Polish Hens

[KatyAlondra]

They are really cool to look at and so fast too I got the birds off a buddy not really knowing anything about chickens I'm hoping to add some better layers come spring winters are very cold here so right now I'm concentrating on just getting my guys through the winter

get some barred rocks! great through winter and great layers.

 

[LordEvan5]

Is there anywhere they could be hiding their eggs? Is egg eating a possibility? What do you feed them? It does seem strange that at a year old they are not laying.

I don't think they are eating the eggs unless the leave no remnants at all I don't know how that works I look all over their enclosure to make sure they are not hiding them they don't really like to range around the yard like the other birds they stay pretty close to home is it a possibility that they need more neat boxes to feel comfortable to lay?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

A lot of birds wont leave remnants. They eat the shell and all t he insides.

Spring chicks don't lay all the way through their first winter, but they will get further than older birds. Mine will probably get to December since they're egg hybrids

 

[LordEvan5]

A lot of birds wont leave remnants. They eat the shell and all t he insides.

Spring chicks don't lay all the way through their first winter, but they will get further than older birds. Mine will probably get to December since they're egg hybrids

Thank you that's good information I'm gonna have to keep a really close eye on them to see if they may be eating them is there anything you can do to stop them if they are

 

[rosemarythyme]

Sounds like you free range your birds so potentially they could be hiding eggs somewhere.

How sure are you about their ages? Assuming you are in northern hemisphere, days are growing shorter, and if these birds are over a year old they will likely molt and slow or stop laying until days start growing longer again.

Chick starter feed? If they are a year old, they all need to be on layer feed.

You need to switch them to layer feed it has the nutrients that they require to lay well, starter feed is for chicks.

This isn't correct. Unmedicated starter feed should be fine for hens and roosters and may be preferred to other feed due to higher protein content. The ONLY thing layer provides is higher calcium, which can be harmful over time to males/non laying females - layer does NOT magically make chickens lay and many folks on here never use it at all.

 

[ILoveBabySilkies]

Sounds like you free range your birds so potentially they could be hiding eggs somewhere.

How sure are you about their ages? Assuming you are in northern hemisphere, days are growing shorter, and if these birds are over a year old they will likely molt and slow or stop laying until days start growing longer again.




This isn't correct. Unmedicated starter feed should be fine for hens and roosters and may be preferred to other feed due to higher protein content. The ONLY thing layer provides is higher calcium, which can be harmful over time to males/non laying females - layer does NOT magically make chickens lay and many folks on here never use it at all.

You are correct which is why I said for laying, although your more in depth explanation will give OP a better idea on what they’re getting.