SIZE OF EGGS ?

[cajunlizz]

1st. question : When a hen goes broody and or moulting cycle and quits laying , when they start laying again , do they start off laying small eggs again , or regular size ?


2nd. question How long after broody and or moulting stage/cycle DO the hens start layiing again ?


I have a small old english game bantam that was broody and its been over 2 months and she still has NOT started laying again . She is only a year old . ANY idea ?

 

[keljonma]

Quote:
Regular size


Quote:
The longer she is broody, the longer it will be before she starts laying again. If she is broody 1 month (it takes 3 weeks to hatch eggs) figure 2 months before she lays again. But that is 2 months after she stops being broody.

I can give you the examples of our Jersey Black Giant. #1 Broody Dec 30, broke her broody after 2 weeks. Started laying again Jan 28. #2 Broody Feb 24, broke her broody Feb 28, started laying again Mar 5. #3 Broody Jul 24, hatched chicks Aug 14 & 17. Back to hen house Sep 26, laying again Sep 30. #4 She went broody on June 22 and is currently raising 5 chicks, that are 4 weeks old today.

Quote:
How long was she broody? When did it start/When did it stop?

 

[cajunlizz]

Quote:
Regular size


Quote:
The longer she is broody, the longer it will be before she starts laying again. If she is broody 1 month (it takes 3 weeks to hatch eggs) figure 2 months before she lays again. But that is 2 months after she stops being broody.

I can give you the examples of our Jersey Black Giant. #1 Broody Dec 30, broke her broody after 2 weeks. Started laying again Jan 28. #2 Broody Feb 24, broke her broody Feb 28, started laying again Mar 5. #3 Broody Jul 24, hatched chicks Aug 14 & 17. Back to hen house Sep 26, laying again Sep 30. #4 She went broody on June 22 and is currently raising 5 chicks, that are 4 weeks old today.

Quote:
How long was she broody? When did it start/When did it stop?

she was broody about a month , NOW there is over 2 months she is OUT of the broody cycle .

 

[cajunlizz]

Quote:
Regular size


Quote:
The longer she is broody, the longer it will be before she starts laying again. If she is broody 1 month (it takes 3 weeks to hatch eggs) figure 2 months before she lays again. But that is 2 months after she stops being broody.

I can give you the examples of our Jersey Black Giant. #1 Broody Dec 30, broke her broody after 2 weeks. Started laying again Jan 28. #2 Broody Feb 24, broke her broody Feb 28, started laying again Mar 5. #3 Broody Jul 24, hatched chicks Aug 14 & 17. Back to hen house Sep 26, laying again Sep 30. #4 She went broody on June 22 and is currently raising 5 chicks, that are 4 weeks old today.

Quote:
How long was she broody? When did it start/When did it stop?

Any ideas how to get them OUT of broody stage ? I tried dunking one of mine in water , and even added ICE , She was to determined . SO we PUT 4 eggs under her .

BUT this English game bantam has me SO puzzled .... She was NOT setting on eggs , JUST went thru the broody cycle for about a month and finally came out of it .

When they molt , HOW long before they start laying again ?

 

[keljonma]

I personally think the ice water dunk is cruel and I've heard from a number of people that tried it that it really didn't work. So we don't do that. We use our laundry/mud room for a brooder area, infirmary and broody hatching area. Its a large room (just off our kitchen), so it doesn't bother us that we have chickens in the house.

We cover the hall tree bench with a towel or blanket. We set the hen up in this room with feed, oyster shell, grit, roost chair, and water BUT no nesting material. The broody has the whole room to walk around in, but nothing to nest on. She can sit on the hall tree bench, but can't make a nest. We let her outside every day, but never let her back to the hen house during this time, so she can't make it back to the nest boxes. I give the hen extra protein and calcium when they are broody. And they still get any treats the rest of the flock may be getting.

If you catch them immediately, it only takes a short time before the broody loses her Marlene Dietrich voice and acts like her usual self. In this picture, we also brought in a bale of straw so Lou would be up off the cement floor in winter.

Here is Lou in our portable wooden broody nest with her 5 chicklettes in this room. These chicks are now 4 weeks old.

When they molt , HOW long before they start laying again ?

With molting, I've found each of our birds is different. Our Buff Orp started molting Sep 11 and started laying eggs again Oct 1. Our Partridge Plymouth Rock didn't lay for about 2 months due to molt. Our Silver Lakenvelder is a very slow molter, taking about 2 months to complete. But she continues to lay one egg each week that she is molting.​