Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[Wishing4Wings]

Hey mortie! Sounds like you aren't worried about a chicken limit... are you a country girl now?

I am doing about the same. Have 14 layer hens, 1-6 yrs old, and 6 Serama left. Got a couple of Crested Cream Legbars and really like them. One of them has become a guard bird and chases jays and crows out the yard. The best part is, she goes after the jays in the coop too, so they have quit going in and destroying eggs. Thank goodness! Worth her weight in gold, that CCL.
Had to evacuate everyone for 8 days during the fires last October. We were lucky to have coops and house to come home to, but it was VERY CLOSE.

 

[mortie]

Wow that's a little more excitement than I would want!

Nope I am still in town. Since they're all straight run, if statistically half are boys then I should be more or less ok. If I get more girls I can sell the ones I don't want. Just kind of biding my time til I can tell who we are keeping for now.

So....should I buy eggs, or wait it out?

 

[BullChick]

You should wait it out. It’ll only be another four months.

 

[BullChick]

My hens were all wiped out, I am still feeding five roosters. Two died with the hens. Four roosters were supposed to be processed, but that keeps getting put off for one reason or another. Three duck hens and a drake. I’m not crazy about the taste of duck eggs, but if I mix them with store eggs it all works out. Bantam Lavender Ameraucana is finally laying. She and her mate belong to Duckling. I will probably be incubating her eggs by next week.
I had six, 8-wk-old chicks, but two died a few days ago. A LH and a RSL. I think they just got into a scuffle over feed. I didn’t check their crops.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

You should wait it out. It’ll only be another four months.

She'll be lucky if it's only 4 months!

 

[mortie]

She'll be lucky if it's only 4 months!

For sure. Knowing my luck, it'll be 6-8 at least.

 

[ronott1]

Just chillin over here.

I got rid of all my chickens last fall because I was moving and I knew I wouldn't be able to be set up for them right away. Winter came before we knew it and we're still not ready, but I've got a bunch of babies in the basement ready to go out in the coop as soon as it's ready for them. They're 2 weeks old and of the following breeds:

2 ameracauna (true, heritage)
4 olive egger
4 Marans
3 SLW
1 Amberlink (wanted RSL but none available)

All straight run except the amberlink. Hopefully I get a well rounded crew out of this, going for a colorful egg basket. When they go out in the coop they'll still need heat at 3 weeks old obviously...but they won't be in my house anymore!

What's everyone else up to?

Congratulations on the new flock!

 

[ronott1]

My hens were all wiped out, I am still feeding five roosters. Two died with the hens. Four roosters were supposed to be processed, but that keeps getting put off for one reason or another. Three duck hens and a drake. I’m not crazy about the taste of duck eggs, but if I mix them with store eggs it all works out. Bantam Lavender Ameraucana is finally laying. She and her mate belong to Duckling. I will probably be incubating her eggs by next week.
I had six, 8-wk-old chicks, but two died a few days ago. A LH and a RSL. I think they just got into a scuffle over feed. I didn’t check their crops.
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Sound like a tough time getting egg layers!

 

[mortie]

One of my SLW is really runty. It still looks like a day old and I've had them for over a week. The other two I got the same day are closing in on twice the size.

Lame.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Bummer. You got them from a breeder?