersey Giant Hen to raise and want blue egg layers. See I told you this was a crazy request!

Anyone - any place near Antioch, CA with Cream Legbar chicks for sale? My husband dis-likes the Americauna's voices so I thought I would perhaps give Cream Legbars a try! I have a friend with one or 2 Cream Leg bars and they do have some lovely blue eggs. I won't be raising them (Legbars... we raise Giants!), just want the blue eggs for personal use and my egg customers love the blues too!

To clarify, would like chicks 4 or 5 females for egg laying only. Let me know if you can help bail out my poor broody hen! Thanks!