We have several of our hens whose combs and wattles have gone very red and are quite prominant. Can anyone tell me about how long after they change colors before they should start laying eggs?? They are 17 weeks old. Also, at what age should we switch them to layer pellets?? Thanks for the help!! Steffanie
I was hoping sometime back that folks would post a before/after of the reddening of the combs. Would you happen to have any photos? We switched to layer at 17 weeks for convenience (it would have involved buying another 50# bag of grower we knew we would not make a dent in). After the red...a month or less???
I have some dominique hens that have not changed much yet. I will take a picture of them tomorrow along with the ones that have changed. Also, the same with my buff orp's. All my sex links have changed though. Thanks for the info on the feed.
For my EE, it was approximately 3 weeks after I noticed her comb and face got really red. She just laid her first egg this Monday! She's a smidge past 4 months old. I also noticed about the same time her comb got redder that she became much more vocal. In fact she's the only one in the whole flock of 23 that makes any loud noises. She was also not friendly before, and now she squats when I go to pet her, and she's much friendlier. Hope this helps. Ruth
my banty cochin's comb didnt grow much at all when she first laid her eggs. (shes only laid 2 so far) tonight when i locked them up i saw her comb in the shadows and it has grown... so i guess she laid before her comb grew? anyways, i hope this will be helpful, this was the day i found her second egg, as you can see her comb isnt that large. however it was a teeny bit smaller a week and half before she started laying.
Thanx Rosyposyosy for posting a pic. I'm trying to figure out what folks mean when they speak of the 'reddening' of the comb. Mine are 19 weeks and their combs are the same color they've always been, pinkish.
Mine vary. Some breeds lay later than others, so you may notice their combs redden overnight. My partridge rocks, barred rock and one of my RIRs are really starting to get dark. They are around 16 weeks.