Our Jersey Black Giant hen started laying at 5 months, went broody at 6 months, and goes broody every 6 months.
Always a family favorite, she will fall asleep while sitting on someone's lap. So naturally, all the nieces, nephews and grandkids have had their pics taken with the hen on their laps. (It makes a great show and tell for the city kids.)
She is very gentle, friendly and chatty. She is calm EVEN when broody. A great mama hen. She has hatched our flock eggs and been a great mama hen to some adopted day-old chicks. So if she is with eggs for 3 weeks and chicks for 8 weeks, that is almost 3 months when she doesn't lay eggs. She goes into a molt right after being broody; so about the time the chicks are a week old, she is missing a number of feathers other than her breast area. Usually by the time the chicks are 10 weeks old, she will start laying again.
I think she is still growing, because she is larger and heavier this autumn than she was this past spring. She is now over 2 years old.
She lays a beautiful large dark brown egg every other day now.
I have a routine where I sing an 'end of day song' to the flock every night. When they are all up on their roosts, our JBG hen will start 'singing' to remind me it is time for their nightly lullabye.
We only have the one, but this breed is one of my favorites just for the temperament and personality.
edited for clarity.
Always a family favorite, she will fall asleep while sitting on someone's lap. So naturally, all the nieces, nephews and grandkids have had their pics taken with the hen on their laps. (It makes a great show and tell for the city kids.)
She is very gentle, friendly and chatty. She is calm EVEN when broody. A great mama hen. She has hatched our flock eggs and been a great mama hen to some adopted day-old chicks. So if she is with eggs for 3 weeks and chicks for 8 weeks, that is almost 3 months when she doesn't lay eggs. She goes into a molt right after being broody; so about the time the chicks are a week old, she is missing a number of feathers other than her breast area. Usually by the time the chicks are 10 weeks old, she will start laying again.
I think she is still growing, because she is larger and heavier this autumn than she was this past spring. She is now over 2 years old.
She lays a beautiful large dark brown egg every other day now.
I have a routine where I sing an 'end of day song' to the flock every night. When they are all up on their roosts, our JBG hen will start 'singing' to remind me it is time for their nightly lullabye.
We only have the one, but this breed is one of my favorites just for the temperament and personality.
edited for clarity.
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