Lots of newbie questions...

[kayray99]

This is only my 2nd post. First post was incubating eggs question. None of my incubated eggs hatched. So, we bought 2 black australorps from my friend. She said they were in their first laying season... so fairly young.

We also ordered 2 more black australorp hens and 1 rooster and 4 blue laced red wyandottes from mypetchicken. These babies are only 10 days old today.

Ok.. back to the egg laying hens...
They are very inconsistent with laying so far. I've also had a couple cracked eggs that I'm not sure if it's from the laying process it drops on the bottom of the nest box even though we have TONS of cushion they dig out a hole... OR if they are getting pecked. At least a couple looked more pecked. Sooooo for this reason of fear of egg eating, I go out to my coop several times per day. No telling how many miles I'm walking between the house & back every day b/c they don't seem to lay at the same time. Some times I will go out & there will be an egg at 11am, sometimes I will see her lay an egg at 5pm. I don't like to let them free range until they've layed an egg for the day since I don't wanna go on an egg hunt everyday. But my chicken run is about 12 feet wide by 30 feet long... so they have plenty of room.

My question is: Do they eventually go to one time of day laying... preferably in the AM?

We've also had a week straight of dreary rainy weather. Could the cloudy/overcast days affect laying?
Just trying to diagnose.. is it hot weather, cloudy weather, molting season, worms?? so many possibilities for this newbie mama!

Any insight would be greatly appreciated! I am very much enjoying my new hobby & girls.. just ready to see more consistency with production.

Thanks,
K

 

[nchls school]

This is only my 2nd post. First post was incubating eggs question. None of my incubated eggs hatched. So, we bought 2 black australorps from my friend. She said they were in their first laying season... so fairly young When young laying eggs is often sporadic and being in a new home will cause egg laying to be even more sporadic. In time egg laying will be more normal..

We also ordered 2 more black australorp hens and 1 rooster and 4 blue laced red wyandottes from mypetchicken. These babies are only 10 days old today.

Ok.. back to the egg laying hens...
They are very inconsistent with laying so far. I've also had a couple cracked eggs that I'm not sure if it's from the laying process it drops on the bottom of the nest box even though we have TONS of cushion they dig out a hole... OR if they are getting pecked. At least a couple looked more pecked This would be a bad situation, but I bet it is their toes. Check their feet to see if the nail are sharp. If so clip off the very tip. Sharp nails will crack or leave holes that look like pecks.. Sooooo for this reason of fear of egg eating If they were egg eating the eggs contents would be gone; shells too. You would find eggs broken open with the insides gone., I go out to my coop several times per day. No telling how many miles I'm walking between the house & back every day b/c they don't seem to lay at the same time. Some times I will go out & there will be an egg at 11am, sometimes I will see her lay an egg at 5pm. I don't like to let them free range until they've layed an egg for the day since I don't wanna go on an egg hunt everyday. But my chicken run is about 12 feet wide by 30 feet long... so they have plenty of room.

My question is: Do they eventually go to one time of day laying... preferably in the AM? No. Each day they will later until they take a day off then they will lay earlier in the day and the cycle begins again.

We've also had a week straight of dreary rainy weather. Could the cloudy/overcast days affect laying? Yes, especially if it last for prolonged periods of time.
Just trying to diagnose.. is it hot weather, cloudy weather, molting season, worms?? so many possibilities for this newbie mama!

Any insight would be greatly appreciated! I am very much enjoying my new hobby & girls.. just ready to see more consistency with production.

Thanks,
K

 

[kayray99]

Thank you sooooo much. I'm so scared of messing up that I over worry....create problems when theres really no need to worry...though I think my concerns were warranted this time. I read and read before getting them..just sooo much to learn so we said...let's just buy em and figure it out along the way! Thankful for this board with y'all seasoned vets! Thanks for the info!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I've had chickens for many years and I still go out multiple times to check for eggs, it's like a treasure hunt to me. Chickens stand up when laying the egg, so if it hits a solid surface it will crack, hens will dig out the bedding especially if they are younger, I use a mix of hay and shaving and refill as needed. I also keep ceramic eggs and golf balls, they encourage laying and if a hen pecks them they don't break which can help stop a hen if she's pecking at eggs. If you have actual egg eating you will just find egg yolk or white wet on the bottom of the box, it is normal for a hen to consume a egg that is already broken by something other than pecking.

Chickens do lay at anytime of the day, most are done by 4-5 o'clock, so if you want to check only once that's a good time. My chickens free range all day, no fencing, they return to the coop to lay. Australorps are not sex link hen, they lay a bit more leisurely, which is my preference, mine have layed up to 5 eggs a week and continue to lay for many years. They will slow down when colder, hotter, and stressed, so no need to get too worried when production slows or speeds up.

 

[DanEP]

You don't say how long you have had the older girls but if they have been laying in their nest box for a while now they should return to the coop to lay. I very seldom have any eggs before i let them out but they all go back to the coop and lay. Just make sure their getting calcium in their diet so that the egg shells are thicker and you might try putting cardboard or an old piece of carpet in the bottom of the nest box to soften the landing a bit.

 

[kayray99]

I've had them for about 4 weeks. They are abt 8 mos old. It took them a few days to adjust to being at our house. They came from a larger flock...my friend has abt 20 chickens. So they went from a large family to just the two of them.
I think it'll be better once our chicks get old enough and we have more than 1 egg per day. Right now waiting for one egg per day is like watching and waiting for a pot of water to boil.

 

[kayray99]

Oh..and thanks for the tip....we do have remnants of carpet from a recent new install. Maybe I'll try that!