Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[cheeka]

ouch Min! hate when sneezes sneak up! might be wise to learn to like your food at a less scalding temperature... but I'm

. I don't like too much spice either. tepid and bland... yum yum yum!

hope you feel better quickly!

 

[cheeka]

Gretel's babies are roosting. unhappily. they just stopped chirping at 9:30. I didn't realize how close they were to all the Silkie's and Gossy's other EE chicks. my heart was a bit torn for them, but almost all of those older chicks are going to people who have been bugging me for my birds. Frankie and Lilac will also be going. kinda weird... but I think it's the right thing to do, especially with the bantam army that's hatching. the youngsters will get used to the new group. plus, I'm sure to have a few large fowl girls go broody - actually, I have one, but she never sits on eggs, just an empty nest... gotta clean up that nasty pen first. get a new roof up.

 

[Debby27]

Well I just had something weird happen.....we got 3 eggs yesterday and 2 today...it seems like the girls are laying an egg a day now....where before we were only getting 2 one day and 1 the next. We never got that when we had the 3 originals (we still have Gladys who made 4) they always laid 2 on one day, took the day off and the other 2 laid....so we got 2 every day...I know Gladys laid yesterday & today as well and Marie laid yesterday....waiting to see if Tillie lays one as well....We were told Marie and Tillie were RIR's, but they have alot more cream colored feathers and they are quite a bit bigger than Gladys and Glady's is all red. I'll try taking a pic and posting and maybe someone can tell us what they might be mixed with.

 

[ronott1]

Well I just had something weird happen.....we got 3 eggs yesterday and 2 today...it seems like the girls are laying an egg a day now....where before we were only getting 2 one day and 1 the next. We never got that when we had the 3 originals (we still have Gladys who made 4) they always laid 2 on one day, took the day off and the other 2 laid....so we got 2 every day...I know Gladys laid yesterday & today as well and Marie laid yesterday....waiting to see if Tillie lays one as well....We were told Marie and Tillie were RIR's, but they have alot more cream colored feathers and they are quite a bit bigger than Gladys and Glady's is all red. I'll try taking a pic and posting and maybe someone can tell us what they might be mixed with.

They would be production reds or red sexlinks. Both of them lay a lot of egg during the first 18 months of egg laying.

How old were they when they started laying eggs?

 

[Debby27]

Gretel's babies are roosting. unhappily. they just stopped chirping at 9:30. I didn't realize how close they were to all the Silkie's and Gossy's other EE chicks. my heart was a bit torn for them, but almost all of those older chicks are going to people who have been bugging me for my birds. Frankie and Lilac will also be going. kinda weird... but I think it's the right thing to do, especially with the bantam army that's hatching. the youngsters will get used to the new group. plus, I'm sure to have a few large fowl girls go broody - actually, I have one, but she never sits on eggs, just an empty nest... gotta clean up that nasty pen first. get a new roof up.

sounds like you have a lot of work to do cheeka.....the 2 new girls here seem to be settling in finally....we are going to extend the run to give them a little more room....Marie is still trying to be dominate, but Tillie (her sister?) is now showing some hutzpa and not taking the dominate thing so seriously anymore..LOL...Marie looks a little confused to say the least and Gladys is now flapping her wings at Marie where before she just squawked and ran like the devil was after her...

.Hope Goldie is still doing well & growing like a weed!

 

[Debby27]

They would be production reds or red sexlinks. Both of them lay a lot of egg during the first 18 months of egg laying.

How old were they when they started laying eggs?

Hi Ron, my original girls (of which I only have 1 left) started laying around 18 months give or take a week or 2.....not sure about the new girls....we go know they are about a yr old...they were penned up all the time never let out to free range...so they've gotten lots of that in the last 2 weeks...and lots of food as well...they had to fight for what they ate at the other place (this woman had like 10 hens and 2 roo's) kept the hens in the coop all the time...which i thought was very sad.

 

[karl69]

So I have a question, I have 6 chickens 3 Delawares and 2 RIR's all hens one rooster and their 16 wks old. I think the rooster Is trying to establish his dominance in the flook. My question is what could I expect if I were to introduce a couple older laying hens to the flook?
I'm just tired of paying to much for eggs and a little impatient waiting for them.

 

[Debby27]

Hi Karl,
Mine were around 18wks (RIR's) when they started laying, albeit they were a little small in the first couple weeks. If you can wait a few weeks you should be getting eggs soon.

PS: everyone knows the "c'mon lay those eggs already" syndrome. LOL I did the same thing around week 16, 17 and most of 18 till I saw that first one...woo hoo! then they just started coming....

 

[ronott1]

So I have a question, I have 6 chickens 3 Delawares and 2 RIR's all hens one rooster and their 16 wks old. I think the rooster Is trying to establish his dominance in the flook. My question is what could I expect if I were to introduce a couple older laying hens to the flook?
I'm just tired of paying to much for eggs and a little impatient waiting for them.

The hens will beat him up! After a couple of weeks he may begin mating them.

Adding a rooster or older hens will not make them lay eggs earlier. There are ways to force them to lay a bit earlier but you really do not want them to start laying until they are ready. Laying too soon can blow up their egg laying organs.

The average age for all breeds to lay eggs is in the 25 week range. 16 weeks would be very early and none of your breeds are in that group.

The RIRs will likely be first but do not expect eggs until after 20 weeks old. The Dels will be a couple weeks or so later for the first egg.

 

[karl69]

Hi Karl,
Mine were around 18wks (RIR's) when they started laying, albeit they were a little small in the first couple weeks.  If you can wait a few weeks you should be getting eggs soon. 

PS:  everyone knows the "c'mon lay those eggs already" syndrome.  LOL   I did the same thing around week 16, 17 and most of 18 till I saw that first one...woo hoo!  then they just started coming....

thanks, I'm kinda new at this . nice to meet another Pennsylvanian here I live just east of Pittsburgh.