The Wyandotte Thread

[sandiatonimarie]

Hi Kathleen,

So do you have any estimate of how many eggs you got each week during the winter compared to spring/summer? I have heard that wyandottes will lay through winter but fewer eggs so wondering what "fewer" is.

 

[Freeholder]

You have to keep in mind that they had just started laying at the beginning of the winter. I suspect that a couple of them have only just now started laying, in fact. So I had twelve Wyandotte hens through the winter. For a while I was getting around seven eggs a day from them. Then it went down to twelve below for a couple of nights (they have been living in the open goat shelter, so no heated coop!) and the eggs dropped off to one or two a day for about three weeks, until around the middle of January when they picked back up. I suspect that with better housing, they would have kept plugging along at around seven eggs a day (average).

Now, what I've heard and read is that young hens who have just started laying usually *will* lay pretty well through their first winter, but that the following year (this coming fall) they'll probably molt and not lay as well during the winter. We'll see. I know my EE's stopped laying in late October and I didn't see any green eggs until about a month ago. They are almost two years old now.

Kathleen

 

[sandiatonimarie]

You have to keep in mind that they had just started laying at the beginning of the winter. I suspect that a couple of them have only just now started laying, in fact. So I had twelve Wyandotte hens through the winter. For a while I was getting around seven eggs a day from them. Then it went down to twelve below for a couple of nights (they have been living in the open goat shelter, so no heated coop!) and the eggs dropped off to one or two a day for about three weeks, until around the middle of January when they picked back up. I suspect that with better housing, they would have kept plugging along at around seven eggs a day (average).

Now, what I've heard and read is that young hens who have just started laying usually *will* lay pretty well through their first winter, but that the following year (this coming fall) they'll probably molt and not lay as well during the winter. We'll see. I know my EE's stopped laying in late October and I didn't see any green eggs until about a month ago. They are almost two years old now.

That's pretty amazing! I chose Wyandottes for the cold hardiness among other things and I did wonder if they or other cold hardy breeds would start laying that late in the year or start laying even during the winter. Even one or two a day sounds like more winter production than other breeds. And when you add living in open goat shelter, that's impressive to me.​

 

[Freeholder]

Quote:
That's pretty amazing! I chose Wyandottes for the cold hardiness among other things and I did wonder if they or other cold hardy breeds would start laying that late in the year or start laying even during the winter. Even one or two a day sounds like more winter production than other breeds. And when you add living in open goat shelter, that's impressive to me.

I was impressed, too. That was what I got them for, their reputation for winter laying. I've been disappointed in some other breeds that I've had that are supposed to be good winter layers and turned out not to be (maybe others of the breed would be, but mine weren't -- might have done better with a real chicken coop and lights, though).

Kathleen

 

[gary43055]

just got 12 glw and 12 slw. i wanted 50 buckeyes. dont know if im happy yet.

 

[chickenjones]

I just got my first egg from one of my 22 week old SLWs or GLWs!!!! They had been checking out the nest boxes for a few days and I went out there yesterday and there was the cutest little egg! We are so egg-cited (couldn't resist)! They also seem to be molting so that can't be comfortable for them with all this change going on. They don't want to be messed with but they still come running when they see me. How big are the eggs usually? Right now we are getting eggs from a friend and he has buff orpingtons. They are a good size egg so I was just wondering. I also have 6 brahma chicks but it will be awhile before I am looking for their eggs!

 

[Billjr]

All the birds in this thread have great coloring. I am however confused about the color names. Some are called BLR blue laced red, meaning, I think, blue lacing [edges] around red feathers. Right? Others I saw were called silver laced, but the lacing was dark [dun] edges on white feathers. Which should be called DLS,dun laced silver. Right? I dunno. Not trying to P anyone off now, just trying to understand.

 

[CelticMoon1]

Quote:
Well the first colour was silver laced, so I guess the colour name just indicated the fact that its base colour is silver and it looks laced (black lacing BTW)... When the BLR was created the lacing was no longer black, and the need arose for a name indicating the base colour, the fact that it is laced, AND the lace colour...

I'm not a native speaker of English, and in my country (and neighbouring countries) the names have been changed. While the old names would directly translate to silver laced and gold laced, they are now known as silver blacklaced and gold blacklaced. BLR would be red bluelaced. The same change in nomenclature applies to pencilled; silver pencilled is now silver blackpencilled, while partridge is gold blackpencilled... To be honest I thought it was a pain at first, getting used to the new names, but after learning about the BLR I could see the sense in it

ETA: In Europe the base colour for partridge IS gold, while it looks to be red in the US (just in case I confused you there)

 

[gary43055]

3rd day i do love the little guys but i still want my buckeyes

 

[MountainFarmPeeps]

Just out of curiosity...what do you guys think of my SLWs?? I love them so much, they are so nice to look at and my Roo is actually kind of, well, sweet.

So..you know, don't be brutal or anything...but what do you think? Do you think they are as beautiful as I think they are?

This is my young Roo, Wyatt:

And this is his lady, Wynona:

What do you guys think about them? I love them regardless, but it's fun to hear what people who know what they're talking about think of my beauties!