Please respond! Is this what I can expect?

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

One of my dominique pullets began laying at 26 weeks old over the weekend. I'm very proud of her, and the eggs are rather large for pullet eggs!

While I feel guilty for complaining....I have to ask: since she started laying, she has layed every other day, totalling 3 eggs now. Will she always be an "every OTHER day" layer? I was hoping that this breed would be more like a "nearly daily" type production bird... one of my cochin hens is outpacing her at this point for goodness' sake!

I know I sound ungrateful, but I really want higher production...

 

[luvinmychickens]

They are supposed to lay 3 a week from what I know....

They aren't BIG layers.

 

[emmalynn]

If she just started laying...par for the course. Most become daily layers a little later on. Have patience she is learning how to do a difficult job.

 

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

Quote:
I know I know...I'm being impatient...

In my defense, my RIR, "Trudy", spoiled me mightily...she started laying one day and lays 5-6 eggs a week now...

I am really eager to start hatching my Dom eggs and I still have two pullets yet to begin laying...so I'm just overly eager, I guess.

thanks for the info, luvinmychickens! I actually hatched these girls as "barred rocks" and it wasn't until they were a month or so old that I discovered I had been sold Dominique eggs by mistake! I really wanted BRs and was horribly disappointed...because I wanted high production. But, I fell in love with these girlies and decided to forge ahead..and now 6 months later I am finally getting an egg...every OTHER day, lol!

 

[jjthink]

My birds have probably averaged one every other day during peak production. I am grateful that they haven't laid more often, because their little bodies would wear out much sooner........it's such hard work...

JJ

 

[luvinmychickens]

Your welcome I'm glad I could help!

 

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

Quote:
Sheesh, I know!!! Again, I know I sound whiney...I just hoped that they would lay more in the summer as I've since read that they basically slow to a trickle in the laying department in the winter... I just don't have the resources to feed non-productive birds in the winter and am already forced to downsize the majority of my ornamentals just to keep the production birds in feed in the cold months.