How early can Deathlayer lay?

[TinyRaptorDodos]

I looked it up and it says 18-22wks but my girls are 13wks and laying…
Yakul specifically, not her sister yet. I am positive it is hers, I’ve spotted her in the nest boxes and the only other white layer I have is my bantam but she lays much bigger then this(also somewhere in the woods)

 

[FrostRanger]

That's extremely early for any chicken. Idk why she started so early, but 13 1/2 weeks is atypical for any breed, even early maturing production breeds. Nothing to be done about it, but I would not breed her in case she passes that onto her daughters as it's not good for them to start so early

 

[TinyRaptorDodos]

That's extremely early for any chicken. Idk why she started so early, but 13 1/2 weeks is atypical for any breed, even early maturing production breeds. Nothing to be done about it, but I would not breed her in case she passes that onto her daughters as it's not good for them to start so early

Do you think her crossed with slow maturing genes would result in safe chicks? I don’t do pure breeding yet. I don’t have the setup.
I thought so, I’m worried she will end up egg bound… I’ll just keep an extra close eye on her behavior and belly. She’s already bigger than my bantam hen

 

[FrostRanger]

Not sure, I'm no expert in genetics. If you were to breed her though, that would be the only way I'd do it but I'd still be very leery
Pullets who lay that early do have an increased risk of production problems, but it's not a death sentence. It's entirely possible she'll live a long normal life with no issues. Still, it's definitely advisable to keep a closer watch on her

 

[TinyRaptorDodos]

Not sure, I'm no expert in genetics. If you were to breed her though, that would be the only way I'd do it but I'd still be very leery
Pullets who lay that early do have an increased risk of production problems, but it's not a death sentence. It's entirely possible she'll live a long normal life with no issues. Still, it's definitely advisable to keep a closer watch on her

I’m mostly worried I won’t be able to tell her, Teto’s, Prismo’s and Dutch’s (her sister, my Deathlayer mix and my white layer) eggs apart in the future and accidentally breed her

Thank you, I’ll do that

 

[FrostRanger]

It certainly can be hard when you have multiple birds that lay the same color
What I'd suggest is attempt to find subtle differences between their eggs if they exist (the don't always) or when you're gathering eggs to brood, keep her in a separate area while everyone is laying. That way, you'll know for certain that none of the eggs are hers

 

[TinyRaptorDodos]

It certainly can be hard when you have multiple birds that lay the same color
What I'd suggest is attempt to find subtle differences between their eggs if they exist (the don't always) or when you're gathering eggs to brood, keep her in a separate area while everyone is laying. That way, you'll know for certain that none of the eggs are hers

I might end up just dripping some natural food coloring on her vent every night/morning when collecting eggs for hatching… I’m fairly good with telling my brown and blue eggs apart but white is especially hard

 

[FrostRanger]

Good idea! Forgot about food coloring