Sex-links, hybrids, etc. Laying problems? Eggbound. Prolapse.

[Sparklee]

Quote:
You may have just talked me completely out of any sex-link/hybrid/production bird right there. Egg eating (by chickens) is the worst. It threatens the whole flock because any number of the chickens can learn that behavior. I had an egg-eater last year. Holes in good eggs. Yolk covered nests which then need to be washed and it's not easy because egg dries like glue. Refilling of nest bedding. Lack of eggs for breakfast. Oh, and not to forget, yolk covered eggs that are still good enough to eat, but must be cleaned. Etc. No, egg eating is not a valuable trait in a hen and that's with good-shelled eggs, not even discussing soft shells which are easy to want to eat.

Quote:
What will I tr? If I read your post right before I leave for town, I definitely won't buy any Red Sexlinks or whatever other Reddish/Brown hybrid they might be peddling at the feed store because I do not want to deal with the possibility of egg eating again if I can help it. However, if I forget what you've written, which is a real possibility because all common sense flies right out of my head when confronted with those bins of chicks at the feed store, I will come home with Red Sexlinks (or similar). I do want to try them out. I feel like I've got a bad little person on one shoulder and a good little person on my other shoulder each telling me stuff. One says buy heritage chicks and the other says buy Sexlinks or Isa Browns. (Did you notice that neither option was leave the chicks in the store for someone else. Oh, no. Both little people on shoulders were telling me to buy chicks. So I must obey.)

About the Delawares. I have 4 of those. One died. Got to looking a little puny one day, sleeping on the roost, not so hungry. I vowed to keep an eye on her and I did. But she died the next day. Boom. Gone. She was always smaller (a bit of a runt and silly, like a screw was loose). The other 4 are still doing well. Laying I assume. I think I may have their egg color finally figured out since almost all the New Hampshires are laying again. I think they lay a lighter egg than a New Hampshire. So maybe I'll be able to count how well they lay for the next few months. This is their first year, so they should lay as well as any other heritage breed.

Egg color is another issue, though. I won't be able to tell the sexlinks/Isa Browns/hybrids' eggs from other light brown eggs. If I can't tell, then there will be no way to evaluate their laying skills. So. I really would like 300+ eggs a year from a chicken, though, if it could still have the same quality of life that a heritage chicken can have.

Thanks for you input, wingsofglory. It was informative. Though, I'm thinking that there may be no cut and dried answer because both heritage and sexlinks have had egg laying troubles.

 

[briteday]

I've had soft-shelled, ginormous, puny, weird eggs from every breed I've raised. It has nothing to do with sex linking. And I've also had several egg eaters over the years...also doesn't matter whether it was a heritage breed or a sexlink. I keep track of overall egglaying efficiency in all of my birds (mixed flock but mostly ISA's) by checking their pelvic spread on a monthly basis. We're into the whole chicken thing because we sell the eggs. So when it's time to whittle down the flock each summer to make room for younger layers I have almost a year's worth of info on who was laying when I checked each month. I just look for trends since any particular bird might not have layed for a day or two when I happened to check. But any bird who comes up consistently on my list is easy to spot. To keep track of the birds (now that we are up to 23 hens) I put plastic spiral numbered bands on them (Cutler's Supply online).

 

[ahchick1]

My limited experience:

I purchased 2 Golden Sexlink pullets (or ISA Browns if I understand correctly) last April and they've been great layers and pets. Friendlier than the BO and Ameraucanas I got at the same time, and no health problems. They are my daughter's favorites. They're a bit different in size and coloring from one another (one has a bit of red, and the other is difficult to tell from my BO). They both started laying just before 5 months old and laid all winter. No problems so far. We just got a new day old Golden Sexlink chick today, along with a Black Australorp. There is something to be said for the sexing to be pretty much guaranteed - one of my BO "pullets" turned out to be a rooster last year.

 

[Sparklee]

Well this is a sad ISA Brown story from one of the members here at Backyard Chickens. "They were really great chickens and I miss them a lot."

