How long did it take them to lay?
My one SLW is 29 weeks (so a little over 7 months old) and I'm not entirely sure she is laying yet. I have 3 that are supposed to be brown egg layers (2 speckled sussex and my SLW) and yesterday was the first day I've gotten more than one brown egg in the same day. My SLW has been red in the face for a couple of months now, but I have seen one of the SS in the nest box and collected a warm egg shortly after she has left so I'm not sure if both of the brown eggs are from the sussex or if they and my SLW have just been alternating days thus far
Where did you get them?
Mine came from My Pet Chicken because I wanted a variety of breeds and a hatchery seemed like the easiest, least risky way to get sexed birds of various breeds. I wouldn't call her "crappy," but she is not to the standard by any stretch of the imagination, her lacing is poor, she's much smaller than a wyandotte is supposed to be and not nearly as robust, and she has a single comb instead of a rose comb. But since I just want a backyard flock for eggs and have no plans on showing or breeding she'll do just fine. That's not to say that the next time around I would buy from a hatchery again. Katy's birds are gorgeous, and I've decided if I want that kind of eye candy in my yard I will buy patterned birds from a breeder in the future. Hatchery birds and breeder birds are two different worlds, but they are bred with two different purposes in mind. Breeders are focused on producing birds that meet the standard and while egg production may be a consideration in their breeding program, it is not as important as other traits such as lacing, body type, comb type, and temperament. Hatcheries on the other hand need to breed thousands of chicks each year to fill the large number of orders they get and they are focused on quantity instead of quality. They don't care if a high percentage of the chicks hatch out with the wrong comb, have a body that looks more like a leghorn, or have poor lacing. They are trying to produce birds that lay lots of eggs. And for the most part, the people who buy birds from hatcheries are also primarily interested in getting birds that lay lots of eggs.
In which area do you live in?
I'm in central IL, where the low tonight is supposed to be -1 (without the wind chill). My SLW has been very cold hardy, even with the single comb, and has shown no signs of frostbite.
Are they nice?
I suppose so. Many people report that their hatchery SLW are not particularly friendly to other birds in the flock but I have not found that to be the case. Of course it could be that I only have one so she doesn't have others of the same breed to form a clique and gang up on the others. She's not the most friendly bird I own, but she's not overly shy either and once she's caught up she sits perfectly still for petting, examination, and even wing trimming.
Do they go broody alot?
Mine is young yet, so I have no idea about her broody tendencies. I'll just be elated that first day I get 3 brown eggs!
As you can see, she's not nearly as pretty as Katy's birds. But she is pretty typical of a hatchery wyandotte. The first pic. is a head shot from this summer when I was still trying to figure out for sure if she was a pullet or cockerel. The second one I took on Monday.
