How Many Eggs Did You Get Today?

[pennyJo1960]

I think the Americana bantam cross is 8 months old the Buff orpington (?)is either 5 months or 18 months, I was told she hatched in July. She is the one who has laid 5 eggs and then quit. They are out side many hours a day and stay in the house at night. Is that what you were referring to when you asked about a daylight for them. They free range in my yard and garden most of the day light hours.

light in the coop is what I meant actually the fact they free range they may have a nest in hiding look around but could also be just the shorter days

 

[Ellies Egg Basket]

light in the coop is what I meant actually the fact they free range they may have a nest in hiding look around but could also be just the shorter days

Hmmm, I thought that they needed complete darkness at night. So I covered the windows and turn the light off at around 6:00 or 10:00 depending on how tired they seem to be. Can chickens sleep with the light on? I made nests in nesting boxes and put store bought eggs in the nests. We will see if that helps. The Buff Orpington seems interested in the nests and the eggs. She sat in the nest for a while with the egg under her. I guess it could be the shorter days, The Bantam/ Americana, who is pictured on my post doesn't seem interested in eggs or nests. Oh, well I'll just keep waiting. What else to do.

 

[Ellies Egg Basket]

light in the coop is what I meant actually the fact they free range they may have a nest in hiding look around but could also be just the shorter days

Hmmm, I thought that they needed complete darkness at night. So I covered the windows and turn the light off at around 6:00 or 10:00 depending on how tired they seem to be. Can chickens sleep with the light on? I made nests in nesting boxes and put store bought eggs in the nests. We will see if that helps. The Buff Orpington seems interested in the nests and the eggs. She sat in the nest for a while with the egg under her. I guess it could be the shorter days, The Bantam/ Americana, who is pictured on my post doesn't seem interested in eggs or nests. Oh, well I'll just keep waiting. What else to do.

 

[bruceha2000]

First I wouldn't put store bought eggs (assuming you mean from the egg section of the grocery store) in the nest, they will rot there and you really don't want to find that broken in the nest. Any "egg" may be an encouragement. Some put in golf balls, or buy somewhat expensive wooden or ceramic eggs. I use mismatched plastic easter eggs with some small rocks inside (tape it shut) so they "feel" like real eggs.

To force winter laying the commonly accepted number of hours of light is 14. That means you need to add light such that they have light 14 hours a day, that still leaves 10 hours of darkness. Red wavelengths are presumably related to laying and you don't want to use fluorescent lights. At least that is my understanding.

If the one is actually 18 months old, she has likely gone through her first adult moult and shut down for the winter. If hatched this July, they may not be mature enough to lay yet and may wait for late winter.

 

[Ellies Egg Basket]

First I wouldn't put store bought eggs (assuming you mean from the egg section of the grocery store) in the nest, they will rot there and you really don't want to find that broken in the nest. Any "egg" may be an encouragement. Some put in golf balls, or buy somewhat expensive wooden or ceramic eggs. I use mismatched plastic easter eggs with some small rocks inside (tape it shut) so they "feel" like real eggs.

To force winter laying the commonly accepted number of hours of light is 14. That means you need to add light such that they have light 14 hours a day, that still leaves 10 hours of darkness. Red wavelengths are presumably related to laying and you don't want to use fluorescent lights. At least that is my understanding.

If the one is actually 18 months old, she has likely gone through her first adult moult and shut down for the winter. If hatched this July, they may not be mature enough to lay yet and may wait for late winter.

Thank you for explaining the light, I do leave the light on sometimes, I think it is florescent spiral bulb, probably not the best and also dim. I tried plastic Easter eggs but didn't put rocks to weight them, I'll try that.Some how I thought I would save money and have better eggs if I raised chickens. So far it has cost more than expected, and there is a lot of things I don't know yet. I am learning a lot. The chickens are amusing, they do the funniest things. I do hope with longer days they do lay eggs. Thank you for your help.

 

[bruceha2000]

Given the price of battery cage eggs at the store (other than when they killed huge flocks in the midwest due to Avian Flu a year or so back) you'll never save money raising a few chickens for eggs.

By my calculation, my eggs cost me ~ $2.20/dozen and that does NOT include any costs to convert the barn stall to a coop. They do get Black Oil Sunflower Seed (BOSS) in the morning and scratch grains before roost time, those are "unnecessary" expenses if I were to have chickens for purely commercial purposes. And that cost could be lower if I stuck to the really good layers like sexlinks, Leghorns, Rhode Island Reds and Black Australorps. I do have 2 BAs and 2 White Rocks that are very good layers, but I also have other breeds for variety and they aren't the 5-6 a week breeds but they still eat every day.

When they become non productive, they go on "social security" and live for free, I have two 5 year old Faverolles that have never been very good layers and barely laid this year at all. And a 5 Y/O Ancona whose eggs were so soft shelled this year they were generally broken and unusable. Also, I do NOT force them in the winter with light as I am hoping they will lay more years if they aren't worn out early. As such, other than pullets in their first winter, none of my girls lay after their fall moult until usually mid to late February.

But the quality of egg you get from your chickens should be far superior to anything you get in the store if your hens get outside and eat whatever they want and get kitchen scraps (including meat and fat, they LOVE that, even bacon grease). My girls free range all day and eat whatever plants and bugs they like. They also still eat layer feed in the summer so they are eating whatever they think is best for them, not just what someone decided they "needed" in pellet form.

I sell 1/2 dozen a week to the people who live next door to my old house. There is a group in the neighborhood that have some chickens that are overcrowded and their outside space is so small it is just dirt. The neighbor took care of them for a few days when the "member in charge" that week was gone. She said the eggs, even the day they were laid were runny. Not a healthy chicken environment. And she keeps telling me how much better my girls' eggs are than even the "pasture raised" eggs she buys when she needs more than I can sell her.

Have your chickens for Spring through Fall eggs, enjoy their antics year round and don't think too much about what each egg costs

 

[Chickassan]

I got 3 before noon,which makes sense because everyone slacked off yesterday. Still nothing out of either faverolles or the ameracuna, it is what it is.

 

[bruceha2000]

Did the Favs hatch this past spring? I hope yours are better layers than mine have been. And less broody which of course affects how well they lay.

 

[Chickassan]

Yes,they're April pullets. They stink at laying, one laid about a dozen eggs went broody in October and hasn't laid since, the other has never laid. The ameracuna is at the end of her first molt so I've got to be a little patient with her.

Did the Favs hatch this past spring? I hope yours are better layers than mine have been. And less broody which of course affects how well they lay.

 

[bruceha2000]

Until my April 2017 hatched Exchequer Leghorns started then STOPPED laying this fall, I would have said that based on my experience your April girls should lay all through their first winter. ALL of the prior 2 batches (2012 and 2015) laid their first winter even the Cubalayas. At least my Favs didn't start going broody until their first spring Is your "Ameraucana" really an Ameraucana or is she an EE? Either way, I would expect her to start soon given the April hatch. Is her comb red?