Who else is waiting the impossible wait?

[Harlequin]

we havent bought eggs from the store for almost a year now, now our laying hens are starting to stop to molt (i think?) so we have to wait for our next generation to start. shouldnt be more than a month though i hope. the only benefit i can see for buying eggs at the store is we'll have more cartons lol

 

[annaraven]

Quote:
Same here! My Buffy is already 24 weeks old but no eggs yet. Nice red comb too. I keep waiting...

 

[mdc2be]

So I have 6 white leghorns and they are least 4 mths old. When do they start laying? Now that is about to become cold, will they lay in the winter? Also I have heard different things on this one, do I need a rooster to help the "laying" or will they lay all on thier own?

 

[HHandbasket]

My leghorn started laying Monday at the ripe old age of 21+ weeks. That's kinda old for a leghorn to start laying, but I think this year's funky weather has caused a LOT of chickens starting later than normal. I am told that leghorns will lay eggs through the winter if you keep their coop warm. From what I understand, once they get going, a leghorn will lay approximately 360 eggs a year. That's a lotta huevos.

We got our first real egg (there were 2 egg-poops earlier in the week) Wednesday & our second egg yesterday, so we're having eggs and pancakes this morning with itty bitty leghorn pullet eggs! Very excited to get breakfast today!

Oh, and the need for a rooster is a myth. Many of us do not have roosters. Egg farms (the places that mass-produce those nasty eggs other people buy at the store) do not have roosters. You'll be fine without one, and your girls will lay soon. Watch for big wattles and bright red comb and face on the leghorn. Speaking of whom, I just saw her go into the henhouse and up to the nesting box, so it's looking like we're gonna have 3 eggs in 3 days. She's a machine, my leghorn is!

 

[mdc2be]

I bet your ready to eatem up. I hope they taste as good as ppl say farm raised eggs do. Yeah I am just sitting and waiting. My Semaras havent laid any eggs either nor my guineas. I am about to start working on a larger coop as I just added 6 barred rock chicks to my collection of silly birds. And to think my 10 yr old son got me started in all this.

 

[linben]

My mixed flock is 20 weeks and 21 weeks and I look everday for an egg and nothing. I can hardly wait! My Minorca and sex link have very red combs but no squatting. I will just keep waiting and waiting......

 

[HHandbasket]

Oooh, you have a minorca??? I want one of those!!!! I saw one at the state fair, a big gorgeous roo. I took his picture & he's now the wallpaper in my cell phone! Those are gorgeous birds.... are they good layers?

 

[jjhere]

FINALLY!!! We had convinced ourselves that our chickens were defective, but they (well 2 of them anyway) proved us wrong today. 2 cute little eggs awaited us. I feel like a proud mama. One was the Ancona (20 weeks) and the other was our BO (I think) who is 21 weeks. So excited - I just wish the kids were home too.

Julie

 

[new chick 203]

I just realized that I had miss counted the weeks. my girls are only 17 and 22 weeks old! I still might have a wait left! What a dope i am.

 

[buckabucka]

I had a miscount, earlier, new chick 203. I thought they were 18 weeks, when they were only 17, - and it is a real frustration when you are waiting and waiting.

Now that one of the leghorns is laying, the waiting for the other 15 isn't bad at all!


mdc2be - I hear from other chicken owners that most breeds of chicken lay through the winter during their first year. After the first winter, I was told to expect a drought between November and February.

Sending long-distance egg-producing thoughts to the west coast, Rachel's flock!