When can these Grils Lay!

[BAYAREABIRDER]

Hey all,


I have 17 pullets that are 16 weeks old. They are a mix of Black Sex Links, Rhodies, and EE's. I would like to know when they will lay their first eggs if possible. I have had them on lay crumbles for about 3 months, and oyster shell for a month.


Thanks,


BAB

 

[Judy]

You should not have offered layer feed til they were around point of lay, as younger chickens can have health problems with the higher level of calcium in layer feed. Oyster shell is a calcium supplement. At this point, I would remove the oyster shell and hope the calcium did no harm.

The BSL's and RIR's should be approaching point of lay, which is usually 4-5 months, depending on the breed. You will probably find that the EE's start laying a lot later than the rest, sometimes as long as a year.

Your profile does not give your location. Where I live, layer feed provides plenty of calcium, as we have limestone soil which also provides this, and my hens forage, so I do not offer oyster shell.

 

[hen-thusiast]

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That's great to know - thanks. Do you know why that it? Just curious.

 

[HenPen]

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That's great to know - thanks. Do you know why that it? Just curious.

They have to color the eggs before they lay them LOL....sorry.. just kidding!!

 

[hen-thusiast]

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That's pretty funny. Kind of like the brown cow/chocolate milk thing. Eh?

 

[HenPen]

Eggsactly!!!

 

[BAYAREABIRDER]

Oh, Ilive in the Bay Area { California }. It says 16 percent layers ration. Should I throw away the feed that I mixed with oyster shell????

 

[chickenfever]

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You mixed the food with oyster shell? If it's not alot, maybe you should throw it out. Put them back on chick feed for a couple more weeks, then switch them to layer ration. DO NOT mix with oyster shell, just offer free choice. They will eat as much oyster shell as needed.

 

[hen-thusiast]

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I agree with chickenfever. The only thing I would add is make sure the transition back to layer feed is a gradual one.

 

[BAYAREABIRDER]

Well, they have been fine with the lay feed. I mixed it with their chick feed when they were about 3 months old, it took about a month to finish that. They are all very healthy, clear eyes, active, good feathers, loud etc.. do I REALLY need to switch them back??? What will happen if I dont?