I just recently (2 weeks ago) bought 5 NHR pullets from a hatchery/chicken farm in CT. Well I bought them from my neighbor who went and got 20 of them, 5 being for me. He didn't tell me how old they are. They are huge compared to my 8 week old chicks and look full grown or nearly there. How old are the normally sold ready to lay pullets? I'm just trying to figure out how long of a wait I'm in for before I find that ever special first egg...
It all depends on the breed but generally point of lay pullets are 18 - 20 weeks old. having come to you and being in a new place they may not lay for a while or they may start to lay tomorrow, next week or 2 months from now. Moving hens can put them off. Feed them well and TLC and getting used to a new home and you'll get eggs from them. I do hope you have them separated as far away from your 8 week old as possible? Quarrentine is VERY important when bringing in older chickens. Please read this thread https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=30851
I do hope you have them separated as far away from your 8 week old as possible? I have to admit that I didn't seperate the birds like I NOW know I should have. As much as I knew that I should have quarentined if I bought from say joe shmoe's flock down the road, I figured, dumbly, that I was safe because they came from a locally well know hatchery with a great reputation. I now know MUCH differently. You live, you learn right? I have been watching them like hawks for any signs of anything so lets just hope and pray that I didn't sign a death sentance for my flock with these girls. The other thing I wonder with quarentining (didn't spell that right I don't think) is when you say "as far as possible" whats the minimum space apart we're talking? I'd like to know for down the road because I only have one really good (largeish) area for my chickens and ducks due to my having horrible neighbors who are sneaky and deceptive and spy-like, not to mention vulgar and hate all animals and children! So I don't have many different places to quarentine a bunch of new birds, should I ever do this again (which I doubt)... I could make a quentine area if I should ever need one about 100-200 feet away from my current coop, is that too close? I think I'll stick with day old chicks from here on out just to be safe.. Do you also have to quarentine chicks that you've hatched yourself I wonder? Anyway, Thanks Miss Prissy for the response. I rushed into this whole chicken thing like a kid in a candy store at first and I certainly am learning from this forum!
No need to separate out your own chicks you hatch. With adult birds put as much space between them and your existing flock as possible. If you have to put some in the front yard to keep them as far away as possible from the others do it. I do not bring adult birds into my flock. It is not a risk I am willing to take. Mosby and Bonnie were 12 weeks old when I brought them in and I kept them in a completely different coop from the others. They still are. All of my new chicks are brooded near them because Mosby and his off spring are being groomed for my own private flock stock breeders. The other hens here are strictly for laying eggs for eating.
Yeah I honestly think I will follow suit and not bring any other adults in again... I only got these girls because I was always buying eggs from the neighbor who "sold" them to me and we got to talking about him needing new birds because his flock got taken out by foxes, so he was like "You're going to be waiting forever with those chicks you've got, when you could have eggs for your family in just a few weeks with these older ones" at the time it sounded like a great idea... I didn't second guess him because he's been buying from them for over 20 years and at one point had almost 1000 chickens and was running a business so I just sort of trusted his judgement without question. There lies my first mistake. Now I'm just hoping I got lucky with the new chicken roulette and didn't bring anything nasty in and I certainly have learned since then. I even have one of my 8 week old marans right now who have been coughing and sneezing on and off for 3 days with absolutely no other symptoms, the sneezing/coughing/clearing throat noise comes in short bursts, sometimes only 2-3 times a day. She's the only one and I have her very isolated in a large cat carrier away from my coop and my brooders. She's also making differrent noises, like big chicken bhoking all of a sudden... I have no idea what's up with her but I'm watching it VERY close, she's eating and drinking great, poo is normal, is not lethargic at all. I posted about her on the illness/emergency/cure area a couple days ago but haven't heard from anyone. Anyway, thanks again!
