seriously?!? I need to buy EGGS!

greytmommy

Songster
8 Years
Mar 26, 2011
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I am looking over the sticky article now about egg laying.... But I have to go to the store today and buy eggs!!!
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We were getting more than we could eat, and all the hens werent even laying yet! NOW I am not getting enough. I am sure fall is the big culprit. I am bummed none the less....

I have 9 hens....I did have 11. 2 of my hens that were still laying reliably were killed by a passing by fox or coyote last week. (cries).

So I have 9 hens, 4 have been laying. One is broody, 1 is laying daily (my Maran) and the other 2 (EE and a banty cochin) just STOPPED. The rest have never even started laying. I got them all (except the broody hen) as dayolds back in mid March. It seems they should be old enough to lay. So out of the hens that have never laid I have: an EE, Cochin, Barred Rock, and a Silkie. They free range, and we have been checking out the area regularly to make sure they arent laying in the bushes (and they are not).

I am sure they will all get there eventually...but I just want to laugh (or cry?) as I write "eggs" on my shopping list today.......
 
Yep!

I know the feeling. . .

We just moved to a new location so with the stress of the move, molting, and shorter daylight the chickens just are NOT laying.

I got ONE egg yesterday!

We had to do the "walk of humiliation" down the grocery store dairy aisle just to buy a carton of eggs.
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I hear ya. The next time I go to the store I have to buy eggs as well. I got 5 EE's I got as 3 day olds the first part of April, haven't seen anything from them yet. My 3 year olds stopped laying. Giant cochin and astrolop have yet to lay as well....Im begining to think ive done something wrong.....
 
In the same boat. My six pullets were laying 4-6 eggs a day and then whammo, suddenly it's down to 1 or 2, often from my Barred Rock, who have a reputation for continuing to lay in winter. I had planned to save up some eggs in preparation, but too late!

I thought laying slowed in winter, not fall, but I gather it's to do with approaching the shortest day of the year. I would guess also that chicks born later in the spring and coming of laying age when the days are shortening would be delayed.
 
This may help but probably not till next fall. I live up north in Canada and in the summer months the sun rises at 430 am and goes down at 10 pm, starting the first of September I start the lights on a timer, they come on at 6 am and go off at 8 pm. In the winter months, the sun comes up at 8 am and is gone by 430 pm. So far we have been keeping up with full quota`s. We have 51 red sex links and we have gotton between 49 and 51 eggs every day. Some of the eggs are a little lighter in colour but the shell is strong. I also have been keeping up on there greens, They get 5 pieces of sod a week to pick at. Hopefully with this lighting help , they will lay all winter, These hens are 9 months old and have been laying since May. Hope this helps some.

Alan
 
Light up the henhouse using a light and a timer set to turn on at about 0430 and turn off around 0700 or 0730. You can get outdoor-rated timers at building-supply stores.

Better yet, hang some small white indoor-outdoor Christmas lights in there and hook them up to the timer. The Christmas lights provide a widespread modest amount of light and the idea is mentioned on pg. 224 of Harvey Ussery's _The Small-Scale Poultry Flock_

Set the timer for the early morning so it doesn't mess with them when they need to go inside to roost. Of course be sure to have adequate feed in there for them to eat before you let them out in daylight.

The extra hours of light in the early morning fools them into still laying eggs. It takes about 72 hours for the hens to respond, but today I collected a couple more eggs than I've been collecting this month. I put the Christmas lights up two days ago and the 90-w light up about 5 days ago.

If you do this, make sure their nutrition is good and that they're not subject to temperature extremes. I wouldn't try this in Alaska or Maine and would not do it if you rely solely on foraging for their nutrition. They need some feeding in the early AM...so leave 'em some Layena or other feed/goodies.

Don't buy eggs at the store!!
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