Patridge bantam chicken poorly foot?

[High Speed Mum]

I'm not new to hen keeping, in fact, I've been keeping hens for thirty years or more but am getting very frustrated as only one of my new hens is laying regularly. Normally when I hafve new hens they start to lay much more quickly after delivery. We collected them from Omlet in June and only had our first egg last week. The two Pepperpots have mature combs and wattles so I would expect them to be laying now. Miss Gingernut is far less mature so I am not expecting eggs from her for a bit. She is far and away the most friendly and always runs up when I go anywhere near the run.

 

Oh well, I suppose I shall have to be a bit more patient. : [/code]

[Egluntyne]

Welcome to the forum.

 

Are they crouching yet?

[Mrs P]

Hi there,

 

I got my Miss Pepperpot and Gingernut ranger from Omlet on 13th June and Pepperpot only started laying on a couple of weeks ago. However, the little Ginger devil is not really making any effort at all. Not a sign of an egg!

 

She has got redder in the face and her comb and wattles have grown and got redder too. She doesn't really crouch when I try to stroke her like Pepper does. Am I too being impatient or do I have an imposter little cockerel dressed up as a lady!?

 

Please someone give us poor eggless Gingernut Ranger owners a boost- tell us there will be eggs soon from the Ginger peril!

 

Yours hopefully

 

 

Mrs P

[Yolky]

I think that the gingernutters from omlet have been at the very young end of POL recently and the a bit older. My has a good red comb and has been crouching for a few days now, the gingernutters are still with a pink comb so I think at least another month from them.

[High Speed Mum]

My Miss Gingernut is crouching but her comb and wattles are very immature yet. Both my Pepperpots, we've called one Miss Saltshaker ,

have more mature combs so I suspect that one of them is laying but the other one doesn't seem to be doing anything much yet. I am now getting an egg a day from three hens which doesn't seem economical somehow but I suppose one egg is bettetr than nothing.

 

we did get two eggs one day last week and thought we were really motoring. The second egg was a double yolker but since then we have reverted to one a day. Hey ho! Just suppose we have to be patient.

[Electricbarbarella]

I am getting a little impatient as well, 2 of mine have very red wattles and combs but do not crouch although I haven't actually been in the run with them for a couple of days.

I am going away a week on Sat and will be most upset iof my mum gets my first egg.

[Yolky]

To be honest I am not expecting any eggs from my gingernutters till mid august at least I recon. Although I can't wait to get them I don't mind waiting and it will be nice that the boys will be off school and so they can be there when we find them

[High Speed Mum]

It's great for the kids to be fully involved with your hens. When mine were small they would let the nesting box door down, (we had an older style hen house in those far off days) : and then watch the egg being laid. Very good for their sex education.wink: ,

[The Brown Clan]

I aggree That the Gingernuts are at the early point of lay, as mine arrived on the 24th June , My Pepperpot was much bigger , and has matured with red comb etc as has my Sussex Hybrid ( from southmead )

I have had eggs from both of these girls now and seem to be laying everyday. We are still having the odd day off ( can't manage it everyday must be exhausting being a chicken ),

But my Gingernut is still a lot smaller than my other 2 and still only has a small comb and wattles starting to flush red every now and then but I think I still have a few weeks to wait for Wilma to lay , still what she is lacking in eggs she sure makes up for in character !!!!!!

[AJuff]

I am getting a little impatient as well, 2 of mine have very red wattles and combs but do not crouch although I haven't actually been in the run with them for a couple of days.

I am going away a week on Sat and will be most upset iof my mum gets my first egg.

 

Oh I hadn't thought about that!!! I hope my four new girls start laying before we go away in August!!

[High Speed Mum]

Yesterday I got an egg from each of my three girls. It's the first time they've all laid on the same day and even Miss Gingernut laid us a lovely dusky grown egg.

 

Naturally, I praised them effusivcely and they got an extra helping of fresh spinach leaves from the garden.

 

Haven't dared to go out and look yet this morning but now things seem to be happening I am full of optimism