First Egg! Questions on layer feed and egg storage?!

[SeaAggieShelby15]

Wow, congrats on your first egg!

I would just offer oyster shell on the side until ALL girls are laying. And you don't even have to switch to layer if you don't want. In fact Faverolles are dual purpose chickens and 16% protein may be too low long term as it's intended for light bodied layers like leghorn.

Because most of my birds are dual purpose in addition to having chicks, pullets, roosters, layers... I use flock raiser with 20% protein and offer oyster shell on the side. I never use layer. It (flock raiser) is acceptable for all my birds and simple to feed everyone the same.

Please note that laying is NOT effected by the cold... but the hormone that tells them to lay is effected by the amount of daylight hours. It just happens to get colder as we lose daylight. Girls coming into lay this time of year are often a little delayed. In fact, faverolle tend to be slower developing than other breeds, so that would be surprising to me if it was her that laid. Though ALL are individual and anything is possible! Everybody should have pullet sized eggs, though there may be occasion when they first start laying that they get double or triple yolkers from the reproductive system working out it's kinks. And those will seem huge! What other girls do you have?

We keep a tiny night light on for our 16 assorted hens and one night the bulb went out and our hens flipped completely out?? I furiously ran through my house to find another bulb then they selted down. Will this be sufficient in giving them enough light to continue to lay? Since daylight savings, I have no seen any reduction in their egg production.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

There's at least one study showing that 'One day at room temperature is the same as one week in the refrigerator". I'll go with the 'frig. Mary

I also saw that study, a loooong time ago... when grocers even used to get away with staking them on end caps and in center isle.

 

[jthornton]

We keep a tiny night light on for our 16 assorted hens and one night the bulb went out and our hens flipped completely out?? I furiously ran through my house to find another bulb then they selted down. Will this be sufficient in giving them enough light to continue to lay? Since daylight savings, I have no seen any reduction in their egg production.

Extra light should be given in the morning so they can roost in the natural way.

JT

 

[Folly's place]

I have a light on a timer, set for 4am to 8am, from fall to spring, so the birds get enough light to continue laying eggs all winter. Some do, and some do not, anyway. Mary

 

[lazy gardener]

What I wonder.. is with the float test, what are you really checking besides the size of the air pocket in the egg... which does NOT equal rotten. Not arguing here, just trying to learn also.

IMO, the float test is highly over rated. Wanna know if an egg is rotten? Crack it into a bowl, and give it the visual and the sniff test. Wanna know if an incubated egg is still alive? Candle it or wait an other 24 - 48 hours.

We keep a tiny night light on for our 16 assorted hens and one night the bulb went out and our hens flipped completely out?? I furiously ran through my house to find another bulb then they selted down. Will this be sufficient in giving them enough light to continue to lay? Since daylight savings, I have no seen any reduction in their egg production.

If your girls are in their first laying season, they may lay all winter for you, though at a reduced rate.

In theory, supplemental lighting to encourage laying should be: warm spectrum, bright enough that you COULD read a newspaper in the coop (though I don't know why you would want to!!! JK) and increase lighting during a 24 hour period to be consistently 14 hours/day. Adding a night light which stays on all night will mess with their melatonin production, not a good thing!

Here's a good article: http://www.poultryhub.org/physiology/body-systems/endocrine-system/