Alright, I have a few questions about laying behavior for those of you who have more experience with chickens than myself. To begin with, I have a small flock of 11 chickens (6 cochins, 5 brahmas). They are currently four months old.
By the time that most of my hens are of laying age (presumably 24 weeks), it will be early September. Under normal circumstances (i.e. I won't be using artificial lighting), isn't this about the time that egg laying activity begins to slow down anyway? And as such, can I even expect my hens to lay this year?
If they will start laying this year, can I expect them to go broody at such a late point in the season? In other words, is broodiness season-dependent? And keep in mind, I do have cochins which are known for their tendecy to broodiness. If they do go broody in the Fall, is it advisable to let them hatch and rear chicks so late in the season (and at such a young age). Will they even attempt it? Will I have to intervene to stop them from attempting it? Presuming that my birds do go broody when they come into lay, are chicks born in the Fall less vigorous than those born in the Spring? If my birds go broody this Fall, would it be best to wait until the following Spring to allow them to rear chicks given the age of my hens (or for reasons of chick health, vigor, and viablity)?
And lastly, I've read that chickens usually molt in late summer/early fall. Is this true of chickens that are under a year old? It seems strange that birds under a year old would expend the energy to replace their feathers when those feathers are relatively new anyway. What I am getting at is this: should I expect my birds to molt this Fall given they are so young?
Thanks in advance to anyone who can shed some light on some of these questions for me.
- Scott
By the time that most of my hens are of laying age (presumably 24 weeks), it will be early September. Under normal circumstances (i.e. I won't be using artificial lighting), isn't this about the time that egg laying activity begins to slow down anyway? And as such, can I even expect my hens to lay this year?
If they will start laying this year, can I expect them to go broody at such a late point in the season? In other words, is broodiness season-dependent? And keep in mind, I do have cochins which are known for their tendecy to broodiness. If they do go broody in the Fall, is it advisable to let them hatch and rear chicks so late in the season (and at such a young age). Will they even attempt it? Will I have to intervene to stop them from attempting it? Presuming that my birds do go broody when they come into lay, are chicks born in the Fall less vigorous than those born in the Spring? If my birds go broody this Fall, would it be best to wait until the following Spring to allow them to rear chicks given the age of my hens (or for reasons of chick health, vigor, and viablity)?
And lastly, I've read that chickens usually molt in late summer/early fall. Is this true of chickens that are under a year old? It seems strange that birds under a year old would expend the energy to replace their feathers when those feathers are relatively new anyway. What I am getting at is this: should I expect my birds to molt this Fall given they are so young?
Thanks in advance to anyone who can shed some light on some of these questions for me.
- Scott
