Early Christmas present

[DylansMom]

How do you keep track? Is she the only hen in that pen?

Actually that year she was in with a 3 year old hen who was laying for the first time. The 3 yr. old is a white and her eggs were obviously smaller and a shade lighter in color. My Pied also lays eggs with calcium deposits on the shell, so there are little rough spots on her eggs and they are very clearly visible when you candle. Bottom line is I can always spot her eggs in a bunch, a lot of the others I cannot tell apart.

 

[thndrdancr]

Goodness, I am gonna have to tell my hens to kick it up! I have no idea how many mine lay since it's an adventure even finding the eggs in the late spring, but 20 I would say would be a very high estimate for any of my 5 laying peahens. (I don't count the juvenile or miss blind girl.

 

[KsKingBee]

Thanks Mindy, that is good to know. I have wondered how I might keep track of eggs and keeping four hens to a cock will make it difficult if at all possible. I have noticed differences in size, shape, color, and calcium deposits but never really knew if the hens were always laying the same size, shape, color or rough eggs consistently.

Last year I would watch the hens lay after evening feeding, so I could mark some of the eggs that I verified being laid. I am going to build dividers in my GQF but I will need to figure out a good banding system to keep better track of my chicks this year.

 

[thndrdancr]

You know,
Perhaps visually watching the males may stimulate as well. Your questions made me think of my blind cameo hen. She is probably 2 1/2 now but never squats. She literally does not understand what is happening when one of the males try to mate with her and panics. Now I would think this would be somewhat instinctual, but maybe it has a lot more to do with vision thAn we realize also??? I have to keep her away from the males or she tries to fly. Of course maybe she thinks it's a predator. I am able to pet or touch her back without her going into a panic though so it's something to ponder

 

[DylansMom]

Thanks Mindy, that is good to know. I have wondered how I might keep track of eggs and keeping four hens to a cock will make it difficult if at all possible. I have noticed differences in size, shape, color, and calcium deposits but never really knew if the hens were always laying the same size, shape, color or rough eggs consistently.

Last year I would watch the hens lay after evening feeding, so I could mark some of the eggs that I verified being laid. I am going to build dividers in my GQF but I will need to figure out a good banding system to keep better track of my chicks this year.

Yes, I need to come up with a way to mark newly hatched chicks. I used to put really tiny colored rubber bands on their legs, but last year they kept falling off. I lost a chick at 4 days old for no apparent reason, and I'm thinking it ate a rubber band and wasn't able to pass it. That Pied of mine has never to my knowledge laid an egg without the calcium deposits, some lay very perfect smooth eggs, but not her.

 

[KsKingBee]

Yes, I need to come up with a way to mark newly hatched chicks. I used to put really tiny colored rubber bands on their legs, but last year they kept falling off. I lost a chick at 4 days old for no apparent reason, and I'm thinking it ate a rubber band and wasn't able to pass it. That Pied of mine has never to my knowledge laid an egg without the calcium deposits, some lay very perfect smooth eggs, but not her.

We swore off the rubber bands after we found that some chicken chicks that outgrew their bands.

Not pretty to see the leg swell up and the band bury itself in the flesh.

They suffered no permanent damage, but their legs look pretty wanky. No matter which kind of band you use, care must be kept that the bird does not outgrow the band.

I use the plastic split rings, which I like because I can identify which bird I am looking at by the color code on one leg and the color on the other leg tells me what year hatch it is. The problem I have is I don't have a good code for what type and color the bird is. I did ring some with black and white rings, that tells me that bird is black shoulder white eye. Some have purple bands for purple, but that is pretty much as far as that went.

I know that wing bands are popular and I have a few birds from Brad Legg with them, but you have to catch them and read the numbers to know which bird it is and go check the written record to figure it out.

I sure hope someone can figure out a better system.

