February 29th I hatched a clutch of eggs from Tuffoldhen. They were cute and fluffy and filled out fast. None of that ugly awkward teenage look so many chickens have. I kept them on Purina Mills Start and Grow sunfresh feed for 12 weeks. then switched them over to Purina Mills Flock Rasier. Today they are 16 weeks old. I have kept all of these chicks/chickens. I am attached to them. I have tried to find a way to keep even the boys. I make good excuses. This was a really good hatch for me. I ended up with 3 blue pullets 1 blue cockeral, 1 black pullet 2 black cockerals, 1 splash pullet 1 splash cockeral, 1 buff x blue cockeral and 2 brahama x blue pullets. The 2 mixed pullets will go into my main laying house. The splashes have their own pen, the blacks have a pen and the blue pullets went in with Mosby and Bonnie. The black pullet is the largest of the girls. Followed by the brahma x blue. Doesn't she have the prettiest lacing? The other pullet is super light and her feathering and lacing is washed out and nothing like this one. Bejou is the splash pullet and she is rather small. She is also super shy and I couldn't get a good photo of her. So - imagine my surprise yesterday when I went out to close up the barn yesterday evening and found this laying by the hanging feeder. I suspect the black orpington laid it but I am not sure. For those of you that do not raise orpingtons you probaby don't know they don't lay small eggs. It is not a normal pullet sized egg. I laid this egg beside one of the eggs laid by one of my year old barred rock hens. Nice, huh? lol I have changed my feeding program in the last month. I was feeding ration from a local feed mill. I was buying in bulk and getting a very good price on the laying feed. I have started to notice what I thought was my girls going through a hard molt with the swinging weather. But it was extended and some of my poor hens look like they are being plucked for the fry pan. It has not been pretty. I have been battling unseen forces for months! I ran out of laying pellets one day and didn't make it over to the feed mill in the next county in time before they closed early, without warning!, for a long weekend. What to do? I bought Purina Mills Flock Raiser from a local feed and seed store. I started cutting more grass and adding it to the run for them to eat. I had a peice bag of game bird feed that I mix in. My hens are regrowing feathers. I think the feed I have been buying has not been top quality feed and it didn't hit me until I have seen the changes in my girls over last couple of weeks. So - game bird feed, flock rasier, tons of fresh grass - does that have anything to do with this 16 week old laying eggs early? You tell me.
WOW! That is very interesting. I will have to remember this in the future. It does seem to me that the quality of the feed definitely had something to do with this. I wonder if I can find anyone who sells the Purina around here? I'm going to look when I go to town today for sure! That egg is huge! BTW: Those chickens are just beautiful!!! I'd want to keep all of them also!
Love the laced chicks and the rest are beautiful as well. Hope they give you many eggs and congratulations on the first one!! (I sooo want my first egg, lol)
Now I'm gonna think even more positive that I'll get eggs before 27 weeks....I feed mine flock raiser so I hope that had something to do with it!!
I mix game bird feed in with my birds' feed too. You're right; the added protein gives a huge boost for re-growing feathers. And, while I haven't had any lay at 16 weeks, I did have one lay at 18 and one at 20 weeks recently (still very early for heritage birds--I've read plenty of comments that you should expect eggs at 6 months for heritage types). But 16 weeks is amazing. You've sure got bragging rights on that one . That was one thing I did like about the Orps, the size of the pullet eggs. Most of my Delawares lay nice big eggs their second year, like your Rocks. But one thing I do get a lot of is double-yolkers, even with the pullets, which is great as long as I'm not trying to collect eggs for hatching
This is good info (and great pics!!) as I usually buy Nutrena feed from the farm store. I can go to a different one and get the Purina brand, to see if that helps with my situation. I've got a few hens that have slowed in their laying.
That's one nice looking egg ...... I'd be out spying all day today trying to find the lady that laid that ...if your not sure, the brahmas lay huge eggs too .... who ever did good for them!!...