Hello all!
I currently raise bantam white bearded silkies & standard white crested black polish. The polish lay GREAT, and they are on the same lighting system/food system/etc as the silkies. I get about 5-6 eggs a week from each polish hen (we have 4 working hens right now).
In the silkies we have 5 hens that are CAPABLE of laying. However, only 3 actually lay.
We check our chickens every morning and every evening, so we know who is laying eggs (and then we chart them when the eggs are laid and mark them so we know who the egg belongs to)
What are birds are being fed/living situation/etc.:
They're all super tame because they're checked twice a day, but I don't understand why Lana wont lay?? shes super spoiled, and the person we got her from said she was laying (but can you believe her?). She is definitely healthy enough to be laying, but she doesn't. The boys breed her and she's not broody.
Any help would be appreciated!
Thank you for reading.
I currently raise bantam white bearded silkies & standard white crested black polish. The polish lay GREAT, and they are on the same lighting system/food system/etc as the silkies. I get about 5-6 eggs a week from each polish hen (we have 4 working hens right now).
In the silkies we have 5 hens that are CAPABLE of laying. However, only 3 actually lay.
We check our chickens every morning and every evening, so we know who is laying eggs (and then we chart them when the eggs are laid and mark them so we know who the egg belongs to)
- Mrs. Thorne: Lays 6 eggs a week. Every week. No matter what. She is the same age as Lana, and is Lana's sister (hatched in September).
- Lana: Hasn't laid a single egg since we got her. She has been here for about a month now, and is in the same situation as ^ Mrs. Thorne, but she doesn't lay at all. She seems very happy, and is very plump, but healthy plump, not overweight.
- Lizzie: lays eggs about 5 days a week, inconsistent, about 2 years old.
- Eliza: Hasn't laid a single egg yet. Shes about 6 months old (6 months and 5 days), when should we expect her to start?
- Sally the 2: Lays eggs about 3 days a week, inconsistent. Shes about 9 years old and is blind. However, she is fat and loves to be in the nursery (we only have her in with the boys once and awhile to "get the job done" then she goes back in with the babies. We don't care if she lays, we're just happy if she's happy.
What are birds are being fed/living situation/etc.:
- They are fed a mixture of calcium powder, gamebird crumble, scratch, cracked corn, and sometimes bird seed if the pigeons are living with them. Their water is changed daily, or every other day.
- They have 24 hour lights, because we have heat lamps (it is cheaper to run heat lamps rather than heat the whole barn), and the birds lay accordingly. The only time the lights are out is if one burns out (but there are 4 running - 1 in each pen) or the power goes out.
- During the day, after they lay, they go out to our dog pens (the polish run the yard and we don't cross our chickens, so the silkies are penned separately). They all get along (chickens & dogs) and just leave each other alone. There is plenty of fresh, green grass and they get scratch grains dispersed in the grass so they have something to pick at during the day.
- They get baths once and awhile (flea & tick shampoo & blow drying to protect from the little creepy crawlies) and they get their nails/beaks trimmed/filed weekly.
They're all super tame because they're checked twice a day, but I don't understand why Lana wont lay?? shes super spoiled, and the person we got her from said she was laying (but can you believe her?). She is definitely healthy enough to be laying, but she doesn't. The boys breed her and she's not broody.
Any help would be appreciated!
Thank you for reading.
