hi ppl
.
been following the forum for quite a while and i love it from the info to the people .
I have chickens, ducks, pot-bellied pigs and geese all in same pen and happy they all get along ; got acess to hosehold scraps and are let loose in my yard to eat grass and snails etc... chickens get indoor acess for laying eggs and their food.
i have read many threads and learned alot.
Like how to build a laying nest
Got some scrap wood from work went to store and saw one live, plus the images from the forum and that was the result
its not tilted because is summer but in winter i´ll tilt it so eggs dont get mud on them.
As you can see will have to do a nest for the ducks soon !!
Because ducks lay alot and chickens go brood just with the sight of it
HEHE
Bu then neither can hatch them because the duck is still laying while the bantams start haching them, i tried to remove the eggs but then the duck stoped laying so duck nest (closed box with small door)will be the solution i hope.
Someone should have pointed out that this nests can get even the commercial egg laying chickens to go brood something that i had never seen before!!!!!! nor wanted since i got the bantams just for that purpose.
here is my question (im bad at shortenig so sorry in advance for the long text).
2 years ago i bought some egg 3 laying chickens commercial kind ones and raised them with the meat(cornish) ones i bougth the same time ,eating the same food.
Five months later they started laying and the eggs where jumbo size and double yolk from the start no tiny eggs and then getting
i got a double yolk the second day they layed and from then on it was big eggs every time(and i almost can swear i got 2 eggs from same hen in one day more than once but i find that hard to believe) .
Since then i switched to natural feed less protein rich and double yolk stoped as intended since from what i had read in the forum to much protein could be the reason ; but size was still big.
Side note the hens are smaller than my bantams
they have more meat i think but from afar they look smaller.
After a year i bougth in the same store 3 more to eventually replace the other ones ; but i didnt wanted to wait/feed them 5 months for eggs so i bought the medium sized ones (small 5 months to lay / medium 3 months to lay /adult already laying or the next week) they came home and only got the natural feed the other ones where getting so they got less protein while they where growing.
Eventually they started laying but the eggs where small in comparison and darker shelled than the previous ones so i was disapointed and im trying to look for a reason.
I have since got laying hens feed and even oister shell but nothing changed in size, eggs just got harder shelled.
possibilities
1: since eggs have different colors they are from a different breed with smaller eggs?
2: the different feed they got from early age till laying age was the reason ?
3: gimme another i cant think of any more!!!!
should i try to get younger ones again? and raise them once more with my cornish?
Are australorp a good option to replace them ? i wouldnt mind having big eggs and meat!
been following the forum for quite a while and i love it from the info to the people .
I have chickens, ducks, pot-bellied pigs and geese all in same pen and happy they all get along ; got acess to hosehold scraps and are let loose in my yard to eat grass and snails etc... chickens get indoor acess for laying eggs and their food.
i have read many threads and learned alot.
Like how to build a laying nest
Got some scrap wood from work went to store and saw one live, plus the images from the forum and that was the result
its not tilted because is summer but in winter i´ll tilt it so eggs dont get mud on them.
As you can see will have to do a nest for the ducks soon !!
Because ducks lay alot and chickens go brood just with the sight of it
Bu then neither can hatch them because the duck is still laying while the bantams start haching them, i tried to remove the eggs but then the duck stoped laying so duck nest (closed box with small door)will be the solution i hope.
Someone should have pointed out that this nests can get even the commercial egg laying chickens to go brood something that i had never seen before!!!!!! nor wanted since i got the bantams just for that purpose.
here is my question (im bad at shortenig so sorry in advance for the long text).
2 years ago i bought some egg 3 laying chickens commercial kind ones and raised them with the meat(cornish) ones i bougth the same time ,eating the same food.
Five months later they started laying and the eggs where jumbo size and double yolk from the start no tiny eggs and then getting
i got a double yolk the second day they layed and from then on it was big eggs every time(and i almost can swear i got 2 eggs from same hen in one day more than once but i find that hard to believe) .
Since then i switched to natural feed less protein rich and double yolk stoped as intended since from what i had read in the forum to much protein could be the reason ; but size was still big.
Side note the hens are smaller than my bantams
After a year i bougth in the same store 3 more to eventually replace the other ones ; but i didnt wanted to wait/feed them 5 months for eggs so i bought the medium sized ones (small 5 months to lay / medium 3 months to lay /adult already laying or the next week) they came home and only got the natural feed the other ones where getting so they got less protein while they where growing.
Eventually they started laying but the eggs where small in comparison and darker shelled than the previous ones so i was disapointed and im trying to look for a reason.
I have since got laying hens feed and even oister shell but nothing changed in size, eggs just got harder shelled.
possibilities
1: since eggs have different colors they are from a different breed with smaller eggs?
2: the different feed they got from early age till laying age was the reason ?
3: gimme another i cant think of any more!!!!
should i try to get younger ones again? and raise them once more with my cornish?
Are australorp a good option to replace them ? i wouldnt mind having big eggs and meat!
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