Unsecure chicken perches

[dixie chick]

Are anyone else's pure breeds still laying - or is that it until next spring?

My girls must be just at the age when I was hoping to get an egg - but am I hoping in vain?

[chicken bark]

I think some pure breeds might keep going over the Winter (maybe RIR or Sussexes?).

 

I've got some pure breeds that are coming to POL but I'm not expecting anything until next year. But you never know - after all chickens don't read the rule book.

[Mercedes55]

Mine are all about 19wks old now and every day I check for eggs, which makes me pretty sad as I know they are still too young and it's the wrong time of year. However one of them, the salmon favorelle, does crouch when I stroke her, so I was wondering if she might be older than the other ones. I think some pure breeds are more inclined to lay over Winter than others, according to what I have read.

[Sue]

Some of my young English Cuckoo Marans pullets are just starting now, and I hope they will lay through the winter for me. This is the first year I have kept proper note of what lays when, and I was delighted as one of the pullets has just started at just about 19weeks.

 

All the best

Sue

Dark Brown Eggs

[sparkysmum]

For several weeks now I've had : 8 hens 0 eggs Having to buy eggs. I was thinking I should have a couple of hybrids and the rest by pure breed batams.

[Egluntyne]

My Speckled Sussex and Light Sussex have stopped laying. the SS is approx 18 months old and the LS around 3 years.

[hennyjenny]

My light sussex bantams have stopped laying this week , now for winter I think, they are also moulting, so could start again after the moult (?) . My Welsummers are still laying but they are in the most sunny spot of the garden so are getting more light and they moulted earlier before they came into lay.

x

[Charlottechicken]

I'm not expecting mine to stop laying until the beginning of November, then hopefully they will resume in early February. I have a light sussex bantam who will be 20 weeks at the beginning of November and am not expecting her to lay until next year.

[chuckmum6]

My Legbar lay most days, the Wyandotte girls and my two Marans lay ever other day. I have had a few days with no eggs, followed by 4 or so the next day. The Pekins gave up weeks ago - in fact they hardly started (always broody) and my Araucana is molting and hasn't laid for ages. Hopefully there will be enough eggs to keep us going and save us from buying shop eggs!

I don't no if my wyandotte pullet will lay before Christmas but I'm hopeful!

[Minnie&Moose]

Our black leghorn is still laying most days - this is her first laying season so I don't know whether that makes a difference or not.

[Calamity Jane]

I have been anticipating my first eggs for about 4ths now and just when I thought they were coming into lay my 3 light sussex hens decided to go into moult !!! .......... I still look expectantly every day though

[chickenNutter]

Are anyone else's pure breeds still laying - or is that it until next spring?

My girls must be just at the age when I was hoping to get an egg - but am I hoping in vain?

 

Dixie chick, I was at exactly the same stage as you this time last year when my Welsummer, frizzle and unidentified bantam were at POL. I was told not to expect anything until the spring, but in the middle of the coldest winter for 30 years, in January, they one by one, started laying!

 

Having said that, I only have one still laying at the moment

 

I have come to the conclusion that they are a law unto themselves, and will ley when they feel like it!

[Heidi-Hi]

Out of 7 pure breeds and 2 hybrids, I am getting 2 eggs from the hybrids most days, and the odd egg from my Welsummers. My Wyandottes finished a couple of weeks ago, and the Cream Legbar has just come off her broodiness. So I suppose that is it for the winter. Will have to buy eggs soon - farm shop or Waitrose Organic only though

[Jools]

My LF (RIR and Indian Game) all stopped laying to moult a few weeks ago, as did my Marans bantam. I have three Sussex bantams (ages from 1yr to 4yrs) and they're all still laying every day, which I put down to the fact that they had a break to have a family over April - June, so they're still playing catch up - I do expect them to stop soon though. I hatched four Sussex/Marans bantams in May this year and they've all come into lay now, so even when the Sussex stop, I'll still have plenty of winter eggs.

[chezie13]

My hens who are roughtly 25 weeks stoped laying I asked my father who has kept hens at his farm and he said that a local farmer puts a kerosene lantern in with his hens with enough kerosine for 3 hrs the light encourges them to lay so I tried glow sticks 1 a day for a week and I am getting 2 eggs every 3 days from my 3 silkies. I thought it was safer then the lantern because if they knock it down it won't set the house on fire and the glow sticks are hard plastic so they cant break into them. The hens share an eglu classic and I have up a bamboo cane through one of the top holes to suspend it from.

[Egluntyne]

I prefer to let my hens experience the natural seasons and their effect on laying. It gives them a chance to build themselves up again and have a bit of a rest.

[beach chick]

I dont think I would use extra light to boost laying over the winter, I would prefer they had the chance to rest and refuel their eggy batteries. having said that, not sure that glowlights would make that much difference anyway?!

[Charlie7]

My Wyandotte Bantam from the spring just started laying a few days ago.

[soapdragon]

We have three light sussex bantams now 19 weeks old and have nurtured them since they were 6 weeks - got them very young as wanted to hand tame them so that our two boys could pick them up too. We are hoping for a few eggs before Winter really sets in (are we being too hopeful??) but we don't know how to establish where they lay! The nesting bit in the eglu is full of straw with a fake egg in it but should we be checking out their favourite spots in the garden in addition? We are feeding home meade mash as well to encourage them (I even warm it slightly in the microwave!) is there anything else we can do for them and what sort of behaviour should we look for that tells us they are about to lay?

 

Sorry about the Spanish Inquisition (unexpected though it undoubtedly was!!) but any hints/tips/advice/ridicule/support welcome by novices!!! Korma, Kiev and Casserole.

[Steve the Gas]

They will lay where they want to - but check the garden over too!!