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YES , buff's are quiet heartyand healthy breed of birds . I have about 15 buff's that are about 3.5 months old . Can you tell me around what age can I expect them to lay ? I have RIR's , black austrolorps and barred rocks that are ALL 8 months old and they JUST starting to lay now
Hi Liz - you're not too far from me and in fact two of our children live in Lafayette. To answer your question:
My RIR and BRs started laying at 4 months - all by 5 months. But they were raised total free range and I've read that can make a difference in several weeks laying time - they start several weeks before non-free range chickens (at least that's the studies I've read) and I can vouch for it on my end. When I was living in Covington and got my first chickens, they too were mostly free range just not to the extent they are now that we live in the country. They all started laying at exactly 5 months - Buff Orps, Black Sex Links, and EEs.
In regard to the cold question - I had a baby chick that didn't show up in the coop the other night. One of the five that the mama raised and slept with till they were about three weeks old then she went back to roost and left them on their own. They are now about 5 weeks old and one did not return to coop. The temps got to soft freeze that night. DH and I had both looked everywhere for him that night, with flashlights, and could not find him. The next morning DH saw the little RIR chick running across the yard back into chicken run/coop area. We don't know where he slept that night but he survived temps and predators and the next morning, little bugger is running around with his brothers and sisters again.
YES , buff's are quiet heartyand healthy breed of birds . I have about 15 buff's that are about 3.5 months old . Can you tell me around what age can I expect them to lay ? I have RIR's , black austrolorps and barred rocks that are ALL 8 months old and they JUST starting to lay now
Hi Liz - you're not too far from me and in fact two of our children live in Lafayette. To answer your question:
My RIR and BRs started laying at 4 months - all by 5 months. But they were raised total free range and I've read that can make a difference in several weeks laying time - they start several weeks before non-free range chickens (at least that's the studies I've read) and I can vouch for it on my end. When I was living in Covington and got my first chickens, they too were mostly free range just not to the extent they are now that we live in the country. They all started laying at exactly 5 months - Buff Orps, Black Sex Links, and EEs.
In regard to the cold question - I had a baby chick that didn't show up in the coop the other night. One of the five that the mama raised and slept with till they were about three weeks old then she went back to roost and left them on their own. They are now about 5 weeks old and one did not return to coop. The temps got to soft freeze that night. DH and I had both looked everywhere for him that night, with flashlights, and could not find him. The next morning DH saw the little RIR chick running across the yard back into chicken run/coop area. We don't know where he slept that night but he survived temps and predators and the next morning, little bugger is running around with his brothers and sisters again.
