4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Falkor]

Hi all,

 

Been searching the internet and my chicken books but then realised that the forum is the best place for this question.......

 

My ladies will be 18 weeks on 7th Jan and they are Orpingtons. Their combs are still pale but they have itty bitty wattles that are getting redder,

 

I have about two and a bit weeks supply of Smallholder Range growers pellets in the feed bin and will need to buy another bag.

 

The bag says that layers pellets should be introduced from 16 weeks (doh! ) but as they are Orps am I right in saying that they will take longer to come into lay?

 

So my question is to I carry on with the growers and if so when do they get layers or should they already be on layers pellets?

 

Gins wattles, pic taken 30/12/08 for info:

 

 

Any feedback or comments welcome!!!!!!

 

Em

x

[chelsea]

I would leave them on growers a bit longer if it were me (up to you though ). Orpingtons are similar to Cochins (the breed I have) and the bigger fluffier girls tend to be slower to mature. I didnt get eggs from my 2 until they were 10 months old

 

The bigger breeds sometimes take 1-1.5 years to get to POL.

[laurmurf]

I've only just taken my orp and cream legbar off growers and they are about 23/24 weeks now. As both are pure breeds and Willow will be a slow developer, I thought there wasn't any rush to move them on and certainly didn't want to encourage laying yet. The only reaason i moved them on was that I'm integrating the babies into the big girls (their first slumber party in the cube tonight!).

 

I freecycled the 18 kg left out of my 25 kg bag; at least the growers I was buying was cheap compared to the organic layers' everyone eats now!

[Egluntyne]

I've always changed them at around 18 weeks....depending on how much is left in the sack.

[ruth1]

I left my Orp on growers till she was about 21-22 weeks, they are really slow to develop, my girl was 8 weeks at the beginning of june when I got her and has only just came into lay over the last week.

[Lesley]

You'll be fine changing over when you finish the current bag.

[welsh sarah]

hi my pekins will be 20 weeks about now, will it matter if i keep them on growers, my reasoning for not swapping them over is i am not expecting eggs till the spring and i have loads of growers pellets to use up

sarah

[TAJ]

Layers has less % protein content, advice is not to move on to layers (lower protein) until they are POL and given the breeds and the cold weather I would personally stay on higher protein rations at the moment or the growth rate might slow down.

 

Tracy

[Egluntyne]

On the other hand...if they are at POL they really need the extra calcium.

[Falkor]

When do Orps become POL?

[laurmurf]

Willow has lovely red wattles, and a red comb, but she's not crouching and still 'acts' quite young although she's 24-ish weeks (she pecks at Anya's beak for treats, rather than getting any of her own).

 

I don't think she's ready to lay, although by age she is POL (since that's about being 18 weeks old or so - not about being ready to lay).

[chelsea]

When do Orps become POL?

 

the bigger breeds can take from 9months to 1.5 years to become POL.

[jill the potter]

Just a suggestion, but what about getting some layers pellets and feeding them half and half? - best of both worlds. That's what the breeder where we got our girls does.

[Falkor]

When do Orps become POL?

 

the bigger breeds can take from 9months to 1.5 years to become POL.

 

no eggs for a while then. I love my girls but they are freeloaders!!!

 

Although this could be the perfect excuse to move some POL hybrids in!!!! (**runs off to recount her small change pot***) hmm still £122 £303 to go until I can order my cube . Perhaps I need another eglu instead??!!!

[cordelia]

My bag of growers pellets said to stop feeding them that at 16 weeks...

but it may have been particular to that brand...they usually have a white label giving ingrdients and instructions on it somewhere.

 

[Daphne]

this is really up to you. Most orps will not be at POL at 18 weeks. None of my May hatched orp girls is laying yet tho most have been red of face for weeks/months, tho last years January hatchling was laying in June. However within the past week one has started crouching and I feel sure she is going to lay soon. I left them all on growers till 23-26 weeks but the feeding was complicated as some of them were in with older girls. So, one day, I switched to 50/50, then over a few days 100% layers. Since then, however, I have read that many people do literally keep their girls on growers till they lay their first egg - and I can see that my girls will be 8-10 months old before that happens...I think it depends on your set-up, but if you have 3 girls who are all the same age I think I would invest in another sack of growers - I think you can get 5kg sacks rather than 20kg if you want a halfway house? Whatever you decide, it won't be the 'wrong' decision. Opinions vary.

[Falkor]

Thanks for all you help everyone.

 

I think I will continue with the growers for a while yet as they are only 18 weeks on wednesday. The bag of growers I have will last me another two and a bit weeks and then go for another sack. My brother has kindly given me a 1/3 or a sack of layers pellets so I may start adding these to the growers as 20 weeks + or i might change my mind again.

[Falkor]

Well they seem to be eating for england and I was running out of growers and the bag little bro gave me has corn in it! So off I went to see Jim the nice feed man but he had ran out of Small holders gorwers!!!! So a large bag of layers pellets was purchased and I will start mixing it in with their growers.

 

Couldn`t make a proper choice so went for halfway house option!