Langshan Thread!!!

[PetRock]

Do you weigh your eggs? Curious as to size. Are you planning on hatching in big numbers?

Hmmm....let me go weigh them!

 

[PetRock]

Just weighed several of them and they ranged in weight from 53 g to 57 g. My girls have been laying for 4-6 weeks now. We still have to build our breeding pens before we start hatching. The girls will get a 3 week vacation away from the boys and then we will put a roo in each pen with 2-3 pullets. I am hoping that will be hatching chicks by mid May. As to numbers, I'm not sure yet. We are planning on trying to sell the fertile eggs and chicks but we are also raising them for meat.

 

[Dirt Farmer]

Just weighed several of them and they ranged in weight from 53 g to 57 g. My girls have been laying for 4-6 weeks now. We still have to build our breeding pens before we start hatching. The girls will get a 3 week vacation away from the boys and then we will put a roo in each pen with 2-3 pullets. I am hoping that will be hatching chicks by mid May. As to numbers, I'm not sure yet. We are planning on trying to sell the fertile eggs and chicks but we are also raising them for meat.

I think that's good for pullet eggs; 57 grams is the start of USDA Large. In my experience Large and bigger eggs tend to hatch quite a bit better than Medium or smaller. (Assuming that they aren't double yolked.) I read somewhere that smaller eggs are more affected by temperature fluctuations, which makes sense. Good luck.

 

[PetRock]

I think that's good for pullet eggs; 57 grams is the start of USDA Large. In my experience Large and bigger eggs tend to hatch quite a bit better than Medium or smaller. (Assuming that they aren't double yolked.) I read somewhere that smaller eggs are more affected by temperature fluctuations, which makes sense. Good luck.

That's good to hear! I am impressed with the size of their eggs. Only a few of the 10 pullets began with smaller pullet eggs but all of them are now laying this size. There was only one egg that weighed 53 g and most of the rest of them were 55-57 g. I am going to miss having them in my egg basket. I just keep reminding myself that I want little baby Langshans and, since I can't have roosters here in town, the girls have to be at the ranch being wooed by the boys.

 

[thorleif]

Nice sizes, Petrock! That is one of the 291 reasons I only breed from 2 year olds and older hens.

 

[PetRock]

Nice sizes, Petrock! That is one of the 291 reasons I only breed from 2 year olds and older hens.

Thanks, thorleif!

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Just weighed several of them and they ranged in weight from 53 g to 57 g. My girls have been laying for 4-6 weeks now. We still have to build our breeding pens before we start hatching. The girls will get a 3 week vacation away from the boys and then we will put a roo in each pen with 2-3 pullets. I am hoping that will be hatching chicks by mid May. As to numbers, I'm not sure yet. We are planning on trying to sell the fertile eggs and chicks but we are also raising them for meat.

Hey! How old are those birds at this point? I know I try to keep mine from laying until 9 or 10 months. The eggs aren't nearly as small as when the birds lay earlier.

 

[PetRock]

Hey! How old are those birds at this point? I know I try to keep mine from laying until 9 or 10 months. The eggs aren't nearly as small as when the birds lay earlier.

Some are 8 and some are 9 months old. How do you keep them from laying?

 

[BGMatt]

New to site and haven't read through the entire thread yet but I'm so happy to find a Langshan thread. They were my first breed and I miss mine dearly (got my first around 18 yrs ago from a gentleman named Ron McKown but I have been out of Langshans for 10+ years). Someday soon I hope to find some again. Anyway just a hello from a feloow Langshan lover and I hope to join in this thread more once I catch up on it!

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Welcome to the thread BGMatt!

In reference to the question as to how I keep my birds from laying longer, I keep them in the dark. They are kept in a darker area for longer. I don't put lights on them until they get a bit older.