I'm going to speak at a Village Board meeting tonight and will ask for the municipal code to increase the maximum number of hens from the TWO now allowed per household, to a new maximum of EIGHT. I'd like to have a good rationale for why I want eight in the flock. My foremost reason is that I want eggs year round.
Now with just the four hens, I'm only getting one egg a day, from the same chicken, a Delaware, six days a week. The other Delaware started moulting four weeks ago and stopped laying then. The Marans and the EE started moulting about three months ago, and stopped laying then. Their molt is over, and they're fully feathered again, but they haven't started laying again. Probably because of a combination of fewer daylight hours and also the stress from when I added the two Delawares to the flock in mid September. (The Delawares are huge.)
What do you think is a good plan for optimal availability of eggs year round? I live in a suburb of New York City, so there are four distinct seasons of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Winter daylight hours are only from about 7am to 5pm; a total of about ten hours. Not the needed 14 for best productivity from the layers.
I know that a lot depends on the breeds, some breeds will continue to lay throughout the winter despite the lack of daylight.
But in general, what would be a good long term plan and expectations of starting with say, two point of lay pullets in the early Spring, assuming breeds of medium rate of egg production?
I want to make a case before the Board for what a great boon it would be for the poorer families around here to have fresh eggs for their kids every morning before sending them off to school for the day. Here's what I'm thinking of saying is a good plan: Two hens the first year, two more the second year, two more the third year, two more the fourth year, then cull the two oldest and add two new pullets.
Assuming a hen will be laying only once or twice a week by the time she's four years old, I'd send her to a local farm then, and add new pullets then, so that I don't exceed my maximum of eight hens.
With that kind of plan, do you think it's possible to have at least six eggs a week, year round? Or as close to year round as possible. Do you have a better plan of when to cull and when to add two more layers? Which breeds do you think would be best for winter hardy, docile, good egg production, bearing confinement well? And the breed would have to be readily available for purchase as pullets. I don't want to raise chicks, I just want to add pullets to the flock.
There are lots of economically depressed, immigrant families with lots of children, in this Village, so I'm going to stress that in my talk tonight. Also will be mentioning that the Village is trying to present an image of being "green", i.e., promoting solar power, etc, so promoting high egg production locally is in keeping with walking the walk and not just talking the talk of being green.
Now with just the four hens, I'm only getting one egg a day, from the same chicken, a Delaware, six days a week. The other Delaware started moulting four weeks ago and stopped laying then. The Marans and the EE started moulting about three months ago, and stopped laying then. Their molt is over, and they're fully feathered again, but they haven't started laying again. Probably because of a combination of fewer daylight hours and also the stress from when I added the two Delawares to the flock in mid September. (The Delawares are huge.)
What do you think is a good plan for optimal availability of eggs year round? I live in a suburb of New York City, so there are four distinct seasons of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Winter daylight hours are only from about 7am to 5pm; a total of about ten hours. Not the needed 14 for best productivity from the layers.
I know that a lot depends on the breeds, some breeds will continue to lay throughout the winter despite the lack of daylight.
But in general, what would be a good long term plan and expectations of starting with say, two point of lay pullets in the early Spring, assuming breeds of medium rate of egg production?
I want to make a case before the Board for what a great boon it would be for the poorer families around here to have fresh eggs for their kids every morning before sending them off to school for the day. Here's what I'm thinking of saying is a good plan: Two hens the first year, two more the second year, two more the third year, two more the fourth year, then cull the two oldest and add two new pullets.
Assuming a hen will be laying only once or twice a week by the time she's four years old, I'd send her to a local farm then, and add new pullets then, so that I don't exceed my maximum of eight hens.
With that kind of plan, do you think it's possible to have at least six eggs a week, year round? Or as close to year round as possible. Do you have a better plan of when to cull and when to add two more layers? Which breeds do you think would be best for winter hardy, docile, good egg production, bearing confinement well? And the breed would have to be readily available for purchase as pullets. I don't want to raise chicks, I just want to add pullets to the flock.
There are lots of economically depressed, immigrant families with lots of children, in this Village, so I'm going to stress that in my talk tonight. Also will be mentioning that the Village is trying to present an image of being "green", i.e., promoting solar power, etc, so promoting high egg production locally is in keeping with walking the walk and not just talking the talk of being green.
