Just had my first Bielefelder egg

[NatJ]

Anything I can do to encourage the other hens to start producing?

There is not much you can do. They will lay when they are ready, and that's all there is to it.

The exception to that: longer days DO make a difference. So you probably could stimulate them to lay by providing artificial light to make the days seem longer (it often takes a few weeks to show an effect-- they might be laying by then anyway.)

There is the question of whether artificial light is bad for them, if it causes them to lay eggs sooner than they otherwise would. (But the same question would apply to naturally-lengthening days in the spring, for pullets that are maturing at that time of year.)

 

[Tonyroo]

Remember chickens will learn from others.

 

[Stilicho]

New to chicken life. I have 5 Bielefelder hens, purchased from our local co-op in April of this year. I have read that Bielefelders can take longer before they start producing. I recently upped their protein intake with more meat scraps. Anything I can do to encourage the other hens to start producing? They do not free range often but occasionally. Plenty of treats and feed and increasingly more scraps more consistently. Happy but greedy for more eggs!

Threatening to fry them for Christmas dinner has worked, eggs are popping.

 

[Sally PB]

I have a second Bielefelder pullet laying now! 53 grams of lov from Miss Squeak.

 

[CountryChic63]

I'm planning to buy a few Bielefelders, and wanted to ask if anyone feeds these large eating machines fermented feed?
I read it cuts down feed cost but chickens love it.
Does anyone have experience in this idea?
I've raised several flocks but never Bielefelders.
I've read that this breed also is a meaty bird. Anybody have input on that as well?
Thanks!

 

[Stilicho]

I'm planning to buy a few Bielefelders, and wanted to ask if anyone feeds these large eating machines fermented feed?
I read it cuts down feed cost but chickens love it.
Does anyone have experience in this idea?
I've raised several flocks but never Bielefelders.
I've read that this breed also is a meaty bird. Anybody have input on that as well?
Thanks!

I am no expert. Have 5 single beileLadies. They love fermented feed in my experience. Love a lot of things.

My birds took a long while before they started laying, but these ladies are Large! And now getting good sized brown eggs on a consistent, plentiful basis. Great temperament.

Took high humidity, high heat August well enough last year and I think did better in the high danger arctic vortex snowstorm of ice and misery (or whatever the news called it this year).

I am likely getting 6 more chickens this spring, but may get something that matures a little quicker. Eyeing Lavender Orpingtons

 

[Loving my girls]

Hi hun, Not meaning to be weird or anything but can I have a photo of a bielfelder egg ? I am hoping to get one next year but only if the egg is a different colour to all my others. I get confused if I have two eggs the same colour and suddenly I only get one
Who has laid ? Who hasn’t laid ? Is someone poorly ? Etc etc I’m sure you get the drift.
I have 8 hens at present but get two babes every other year to (good excuse for hubby here) ensure we always have two hens laying “quality” eggs. After all they do deteriorate when the hen gets older don’t they
Hugz

 

[Sally PB]

This is my record egg, 85 gram laid by Pip, one of my Bielefelders. It's indicative of the color, and some have more speckles. Most are nowhere near this size, but I get a lot that are extra large and a few jumbo (71 grams).