New Mexico member here with some questions.

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trujillo505

trujillo505

Hatching
6 Years
Sep 25, 2013
2
0
7
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Hi guys, my name is Trevor and I am new to poultry. We built an enclosure complete with coop in our rural home area. The enclosure is roughly 20' x 35' we purchased 6 Buff Orpingtons in late August and were told they were 24 weeks at that time. Currently we have only one hen laying and we're wondering why. They all appeared the same development when we bought them, but only one has developed a dark red crown and begun to lay. Im sure that im leaving out imporant details in this post, please be patient with me. Thoughts?
 
Hi, Trevor, welcome to BYC. Day length is a big factor in controlling hormonal levels and egg laying in chickens. Generally 14 hours of daylight are required for optimum egg production. It is possible that the rest of your hens will hold off on laying until the day length once again starts increasing. I am assuming that you are providing an adequate laying ration. By adding supplemental lighting to increase photo period you may be able to jump start the rest - or you can just wait until spring. They will lay.
 
I am feeding 1/2 growerfinisher and 1/2 layer with some cracked corn 1-2 times weekly. They always have food and fresh water. Is there a forum I can refer to in order to better grasp supplementing light?
 
they really need "layer feed" when they start producing eggs - you could put out a dish of oyster shell - the hens that need it will take it free choice.
 
My thought on this is perhaps its too late in the winter to be real productive. Chickens will sometimes become less productive when the days are short. You might try using a light source in the coop to extend the daylight by an hour or so after the sun goes down. Hope this is helpful.
 
Hi Trevor,
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Cheers from Ohio!
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Glad you could join us!
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Oh! I would love to see pictures of your Lavender Orpingtons. If you don't mind me asking, where did you get them?
 

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