Part 0800.0005

[..lay a little egg for me]

Hi all,

 

We recently added three POL girls to our existing three: two columbines and a bluebelle. One columbine laid us 4 green eggs and then went on strike, the other I think laid a couple of brown eggs (slightly disappointed there) and also seems to have stopped. I think the bluebelle is laying most days but she seems to be laying light brown eggs that are indistinguishable from the brown-egg laying columbine. Or maybe the other columbine has not laid at all.

 

Anyway, my question is, do columbines lay in the winter? If not, I don't know why they are not laying. We have just wormed them and kept them in the run during the process so if they had been laying under a bush, they would not have been able to during the week's worming treatment.

 

The old girls continue to lay every other day or so.

 

Any thoughts?

[sjp]

mine did last winter her first but stoped about June.she's just about finnished moulting and started to crouch again yesturday

are all 3 girls crouching and can you tell the colour of the Columbines ear lobes it's not fool proof but I had a good idea mine wasn't going to be a blue/green layer a month or so before she laid an egg

that said the only sure way to find out is either they all lay on the same day or you watch to see who is going into the nest box the as soon as she comes out check the nest

[Ain't Nobody Here]

My Columbine hasn't laid for ages but she did lay through her first 2 winters.

[Snowy]

I think it's very hit and miss whether or not some hybrids will lay through the winter. You can be fairly certain the gingernuts/warrens will, at least in their first year. Alot of hens start going into moulting season about now. You might find they have a few weeks off then start again and go on to have a good year.

[quickcluck]

One of mine has been on strike for the the last couple of months