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Oh dear
again I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but you're in the wrong breed if you're looking for a sweet, loving, maternal little broody. You should have gotten into Silkies, or Cochins. It is highly unlikely that you'll ever get one of your hens to go broody. I've just never heard of it, or at least not as a general rule, and if they do they won't stay that way, they'll abandon the nest or they'll fail to raise the chicks if they would happen to manage to sit the nest; they just don't make moms. Sorry
As far as laying is concerned, some of that may depend on where you're located. If you got chicks in March or April, you might be able to expect them to lay in November if you lived in So. California or the South someplace where it is warm and they can stay outside, but for the most part it is totally dependent on the amount of daylight. If you provide artificial light you can force them to start laying in the fall because they are in truth old enough, it's just that the season isn't right. Many hens born in the spring, unless they are egg machines, won't lay until the following year just because of the number of hours of light in the day. I had a couple of day old mid-March pullets that didn't start laying until this January. However, the second that the days began to lengthen, they began to lay. I live in OHIO! The weather has been a nightmare here, bitter cold, snow up to your Adams-apple, but they started to lay and they really cranked 'em out, one a day - until I sold them a week ago.
teddiliza, I see that you've got one a hen that is acting broody. Good luck! and keep us posted. She will be a VERY unusual hen if she sets her eggs and also a hen that you would want to continue to breed to and encourage that line. What I am trying to say is, hang on to the babies and watch how they do also. Do any of the hens from her exhibit broodiness? Broodiness is an inherited trait and if in fact she would happen to succeed in setting and raising chicks (I'm sceptical), but IF she does you would want to hang on to those babies and try to encourage that trait in your line.
Of course all of this is IMHO
Oh dear
As far as laying is concerned, some of that may depend on where you're located. If you got chicks in March or April, you might be able to expect them to lay in November if you lived in So. California or the South someplace where it is warm and they can stay outside, but for the most part it is totally dependent on the amount of daylight. If you provide artificial light you can force them to start laying in the fall because they are in truth old enough, it's just that the season isn't right. Many hens born in the spring, unless they are egg machines, won't lay until the following year just because of the number of hours of light in the day. I had a couple of day old mid-March pullets that didn't start laying until this January. However, the second that the days began to lengthen, they began to lay. I live in OHIO! The weather has been a nightmare here, bitter cold, snow up to your Adams-apple, but they started to lay and they really cranked 'em out, one a day - until I sold them a week ago.
teddiliza, I see that you've got one a hen that is acting broody. Good luck! and keep us posted. She will be a VERY unusual hen if she sets her eggs and also a hen that you would want to continue to breed to and encourage that line. What I am trying to say is, hang on to the babies and watch how they do also. Do any of the hens from her exhibit broodiness? Broodiness is an inherited trait and if in fact she would happen to succeed in setting and raising chicks (I'm sceptical), but IF she does you would want to hang on to those babies and try to encourage that trait in your line.
Of course all of this is IMHO
