- Dec 6, 2010
- 48
- 3
- 34
Hi
I have a flock of 7 chooks. Two RIRs who are laying well a couple of weeks into their second season, two pekins, one of which has started laying nice little eggs..they are in their third season, a silkie/amercana bantie and two BAs who are proving to be a bit of a let down. They should be coming into their second season of laying after the winter, and I was hoping it would be more productive than their first.
They were late spring hatched two years ago. They didn't start laying till around 30 weeks and then were sporadic and both laid very thin shelled enormous double yolkers. They would lay them in all sorts of places until I decided they needed to stay penned up for most of the day, then they started using the nest boxes but i was constantly cleaning out broken thin shelled eggs from the boxes. messy and annoying to say the least. I hoped they would hit their stride over winter and start laying consistently decent eggs while the others took a break - everyone says how BAs are such excellent winter layers.. but nothing! Then today I get a broken soggy mess in the nest. I'm not sure if it broke when she laid it or when one of the bantams (who is bent on going broody) hopped on it, but again, after a long winter break thin shell and big mess.
I can't work out why this is happening, they get the same diet as my other chickens (layer pellets with a bit of diatom added + free ranging time and scraps) and they all seem to lay good strong shelled eggs. They are in good health as far as I can tell, their coop is clean and checked for mites etc regularly, they are allowed ample foraging time..
I was threatening them with the pot if they didn't start laying within two weeks of the RIRs, and now one has but its a bit useless to me and I don't know how I can fix it if at all.. wondering if i should just get rid of them, perhaps my BAs are just duds?
Any ideas?
I have a flock of 7 chooks. Two RIRs who are laying well a couple of weeks into their second season, two pekins, one of which has started laying nice little eggs..they are in their third season, a silkie/amercana bantie and two BAs who are proving to be a bit of a let down. They should be coming into their second season of laying after the winter, and I was hoping it would be more productive than their first.
They were late spring hatched two years ago. They didn't start laying till around 30 weeks and then were sporadic and both laid very thin shelled enormous double yolkers. They would lay them in all sorts of places until I decided they needed to stay penned up for most of the day, then they started using the nest boxes but i was constantly cleaning out broken thin shelled eggs from the boxes. messy and annoying to say the least. I hoped they would hit their stride over winter and start laying consistently decent eggs while the others took a break - everyone says how BAs are such excellent winter layers.. but nothing! Then today I get a broken soggy mess in the nest. I'm not sure if it broke when she laid it or when one of the bantams (who is bent on going broody) hopped on it, but again, after a long winter break thin shell and big mess.
I can't work out why this is happening, they get the same diet as my other chickens (layer pellets with a bit of diatom added + free ranging time and scraps) and they all seem to lay good strong shelled eggs. They are in good health as far as I can tell, their coop is clean and checked for mites etc regularly, they are allowed ample foraging time..
I was threatening them with the pot if they didn't start laying within two weeks of the RIRs, and now one has but its a bit useless to me and I don't know how I can fix it if at all.. wondering if i should just get rid of them, perhaps my BAs are just duds?
Any ideas?
