RIR Egg Size

[jthornton]

Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but looks as if they have more than 'natural' light?
Any molting going on yet?

They won't start getting additional light until the daylight is less than 10 hours and that is November 23rd here.

A few are moulting and I'm finding more and more feathers laying around each day. Sweet Pea has no tail at all and looks rather funny.

JT

 

[aart]

They won't start getting additional light until the daylight is less than 10 hours and that is November 23rd here.

That makes sense....we're at 9:52 here today.

 

[Mosey2003]

Of interest, my "pure" show line Barred Rocks started laying in July, and laid very small eggs. Which continued to stay very small, and are just now getting close to 55 grams (I watch because I want them over 55 before hatching). Whereas my show male over hatchery type hens pullets laid a few small eggs and then jumped up to a large medium nearly within a week. When I get my line where I want it type and consistency wise, I want to put some pressure on for egg size and time.

 

[jthornton]

Novembers update to this thread.

I've decided to not increase light until after the winter solstice mainly because the lights would come on at 3am at one point and I don't get up that early. I'll be adding 4 minutes a day after solstice so it will take about 60 days to get up to 14 hours of light per day. The egg size continues to increase in size and they are 63 weeks old yesterday. I'm actually getting more eggs from my hens than my neighbor does on some days and she has so many she can't count them. Oh I stopped the extra light a couple of weeks ago and it is flat lining at 11 hours until after solstice.






JT

 

[jthornton]

Just to add to Novembers numbers most of the time I record who lays the egg. For those days that I can see who is in the nest box I get a percentage of eggs laid by each hen.

Mable 18% 17
Molly 17% 16
Monique 13% 12
Pig Pen 10% 10
Sweet Pea 0% 0
Trudy 14% 13
Tu Tu 9% 9
Veronica 20% 19

JT

 

[Mosey2003]

I must have missed it, how do you know who is laying? Are you reviewing the cameras or?

Very interesting!

 

[jthornton]

I must have missed it, how do you know who is laying? Are you reviewing the cameras or?

Very interesting!

LOL, no I just look under the curtain to see who is in the nest box and which side she is on. Some days I'm busy with work and can't check in to see who is laying that day but most days I'm around.

I do need to put a camera in the nest box so I can at least see if someone is in there. I have a camera in the collection area so I do see when an egg rolls out.


JT

 

[KatefromOz]

Hi @jthornton. This was so interesting to read. I have one RIR and she is a big girl...around 8 pounds/ 3.6 kilos). She is around 2 years old now. We've had one hard molt in which she didn't lay for probably 4 months but she has continued to lay through the our mild winters and extreme summers. Her eggs are really interesting, she has laid the same size eggs since day one probably around the 65-75 gram mark (we've had a few in the 90s but they were double yolkers). Her yolks are HUGE. Her eggs are smaller than my ISA browns, but when you crack the eggs there is a significant difference in the yolk size which I think is super cool. Chickens are so interesting!!

 

[jthornton]

Mine are just about done with molting and I get up to 6 eggs a day from the 8 hens now. Only 2 left to complete the regrowing process. Yea chickens are very interesting. One was laying large funky shaped eggs before the molt and now she lays grade a eggs by shape.

JT

 

[jthornton]

I've updated my charts on the chickens egg laying and egg size by month so you can get a better over all idea of the percent laying and the average egg size over the last 18 months. The hens are 21 months old born on 8/16/17 and laid the first egg on 12/20/17.

Percent Laying by Month


Average Egg Size by Month


JT