They all got egg bound. All before 2 years old.

 

[Sparklee]

Quote:
Hmm. So then what do you think the soft-shelled eggs are from? What about the weird eggs? I have only gotten one ginormous in 5 years. I have had quite a few puny eggs when they first start laying. The number of soft-shells I can count on one hand. And we have probably 10-20 layers (no sexlinks or hybrids) all the time. Maybe it's the feed if it's not the breed/type of chicken??? Maybe a hormone issue? Maybe egg issues just happen and there's no reason for it??

Quote:
Whoops, I wasn't clear. If one chicken (specifically a hybrid/sexlink/production bird) lays a soft egg, that soft egg will be tempting to any type of chicken once it easily breaks. Yes, any breed will be an egg eater. If hybrid/sexlink/production birds are more apt to lay soft eggs, as one poster in this thread mentioned (but many others over the years have suggested is true), then I would prefer to not have any hybrid/sexlink/production birds because soft shells make egg eaters. I have had at least one of my heritage breed birds become an egg eater and they are difficult to stop and they teach others to peck and break eggs and generally spead glue around the coop.


Quote:
Good idea! Do you use the ABLC recording system? I couldn't get used to their table. Do you have a chart for recording that each month? Is it all one chart or do you keep a page on each bird? I'm thinking I almost want a page on each bird, but that seems like I'm getting into further than I should because we don't sell eggs. Have you figured out a way to do it with just one person? Do you do it during the day. I can only see it being able to be done at night with a partner taking notes and holding flashlight, while I pick up each bird.

Anyway. Thanks for your input. Appreciate it.

Edited: Original: soft shells make egg eaters.
Now I would like to add that soft shells are not the only thing that turns chickens into egg eaters.

 

[Sparklee]

ahchick1, I'm glad to hear the positive response. Yeah, the sexing being almost guaranteed would be nice.

 

[Sparklee]

I only just noticed your first reply, briteday. Thanks for the info.

Quote:
I love this Hendrix info. Very helpful. Thanks.

 

[Kathleen1115]

I have two hybrids -- red sex-linked I think but really could be anything -- they're a light brown, golden color, darker than a BO, pretty large in size with a couple of black tail feathers. Although they have very similar looks, I think they must be crossed with different breeds. One lays very light brown eggs and the other lays very dark brown eggs -- very similar in color to the eggs our (now deceased) RIR hen laid. They both started laying about the same time but the darker lays more regularly, lays somewhat smaller eggs, and has a better quality shell. The lighter one laid a bunch of rubber eggs when she first started, is a less regular layer, and still sometimes has some weird shells. She's also the most likely to lay a double yolked egg, but also just randomly stopped laying for 4 or 5 days recently. So, I think the cross may be important, but I think it's also just hard to establish a pattern and know what you're going to get with a mixed breed chicken. That said, my EE -- who is also mixed breed -- has been my most consistent layer, except when she went broody.


My EE, my Partridge Rock and my GLW are all laying between 5 and 7 eggs a week, consistent size (GLW lays smallish eggs, PR and EE medium to large), good hard shells. My GLW is also an EXCELLENT forager and her yolks are fantastic, even if the eggs are smallish.

We're adding an Astralorp, a Barred Rock and another EE to our flock this spring, so we'll see how we do with those. Since my eggs are all for personal use, I like having a variety of chickens without having to care too much about who's producing.

 

[wingsofglory]

I'd like to clarify my comment made earlier.

None of my 15 Easter Eggers, 7 Barred Rocks, 2 Buff Orpington, 2 Welsummer, 1 Andalusian, 4 SLwyndottes, 7 Light Brahmas, 1 Jaerhon, 1 Australorp, or 1 Lakenvelder laid fullsize rubber eggs, gigantic combined eggs, or extremely thinshelled eggs. Each breed had a distinctive size, color, shape, and finish to their eggs so I could tell the breed apart.

