Talk me off of the ledge!!!

[kingme]

OK Backyard Chicken Forum please talk me off of the ledge. I am not going to jump, but I may throw my coop and chickens off. So here is the deal. I originally bought 8 brown leghorn chicks from a local feed store. As they began to mature it became very evident that three were roosters. So I sold the three and I was down to five. I found a local farm that was selling Barred Rock pullets that were very close to laying age. I am a little impatient, and I really want to see results so about a month ago I bought four of the BR. As they continued to mature, two looked different. I have yet to get an egg. I figured the big ones would lay by now. Then to my surprise at 6:15 am this morning I hear a cock-a-doodle-do. Then another one at 6:20, then 6:30, then 6:40...you get the idea. I am in the city and can not have roosters. So today I need to get rid of the two that are clearly (Now) roosters. I feels like I am never going to get an egg from this bunch. I have had all the costs of building a coop and feeding, and with no results I am a little frustrated. Sorry for all the venting, but I needed to tell some folks who would understand...Have a good Friday!

 

[fldiver97]

Sorry to hear...

I would be bummed too!!!! Maybe the next chickes should be sex link I am sooooooo glad that mine all turned about to be girls, but the guy I got them from was willing to take any roo back and exchange for pullet....I would not have known what to do with a roo, can't have them either. Hope you day gets better

 

[ChickBond 007]

Cull the roosters if need be. They'll be pleasant and quiet in your stew pot.
And patience is a virtue. Have you sat down and explained to your girls that there's a stew pot at the end of the tunnel for non-egg-layers? I have some 24 week olds girls that have just begun to lay. Patience....

 

[LittleFeat]

Breathe in, breathe out. Think calm thoughts.

AND as soon as you do get eggs....DON'T EAT THEM....take them down the road and throw them at that local farmer!

Patience....the sky IS not falling. AND I can only give this advice because it's you not me!

I'm worried everyday that one or more of MPC 4 week old chicks that are supposed to be girls will someday start crowing. I'm already attached to them and won't be able to keep any roos.

 

[Renee']

Hang in there. Several of us have had rough chicken beginnings. I didn’t end up with roosters; I ended up with dead chickens. If it wasn’t one thing killing them, it was another! Be patient, the larger breeds mature later. You may have to wait 6 months before you get your first egg.

 

[granolamommie]

I had a similar thing to Renee, mine died in the beginning and have bought some adult chickens, now have only received one egg from the three....still waiting!!!

If I can wait it all out, you can too. This has to pay off eventually. They have to lay someday. I have warned them of a stew pot, I thought it would scare some eggs out of them!!! Then I prayed over them- that the eggs would flow. One day!!!

Good Luck!

 

[antlers]

As inthe old Kung fu TV series. Patience grasshopper. It will come in it own time.

 

[lindabean]

I started out as you did with babies from a feed store. But I knew that I was not patient enough to wait for "the reward" so I got some hens that were already laying, and 2 more that were suposed to start in a few months. All went well for a few months. I was getting about 4 eggs a week from each of the 3 big hens and the babies were growing nicely. The in between ones got bigger too, but no eggs. Then they all started to molt, and eggs STOPPED almost dead in their tracks! Only my EE hen who already has a bald spot, keeps producing eggs. That was 3 1/2 weeks ago. The in between hen is not laying yet (that I can tell), but I finally did get get another brown egg (first 1 in 3 weeks). And the babies still keep getting bigger. We used our last home grown egg this AM for breakfast, so are having to BUY eggs this weekend. I'm not telling the in-laws as they will think we just added more mouths to feed in the Pet department. This list keeps me looking forward to a future with more than 1 egg a day with 12 hens.

PS I think I may have a roo or 2 in my baby bunch, but no crowing yet.

 

[Fudgie]

Make sure you are feeding Laying mash or layer pellets. For some reason that seems to help catapult them into laying better than just grain. Patience is a virtue..............that I don't have either. We ended up buying layer hens that were already laying. then hatching out some of the eggs for ourselves. WAY BETTER.

I agree with the sexlink chickens. YOU KNOW what you are getting and they lay eggs like a champ! That is what they were bred for!

 

[anngili]

I sympathize. I'm raising some new chicks to replace some that turned out to be roosters, too. I was able to give one away to a neighbor and got a new owner within an hour using craigslist. One of the other 3 left from the first batch is surprising me by being ready to lay about 3 weeks early! I've got to run get her a nest box today! Hang in there, it will get better and the chickens seem to get more personality and funnier as they grow.
Got to run to school and get a nest box, now.

Ann