Winter egg laying

[FortCluck]

We have only 2 chickens at the moment, and one lays all through the year. The other, we're sure she's a free loading slacker and has never layed at all.

I think my black Cochin is a free loading slacker too. Eats the food, but produces nothing.

 

[smfarman]

ditto

Mine are new layers, but next winter I'll be in the same position that your in now. Can't wait for longer daylight

 

[TheLaboratoryBF]

I have 3 hens and 2 pullets (hatched February 2019 and started laying August 2019).

Of my 3 hens, one is an almost 5-year-old barred rock who molts slowly and always takes winters off (aside from her first years ago). The second is a 3-year-old BO who takes winters off (and is just coming off of a hard molt). The third is a 1.5 year-old olive egger who laid through her first winter last year, molted hard this past February, and is molting even harder as I type.

Long story short; no eggs from any of my hens for weeks.

My 2 spring pullets are also going through a full adult molt (I know it happens occasionally, but first time I've seen it first-hand) so my plan for getting eggs from them through winter has backfired.

Longer story short; no eggs from ANY of my hens OR pullets in weeks.

Good thing I have quail who are keeping me in eggs (albeit tiny) until spring.

No supplemental lighting for any of my birds.

 

[FortCluck]

Update... I have had 4 eggs the past 2 days. I will probably jinx myself writing this and I'll have none tomorrow

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Sorry, but Thanks... I feel better now





So how do their eggs look color wise? Wonders what the cross is....I figured just some weird marketing ploy, the latest 'designer breed'.

Oh it is FOR SURE. In my Tractor Supply stupor that I always get when I hear chicks calling from the back of the store I went in and bought my first hatchery birds since that first year. I just saw Marans. And the sticker was under $6 per chick. LOL. They are like those Craig's list lemon blue something or others two ladies got in a fist fight about on our state thread. LOL. And all the heritage breeders on the thread were snickering in the corner. I think they will be like rocket fuel and burn up fast on me ...those ovaries.

But had to try. A sucker born every minute.

Colorwise. I'm happy. They are not the dark dark ones that I see on the $100 breeder dozen hatching eggs. But They are a dark copper and one does have a darker bloom making her darker than her sister's . The other one is coppery with very dark speckles. So that's fun. in the carton with the green Ameraucana eggs. They are lovely. Darker than my Welsummer. And darker than the Barnie I got. That they are. These bigger Marans girls are making big eggs too. There was no smallish pullet eggs. Poor girls. They went right into double yolk-ville on the 6th egg. Crazy nuts.

 

[chickenenthusiasts5698]

Last year I had about 40 chickens and only getting 1-5 eggs a day..So this year I have about 200 and still get 2 dozen a day.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

 

[aart]

My 2 spring pullets are also going through a full adult molt (I know it happens occasionally, but first time I've seen it first-hand) so my plan for getting eggs from them through winter has backfired.

Full molt or partial(neck head tail)?

 

[woodmort]

Long story short--if you want winter eggs get good, winter hardy breeds as chicks in the spring and you'll have eggs during the winter--repeat next the spring.

 

[TheLaboratoryBF]

Full molt or partial(neck head tail)?

Full; it took me by surprise, too.