girls of age?

[sherrihargrove]

i have a white wyandotte and a possible americauna. they are both going to be six months old friday. no eggs yet. wondering if the rooster is stressing them out?

 

[keesmom]

They will start laying when they are ready. The shortening days don't help (I am assuming you are not in Australia/NZ). My EEs just started laying 3 weeks ago and they are 7 months old. It is possible they may not start until January when day length increases again.

 

[CSAcitizen]

Chickens do not begin to lay before 6-7 months old. Some wait until they are 8 months old - depends on the breed. Orpingtons take a year to begin to lay, but they are more a meat bird then an egg layer. If wondered if you have an Aracona hen. Look at the legs - if they are greenish, its's an Aracona.
IF legs are whitish, it's most likely a Brown Leghorn. Your first eggs will be what I've always called them for over 60 years - a pee-wee egg. Actually I like them better - all that great nutrition and perfect protein in a tiny package - but they usually only last for a week or two then the eggs get bigger. I only use Flock Raiser because it's a natural feed with no arsenic or medications in them. I have all natural organic eggs and chickens. The Rooster is not a problem unless he is an extra rough one that hurts the hens. It's rare but sometimes a rough Rooster will slice a hens sides (capon them) with his spikes and that is not good. But as I said it's rare. I have many Roosters , but that is not good either because they gang up on a hen and can wear her out to the point she will die after a period of time like that. So one or two Roosters is well enough, according to how many hens you have. Usually one Rooster takes care of 15-25 hens. But hens like to have a man around the house, and it makes them feel safer and they eat better, which means they will lay better. Keep FRESH clean water in front of them 24/7. Feed should be available around the clock too.

 

[Illia]

Um, no. Green legs does not mean it's an Araucana. True Araucanas are very rare, you'd have to selectively find a breeder for them and make sure you know what you're looking for. They aren't found at hatcheries or feed stores, and don't have tails or those fluffy beards under their beaks. Also, roosters aren't as dangerous and risky and gang-like as stated, either. I doubt your rooster is to blame for egg laying problems. They're just young is all.

Pullets can lay anywhere from 6 months to over a year old. It's dependent on the lineage, not the breed. For example my hatchery Polish have began laying at 6 months, whereas my Tolbunt Polish have started at a year, sometimes older. As stated previous it is true that the shortened days do in fact slow a pullet's needs to lay down, so even a young gal coming of age might hold off for a little longer. Don't worry though, they'll lay, it's still early. I highly doubt the rooster is to blame. Consider that breeding stock at hatcheries live in small enclosed areas with TONS of roosters and just as many hens in a highly stressful situation and yet they still play plenty enough to give the number of chicks per year that hatcheries sell. Also, they're the same stock that you buy, so, what people end up raising lays just as much under just the same stress that the hatcheries have.

 

[Michael OShay]

Aracona hen. Look at the legs - if they are greenish, its's an Aracona.

If the legs are greenish, it's definitely not an Araucana, but an Easter Egger. Easter Eggers are hybrids produced by hatcheries to lay eggs in colors other than just blue (olive, green, beige, and sometimes even pale pink or gold). These hatcheries frequently and incorrectly market their Easter Eggers under the labels Araucana or Ameraucana (which have slate blue legs). No major hatchery sells true Araucanas, which have tailless rumps, and the only one that sells true Ameraucanas is Meyer Hatchery (they sell Blue Ameraucanas). There is a good article explaining the difference between Araucanas, Ameraucanas, and Easter Eggers at http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/09/ameraucana-easter-egger-or-araucana.html.

 

[Illia]

In all honesty Araucanas do have green legs, but still - Definitely not an Araucana.

 

[CSAcitizen]

I've had Aracana chickens for longer then you most likely have been on Earth, but the "Easter Egg" hybrid is a much newer breed and they have never sold them in my area. Only Aracana and they have greenish legs, not blue. They have NEVER had blue legs in all the years I've had them. The hen herself can be many colors, but he legs are all the same greenish color. I wish they had some Easter Eggers but so far they have never had them here. Aracana's are good layers too. I'm a 5th generation Chicken rancher. Been doing it since I was 2 and the Roosters were bigger then I was. NO kidding. I had to use a stick to keep the Roosters away every day to collect the eggs. That was my job when I was two. I'm 70 now and still a Chicken Rancher. I have a couple of pure Rhode Island Reds that give me a lavender pink egg - very pretty. In all my years Never had that before the past few years.

 

[Michael OShay]

I've had Aracana chickens for longer then you most likely have been on Earth, but the "Easter Egg" hybrid is a much newer breed and they have never sold them in my area. Only Aracana and they have greenish legs, not blue. They have NEVER had blue legs in all the years I've had them. The hen herself can be many colors, but he legs are all the same greenish color. I wish they had some Easter Eggers but so far they have never had them here. Aracana's are good layers too. I'm a 5th generation Chicken rancher. Been doing it since I was 2 and the Roosters were bigger then I was. NO kidding. I had to use a stick to keep the Roosters away every day to collect the eggs. That was my job when I was two. I'm 70 now and still a Chicken Rancher. I have a couple of pure Rhode Island Reds that give me a lavender pink egg - very pretty. In all my years Never had that before the past few years.

Actually, I need to correct myself. Araucanas can have green legs, so can Easter Eggers. Slate Blue is the standard required for Ameraucanas alone. You have been raising Araucanas longer than I've been on earth, but not by much. I've been raising chickens myself for the past 50 years (no Araucanas though, but lots of EEs along with dozens of other breeds and hybrids), and I wasn't born raising them, so I'm no spring chicken myself. )