Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[Amberjem]

Hello to Olympia/ Tacoma/ Spokane area! I'm desperately looking for a serama hen, young adult. I need her to help me foster my quails, and through much research have decided that is the best fit for me due to size and personality. I would prefer a people friendly bird, however if she has potential I'm willing to work with her. I really like the black fluffy kind, but will take anything at this point. My incubator is on the outs, and I don't know how much longer it can hold on. I have an indoor coop set up already. I live in olympia, but travel to tacoma fairly regularly. I will be in spokane this next weekend (31 jan) if anyone over there can do a quick meet. Please contact me with any leads, or offers =)

 

[Corydg]

I have a Ayem Cemani 7 week rooster from Greenfire farms that should not be bred to create A.C. because it is not full black (has white wing tips and whitish toe nails) and he's picking on my lil 5 week chicks. He is very sweet with me...loves pets but I would love to trade him for a pullet silkie or Serama. I don't mind giving him away to the right person.

 

[Wootage]

I will be placing a hatchery order in February/March from Ideal Hatchery, does anyone want to join in with me to split shipping costs? I'm near Chehalis, so you'd just have to be willing to be here on pick-up day to get your new babies. You'd pay me through PayPal to protect both of us. If you're interested, please message me!

 

[CarolynF]

Wow 8 months seems extreme. Everything I've read say 18-22 weeks approximently with a few exception for low maturing breeds.

The information published by hatcheries always say that. Most people with a few years under their belt will say 6 months... or more. Mine have generally been around 24. Also remember that your girls have been raised during the winter, which tends to slow them down anyway. Patience Grasshopper, patience.

 

[CarolynF]

I will be placing a hatchery order in February/March from Ideal Hatchery, does anyone want to join in with me to split shipping costs? I'm near Chehalis, so you'd just have to be willing to be here on pick-up day to get your new babies. You'd pay me through PayPal to protect both of us. If you're interested, please message me!

Why not buy from local breeders and skip the cost and hassle of postage, and support locals? There are a lot of possibilities. What breeds are you getting?

 

[Carolei]

I don't have any legbars, but my girls all started between 24 and 28 weeks. They may lay younger if they mature in the summer when the days are longer. Mine started laying in Novenber and December.

 

[Flaming Chicken]

Cream Legbars typically start to lay at 22-24 weeks. My pullets were laying in November and then stopped with the cold weather. My other blue egg laying hens EE's also stopped laying in the winter with or without lights. I am waiting for the girls to start laying again. I have a waitlist for hatching eggs. They do fly really well and suppose to be good at free ranging.

Does anyone know if Cream Legbars are slow to mature? I started this experiment with this breed this summer I really wanted blue eggs. So we went from hatching eggs, to chicks (only ending up with one girl and 3 boys), to pullets, to putting the boys in the freezer

to now the hen is 21 weeks and still no eggs. Shes not my favorite bird either. In fact she sleeps in the tree above the coop at night and we can't get her down until morning when she flies down wanting to be fed, and now i'm rambling. I just really wanted blue eggs and impatiently waiting. The other hens were so much easier and sweeter.

 

[ochochicas]

My pullets, regardless of breed, typically start laying at 24 weeks as well. Some pullets that were slow to grow or had health issues when I got them laid later. I have some 27 week olds now that are not even getting red combs yet. They were stunted and malnourished when I got them, so I'm not expecting eggs for another month or two. I have one hen that laid her first egg at 48 weeks. She had a serious leg injury as a chick and it took her months to recover.

When I got my hatchery chicks, I had one RIR that laid at 17 weeks and a plymouth rock that laid at 20. The down side is that these hens are now a year old and are still laying small eggs. I believe the hatcheries advertise that their birds lay earlier so people will buy them (so they don't have to wait long for eggs). It is false advertising. It is kind of like car manufacturers claiming better gas mileage that was is true so you'll be more likely to buy their product.

 

[Amberjem]

 

[Hinotori]

I've had wheaten ameraucana pullets take 10 months to lay. The silkies have laided between 6 and 8 months.