I had the pleasure of meeting Daloorashens and her darling family yesterday. Her little boys were sp excited to get the black Cochin and I remembered to bring the red ribbon she won at the fair. I gave her anothe couple of extra chicks I had. They had some blue pain on them. The chicks insist on helping me touch uo the coop with paint so they get interesting colors on their feathers sometimes. It was so fun to see her boys reactions to the chickens. They were wonderful
Thanks SOO much Dianna!! That little black cochin is sure pretty, but she has attitude, it's pretty funny... she spars with everyone who comes by the little pen I have her in to get aquainted and keep her seperate for a bit...
I don't know what's wrong with me but I keep looking at chickens on KSL. We have 8, other than the EE's they should all be good layers but now I'm finding I want more eggs! Right now with 4 layers we get 2-4 eggs a day, usually just 2 or 3. So when we have 8 laying and it's winter...yikes, how will that affect them? Most of them should be good winter layers though. I have one each of Speckled Sussex, Buff Orpington, Welsummer, Black Sex Link, Barred Rock, Exchequer Leghorn and two Easter Eggers. My husband really wants a frizzle, my youngest wants a fluffy chicken, my oldest wants a Polish. Yikes, I can see where chicken math is a problem!
On KSL i was just reading one ad and the lady said that all chickens virtually stop laying after two years. How true is that? I don't plan on using supplemental light in the winter because from what I've read chickens have a finite number of eggs and if they are able to slow down in winter they will lay longer overall? I don't know. We don't have an easy way to hook up electricity to the coop. It's also only 4x8 (so technically we're at capacity) but the run is 14x15 and they are rarely in the coop at this point. I know that could be different in the winter, but we live in Eagle Mountain and never get as much snow as anywhere else in Utah. Now that I said that we'll get a ton, but if people in SLC get 4-6 inches we get a skiff. Also they are on the north part of our lot so that is the part that thaws first.
So yeah, who has coop ready chickens? LOL
That quote from cynthia is right.. chickens will lay for several years, just a little less all the time... but I had a Leghorn and Plymouth Rock and RIR that laid right up till they died of old age... so I guess it just depends on what is important to you... I also know that hatchery stock may not lay as long as a heritage breed, or chickens you get from a breeder, because hatchery stock is bred usually for egg-laying, not longevity... If you don't put the lights on them it does give them a break and they may lay longer... kind of like us women... they say if w get a break from ovulating from pregnancy/nursing, it's better for your long-term reporductive system health=)
I LOVE broodies... I'd much rather let them do the work!!Maybe next year I'll add a white leghorn and a red sex link. They are both supposed to be egg laying machines. For some reason I've read that the different varieties of leghorns don't lay as well as white, is that true? I figure Checkers (the exchequer) will lay well enough and she's beautiful yard candy. LOL hopefully next year I'll get a broody to put two little chicks under so she can raise them instead of me!