Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[okallthis4eggs]

FIVE

FIVE....TODAY WE LAID FIVE. And Mrs Broody piled herself right on top of them .

 

[cheeka]

ACW, that was a great idea to trade back... bet he's super happy to be home! It's like a Rooster Boot Camp... maybe your bad boy will become more docile over there... my two new boys are doing fine, Osiris is the dominant, Archie's perfectly happy as #2 and they are fiercely protective of the little bantam, and so gentle with her. She is always between them, hard to get pictures of her actually... but I do have a few funny ones of her poking out from under Si's leg, or doing the long neck stretch to see what's going on... I'm considering putting up a divider inside the chicken dome so they can live peacefully inside and use the apple crate coop.

W4W, I had one of those... tough years, 'tude and a hollow leg, but it does not last long... mine is a good man, and a great daddy... have no fear, the future holds great things!

OK, I'm jealous. I still have zero eggs... but they are still young yet... 20.5 weeks, maybe next week. from what I have read about adding new birds, it may be as much as a month before Peach starts laying again...

The newbies still won't eat from my hand, but they have learned what the "seed shaking in the plastic container" sound means...

 

[Wishing4Wings]

FIVE

FIVE....TODAY WE LAID FIVE. And Mrs Broody piled herself right on top of them .

Ha! At least your broody sits on real eggs. My Australorp just sits. On nothing. All day. She did lay an egg today, though.

Cheeka, those guys are going to be really spiffy looking roosters. Striking colors. 20+ weeks for eggs seems about average, but is forever when waiting!

Look at the size variation we've got. The tiny egg was in the run the first week of laying and almost overlooked. The huge one came last week. Over 2.5 inches long! We haven't cracked it open yet.



I have a Welsummer that had an umbilical hernia as a chick and was very weak and slow to grow. She is the only one who should be laying that is not. She's over 6.5 months! Wonder if she will ever lay. Is there an age at which I should give up hope?

 

[okallthis4eggs]

Ha! At least your broody sits on real eggs. My Australorp just sits. On nothing. All day. She did lay an egg today, though.

Cheeka, those guys are going to be really spiffy looking roosters. Striking colors. 20+ weeks for eggs seems about average, but is forever when waiting!

Look at the size variation we've got. The tiny egg was in the run the first week of laying and almost overlooked. The huge one came last week. Over 2.5 inches long! We haven't cracked it open yet.



I have a Welsummer that had an umbilical hernia as a chick and was very weak and slow to grow. She is the only one who should be laying that is not. She's over 6.5 months! Wonder if she will ever lay. Is there an age at which I should give up hope?

The big one will be a double yoke. My eggs are starting to get some size now. The broody got up this evening to grab something to eat then right back in the nest box. Had a golf ball in one nest box and the other two empty so she just got in a empty box and sat on nothing.

 

[okallthis4eggs]

SEVEN

SEVEN.....Today we laid seven. Miss Broody sitting tight

 

[cheeka]

W4W, beautiful eggs! I still have none... so I bought a dozen.

 

[BullChick]

Five eggs, that is what she said
As she roused us early from our bed
Cucumbers, scratch and rice is what she brought
To help us along, or so she thought
But when the work day was finally done
All she found was one.

I have five good layers. Maybe it was the warmth of the day compared to the cold of night. I have only been missing one egg/day lately, so one egg at all does NOT make me happy! No treats tomorrow! At least until I cut up more vegetables.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Even the best layers only produce 5 or 6 eggs a week, so it sounds like they are doing pretty well, especially being young and just starting. One if my broodies has started laying her green eggs today, so now I can have ham! Sam I am!

 

[BullChick]

Until a month ago I was getting an egg a day from every hen every day. I have been since I got them four months ago.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

What happened a month ago? An excellent layer will average five to six eggs a week, this is the top end of production, breeds have been developed to produce at maximum, but even nature has its limitations and there are always exceptions to the rule...it is just not the normal. I am happy with a hen that will produce four eggs a week without reproduction difficulties or require a boat load of feed to accomplish this, and live and produce a little longer than a commercial layer. I keep a few sex links just for eggs, I don't know that I will continue to do so once I replace them with hens I have raised. Most of the time, a hens production is measured by the yearly egg count anyway, so 300 eggs a year would be excellent if all you want is production. How long a hen can keep that up is a crap shoot,at some point I have to wonder if bigger better more is worth early burnout. Quality vrs quantity...age old debate.