List of egglaying factors

[Kansas Prairie]

Oh ooops, I saw the posts and reposting again and I acted, I should have read to the end of this thread to see that others had caught this and commented. I wasn't trying to dog pile.

 

[Betsy57]

Lol my brahman discovered that they werent real though. She grabbed one by a little bit of plastic handing off and ran around with it as the whole flock chased

Ha! They sure can be a lot of enjoyment! And frustration! I have Rhode Island Reds, New Hampshire Reds, Golden Laced Wyondottes that are a little over a year old. I've never been pleased with their laying rate. I usually get 60% lay rate on average from them. Way too low but, what to do. I was hoping for 80% lay rate. They are very healthy and are really pampered. Maybe they're too spoiled. I have a new bunch of chicks that are 4 months old. I'm hoping they will lay better. They're all supposed to be 'excellent' layers. Maybe I'll get my 80% lay rate with the.

Wow! I just went out to check on the gals and found 3 white eggs! My White Leghorns are just 4 months old and they're laying!

Thanx for the laugh!

 

[outdoorsii]

Ha! They sure can be a lot of enjoyment! And frustration! I have Rhode Island Reds, New Hampshire Reds, Golden Laced Wyondottes that are a little over a year old. I've never been pleased with their laying rate. I usually get 60% lay rate on average from them. Way too low but, what to do. I was hoping for 80% lay rate. They are very healthy and are really pampered. Maybe they're too spoiled. I have a new bunch of chicks that are 4 months old. I'm hoping they will lay better. They're all supposed to be 'excellent' layers. Maybe I'll get my 80% lay rate with the.

Wow! I just went out to check on the gals and found 3 white eggs! My White Leghorns are just 4 months old and they're laying!

Thanx for the laugh!

Yea my leghorn lays everyday , a few days a month a dbl yolker !!

 

[sewingca]

If it hasn't been mentioned already, a very large rat snake can reduce egg collection. That is, collection by humans. The girls don't know where their eggs go when we collect them or when the newly departed snake collects them. It's all the same to them! So, now we know why we have been gathering fewer eggs. Hopefully, this one doesn't have a buddy and we will be getting a better supply.

Snake!

 

[bruceha2000]

I feed my chickens hotdogs and popcorn for a treat about twice a week

Do they get a ball game to go with the hotdogs and popcorn?

 

[bruceha2000]

The different brands have different products, so there is a chance your feed store has a different line-up than other feed stores.

Yeah, could just be a supplier thing. The 'crumbles' are pellet shaped and about 1/3" long.

 

[bruceha2000]

You are probably familiar with the show "18 and Counting" The body can make baby after baby. The problem is that without SOME time off now and then, the body WILL suffer.
In English, you can have your hens lay through the winter with artificial light, but it is not suggested to do it year after year. Molting is natural, and allows the hen to store back up her calcium among other things. If a new layer doesn't molt, her eggs don't get bigger. If a hen doesn't get her calcium back, she gets weak bones.
I will use artificial light for part of the winter, but stop come January or February to give everyone the break they need. Vacation time, if you will.

Rats - conflicting information! (Though the 2 responses in this thread agree)

I didn't figure to get eggs when they molt, I gather that is a "no egg" period regardless and one just hopes the girls get back in the nest box quickly. Regardless of other factors, I wasn't planning to give extra morning light when they are molting.

Do they all end up molting at the same time? Wondering if one should get new chickens at a different time of year that the original ones if that will stagger the molt. Or, perhaps, they all end up molting at the same time (fall?) once they have gone through their first molt.

 

[Betsy57]

Rats - conflicting information! (Though the 2 responses in this thread agree)

I didn't figure to get eggs when they molt, I gather that is a "no egg" period regardless and one just hopes the girls get back in the nest box quickly. Regardless of other factors, I wasn't planning to give extra morning light when they are molting.

Do they all end up molting at the same time? Wondering if one should get new chickens at a different time of year that the original ones if that will stagger the molt. Or, perhaps, they all end up molting at the same time (fall?) once they have gone through their first molt.

That's what I have done. I have some hens that are 2 years old this Sept, some that were a year this past May and some that are just now 4 months. I figure this way, I'll always have eggs. I use light in the fall/winter to ensure they get at least 15 hours of daylight. I feel better with longer days/light and I think they do too. When the 2-year old gals molted, some just took a month (and were nearly naked during the coldest part of the winter!) and some took about 3 months. One, Farrah, I think is in a constant molt. She hasn't laid an egg for about 1 1/2 years.

 

[Chicky Mama 52]

Outdoors,
Just curious...what's the deal with cedar shavings? How is the cedar bad for them?

 

[outdoorsii]

Rats - conflicting information! (Though the 2 responses in this thread agree)

I didn't figure to get eggs when they molt, I gather that is a "no egg" period regardless and one just hopes the girls get back in the nest box quickly. Regardless of other factors, I wasn't planning to give extra morning light when they are molting.

Do they all end up molting at the same time? Wondering if one should get new chickens at a different time of year that the original ones if that will stagger the molt. Or, perhaps, they all end up molting at the same time (fall?) once they have gone through their first molt.

Not sure about the molting, but whitey hasn't motled since we've had her...& we've had her for a year & she was almost a year old when we got her or around 9 months. Our dominque hasn't molted in that year either, but she doesn't lay eggs at all anymore, she's probably older then the guy that sold her to us led on....same w/some of our RIR's, only 1 is still layin - she hasn't molted in almost 2 yrs, & who knows how old our red ones were when we got them, we were newbies back then & they all looked pretty & the guy said they were layin so we were like "duh um ok", we got maybe 4-5 eggs a week w/6 reds, (2 died unfortunately) & then, now just 1 lays. Two of our chickens have been molting for like months & months it seems like....I've heard it can last from 3-5 months? I hope it doesn't, b/c they'll need those feathers come winter lol.