All the birds listed above had "normal" shell quality. And all the Easter Eggers had a tougher shell than any of them and it did not get thinner over time. I've read the blue egg gene also brings in a layer of "fibrin" in the shell that makes it tougher, that other breeds do not have (or less of? (long time since I read the article)). Fibrin is a fiber that is cross linked giving the shell strength. So that is 0% of my sample.

The 5 Comets and the 2 Production Rhode Island Reds laid the problem eggs. Of the Comets, I could not tell if it was one or all that laid mishaped extra-thin shelled eggs - the hens were identical in appearance. They all had progressive thinning of shells over one year. My conclusion their bodies could not keep up with calcium demands. So, 100% of sample.

Of the two Reds, it was one of them that did, the other laid normal eggs. Small sample, but that is 50% of my sample. But always had to check for hairline cracks in the shell - which the Easter Eggers did not have. Why I said, when they are laying good, they are good eggs. Just remove the problem hens. But for me culling is difficult, as I am quite attached to them and see them as personalities, not egg machines.

(Another part of story for this Rhode Island production hen: I was studying healing. I thought this would be a good test as she was a chicken and not a person where the placebo or positive thinking excuse might apply to why the healing worked. She was laying 1 to 3 full size rubber eggs a night and a regular egg during the day. I couldn't believe it and didn't think it could be possible so proved this to myself over two weeks - including taking a flashlight out at midnight and 3 am to double check on her. Determined no one was slipping them in to fool me and it wasn't any other hen involved and I hadn't missed any eggs during the day. Then my teacher and I prayed over the hen: to return her DNA to when it was more appropriate like back how it was in the 1940s before excessive breeding; and to heal and normalize her egg production parts. She never laid more than one normal egg a day after that day. And yes, I checked everynight with a flashlight to make sure for quite awhile.

If one anyone wants to research, google the latest Russian research into DNA. They have made frog eggs develop into salamanders by shining light programmed with salamander DNA patterns on them. Scientific experiments show DNA can be changed with light and/or thought/intentions. And prayer brings in light.) (And healings like this has worked very well for other hens; one was failing in the cold minus 30 degree weather, another whose foot I stepped on accidentally.)

I do like the large size eggs and color variety in the egg carton. I would not try Comets again because of the mess in the nest boxes of broken eggs. But am considering trying Delawares or Indian Rivers for large eggs, maybe Cherry Eggers. And next time, also feed them their egg shells back to them to strengthen the egg shells in addition to the oyster and layer feed. I'm also aware it is the strain/source/hatchery/line of birds, not necesssarily the breed, that matters. Another strain of Comets or Prod. Reds may be fine.

Another reason I like Easter Eggers is because I can tell them apart on sight and match the egg to the layer and track them over time. I spend a lot of time outside and taking mental health breaks going to watch the hens

An interesting story I found on how the production layers are developed: this was on a website of extreme sports (rock climbing etc). They posters were telling of their worst job experiences they'd had in life. One had been hired to cull chickens. He said: here he was, a minimum wage person, never looked closely at a chicken before in his life, and he was led into a huge barn full of pens of chickens, and told to just cull any hen that was not identical. He was dumbfounded and asked for more explanation. the supervisor said just cull any hen that varied in appearance - different size, difference in shade of color, difference in detail. So he said ok and went to work alone, the supervisor left. You'd think they'd have their best chicken knowledgable experts doing the culling, and cull for egg laying problems not so much appearance.

 

[Sparklee]

Quote:
I think you have a valid point. And it can be difficult to know exactly what hybrid you're getting when you order unless the hatchery actually tells you what the name is so that you can go check out their egg laying capabilities. For instance Townline Hatchery does sell the "ISA Brown." And the ISA Brown company has their standards online so you know how many eggs and when the bird becomes non-productive for owners that need the eggs to turn a profit. And while I don't need a profit, I'd just like to figure out an economical egg laying situation for us and our chickens. Time is part of the economics also since brooding chicks every year can be time consuming ... and dusty.

Quote:
That will make for a pretty group.