Poorly chicken

[Chicken deficient]

Most of my flock are bantam pure breeds.

We decided to get a couple of hybrids in November of 2010, so that we would have eggs for a longer season.

So far, our experience of them is that they are not as robust or healthy as the pure breeds. I don't know if this is just down to the ones we got, or whether it is just that they are bred to fire out lots of eggs for a few years and then give up on everything?

 

We started with two Bluebelles. One had a weird neurological problem that became very evident as soon as we got her home. She was returned she was such a nice character. The next one we got, from the same flock, only made it to the following summer and had to be put to sleep despite our best efforts at getting her better.

So, now we have one hybrid that must be about 2 years old. Having laid rather well over the time we have had her, she has now not laid for several months. She seems absolutely fine in herself and is not moulting. Do you think her laying time is simply over?

Meanwhile, one of our 10 year old Pekins laid an egg recently!

[Mr Rhode Island Red]

For most hybrids, they have an amazing output of eggs for their first laying season, a slightly less productive second laying season, and then egg production starts to fall away gradually. (this being the reason that commercial hybrids (battery hens) are culled after their first laying season).

 

If I remember properly, I think I read it somewhere that after a hybrid's second laying season, egg production drops by 15-20% every year, and by the time a hybrid hen reaches old age, egg production, more often than not, has shrivelled up altogether.

[Olly]

Two years is pretty average for a hybrid. You might get an occasional egg, but it's quite likely she has just run out of steam. Pure breeds do tend to live longer but lay less regularly - it's the constant egg production that seems to wear the hybrids out.

[Chicken deficient]

Thanks. It seems such a shame for her to be over her best at such a young age, but I guess they are bred to only need to survive one laying season.

I suppose her life expectancy will be shorter too?

[Mr Rhode Island Red]

I suppose her life expectancy will be shorter too?

 

Yes. What is the life expectancy of a hybrid hen?

 

My uncle had one or two who lived for 8 years, and even layed the occasional egg

[Lavenders_Blue]

It's a 'how long is a piece of string' question. I have 2 ex batts who will be coming up to 3 years freedom in October, so they are somewhere between 4 to 4.5 years old I guess. They are still laying

I have another 3 ex batts that I got last November. One of them definitely isn't laying any more, I think it's Shannon but I can't be certain. So... no conclusive answer there then!

[Chicken deficient]

Thanks - I think she may be trying to be broody in a very vague kind of way. I've found her sitting on eggs a few times, though she soon got off when she thought there may be food involved. I'll keep an eye on her. Still no eggs though!

[Reikiranf]

My original 3 Omlet girls layed like the clappers for the first year, we even got 90 eggs in the December But by the April the eggs were few and far between and didn't even get into double figures some months and I had to start buying eggs again, Yum Yum & Mimi died when they were 2 but Lulu lived until she was almost 4 years old.

 

I've since had 2 lots of new girls, Bella a Bluebell died before we'd had her a year and the others are all fine although Dottie the speckeldy goes broody every year, which is something we've never had before with hybrids Sadly it does seem that the hybrids do wear themselves out quite quickly.

[merlina]

I got 3 hens, one bluebell and two warrens at about 17 weeks old last June

The warrens are in rude and vibrant health (touch wood) and are feisty, robust looking birds.

bluebell was always shy and a little delicate looking and laid less often than the others who lay pretty much every day. sadly she died a couple of months ago

Egg laying didn't change at all through the winter.

 

I guess it really it 'how long is a piece of string'!

 

I am looking to get another 2/3 hens soon and have been avidly reading the forums to decide what to get. At least one will be a warren though

[chickencam]

We got our first Omlet hybrids in May 2007 one of whom is still with us and is now about 5.5 years old, she hasn't laid though for the past 3 years. In her third year she laid a couple of eggs early in the season but no more and she has laid one each year in the spring since, she has also grown small spurs on her legs and did crow a couple of times last year. She is fading now looks quite arthritic and has a bent bluish comb, she deteriorated a couple of weeks ago but perked up a bit when we amalgamated her and her 2 coop mates with our other three 1 year old girls ready to get 4 newbies.

 

We got a pure breed Light Sussex in August 2007 and she is in great form and still lays from February to October each year, in the early years she would lay about 6 eggs a week now it is nearer 3 and she has a couple of weeks off for a mini moult this summer, but is back laying again now.

 

Pure breeds can live for 10 years and bantams even longer because they don't lay as often. Hybrids only live for about 3 years on average laying well for a couple of years. We had a poor White Star who laid an egg daily for 18 months then had a prolapse and had to be PTS, she was never really contented and I felt that she was a laying machine. We had no luck with our Bluebelle either, she was a large bird who panted a lot and laid poor quality eggs for only a short time, she lived for about 2 years but again never really thrived, which does seem to be the norm for Bluebelles with the odd exception.

 

We have had a mixed experience with hybrids from our long lived Pepperpot to short lived non thriving birds. Our second group of 5 girls we got in 2009 and we only have one left, a little Ranger who is a real character and still laying well, and we had 4 new girls last year one of whom a Barred Rock, died early on with peritonitis and the others are still ok and laying although one of them our large Silver Sussex lays soft shelled and oddly shaped watery eggs a lot. We have just got 4 more going for 2 good little brown hens for consistent laying a White Star cross called a Coral to see what she is like and another white sussex hybrid after finding the one that we got last year is a nice hen who lays well.

[Chicken deficient]

It's interesting to read everyone's stories - maybe we should start a lifespan / breed thread?

It sounds like Bluebelles don't do well in general then. Ours pants a fair bit too. She is also much more aloof than the bantams and doesn't like being touched.

 

I think I'm going to stick to bantams from now on - they seem much healthier and make a lot less mess. Also, I can keep more, so even if some are broody or moulting, the others should still be laying, (though I did recently have, out of 7 bantams: 1 cockerel; 2 ancient retired ladies; 4 broody hens; 0 eggs for a month!)

[chickencam]

Bantams are notorious for going broody, they usually lay like mad early in the season then go broody for the rest of the summer. We kept bantam crosses when I was growing up and we needed quite a few just to keep 3 of us in eggs during the summer. We did hatch our own chicks under them quite a few times though.

[clucker1]

Well, just to put the cat among the pigeons so to speak, our Bluebelle, named Dimrose (she is so thick!) but does lay an egg 6 days out of 7 which is her saving grace because otherwise she makes a lot of noise!!!!!!!11 and is DIM!!! Not sure if it is her type, but I wouldn't get another Bluebelle if they all make the racket she does.

[Chicken deficient]

Dimrose

Brilliant!

[Chicken deficient]

Bantams........usually lay like mad early in the season then go broody for the rest of the summer.

 

Very true - ours are a bit like courgettes - we have a massive glut of eggs for a few months and can hardly cope with them all.

I end up baking, scrambling, boiling and frying like mental. Then, just when I start to get into the swing of it and really enjoy having so many eggs, it's suddenly back to one or two a day.

[chocolatedog]

Of my 3 original girls - all hybrids, Pepper laid like mad for 12 months then tailed of a bit but died quite young - 2 1/2; Spice laid pretty well, but died aged 3 1/2, and dear old Ginger aged 5 1/2 is still laying 3-4 a week, although these are much smaller...... Of the 2nd generation, Spice was laying ok ish until recently but ha to be PTS with crop problems, aged 2 1/2, but Pepper is still alive, but hasn't laid in 2-3 months, although her comb is still vibrant red! She still visits the nesting box but produces nothing........ Strange, eh?!