 

[KsKingBee]

Yes, I need to come up with a way to mark newly hatched chicks. I used to put really tiny colored rubber bands on their legs, but last year they kept falling off. I lost a chick at 4 days old for no apparent reason, and I'm thinking it ate a rubber band and wasn't able to pass it. That Pied of mine has never to my knowledge laid an egg without the calcium deposits, some lay very perfect smooth eggs, but not her.

We used those little flat split rings on the chicks but they fall off too, as a result we lost track of some of our chicks lineage.

OK, back to eggs.

Do you think that a hen that lays eggs with calcium deposits will have those deposits on every egg or just some or most?

Do you think that a hen that lays round eggs, will only lay round eggs or will the shape change?

Do you think that a hen that lays a certain color of egg, will be consistent in that color?

Do you think that diet changes the color?

If anyone has an opinion we would love to hear it!

 

[DylansMom]

We used those little flat split rings on the chicks but they fall off too, as a result we lost track of some of our chicks lineage.

OK, back to eggs.

Do you think that a hen that lays eggs with calcium deposits will have those deposits on every egg or just some or most?

Do you think that a hen that lays round eggs, will only lay round eggs or will the shape change?

Do you think that a hen that lays a certain color of egg, will be consistent in that color?

Do you think that diet changes the color?

If anyone has an opinion we would love to hear it!

My CBS hen is 19, I've had her since she was 12 weeks. She has always laid smallish eggs they are a nice tan color, usually no calcium deposits and always 5 at a time, when she was younger there would usually be a #6 that was roughly the size and shape of a ping pong ball. She has been consistent for the 17 or so years we have had her, this past year she was in with a BS hen who laid nice big eggs and I had no problem telling them apart even though they both laid in the same corner of the pen. The Silver hen that is Nanu's mom produces eggs that are a little less consistent, usually a med. size, but sometimes they are very smooth and other times a little rough. You have to take into consideration the fact that I have had years and years with many of my girls so I've gotten to know them and their eggs very well. You have a whole bunch of hens that are pretty much new to you. After 17 years of seeing them, I would bet you could identify a "Sweepea" egg from across the room. Most of mine seem to be consistent and and back in the day when the CBS was young she free ranged and going from that diet to a pen diet didn't change her eggs. My white hen, and I only have 1 white hen, lays the whitest smoothest eggs...no markings, spots, speckles, calcium deposits..nothing.

 

[Bill Matthews]

My CBS hen is 19, I've had her since she was 12 weeks. She has always laid smallish eggs they are a nice tan color, usually no calcium deposits and always 5 at a time, when she was younger there would usually be a #6 that was roughly the size and shape of a ping pong ball. She has been consistent for the 17 or so years we have had her, this past year she was in with a BS hen who laid nice big eggs and I had no problem telling them apart even though they both laid in the same corner of the pen. The Silver hen that is Nanu's mom produces eggs that are a little less consistent, usually a med. size, but sometimes they are very smooth and other times a little rough. You have to take into consideration the fact that I have had years and years with many of my girls so I've gotten to know them and their eggs very well. You have a whole bunch of hens that are pretty much new to you. After 17 years of seeing them, I would bet you could identify a "Sweepea" egg from across the room. Most of mine seem to be consistent and and back in the day when the CBS was young she free ranged and going from that diet to a pen diet didn't change her eggs. My white hen, and I only have 1 white hen, lays the whitest smoothest eggs...no markings, spots, speckles, calcium deposits..nothing.

Extraordinary chicken........19 years old...Laying 5 or six eggs at a time....Pure gold.....Breed her and fire up the Bator ASAP!

 

[DylansMom]

Extraordinary chicken........19 years old...Laying 5 or six eggs at a time....Pure gold.....Breed her and fire up the Bator ASAP!

She's actually a Cameo Black Shoulder Peahen, not a chicken. And when I say 5 or 6 at a time I am referring to clutch size.

A 19 year old chicken would be quite extraordinary, but Peafowl will live to 30 or more, so she is right on track for her species.

Welcome to the Peafowl section Bill!