Tracy T Posted July 26, 2007 Share Posted July 26, 2007 Hello there My 2 daughters and I are very new to chicken keeping. Our 3 girls arrived on 26/6/07 from a local supplier in Shropshire and are all hybrids. Myrtle is a Black Rock, Peckish a Hebden Black and Emily a Speckledy. The blurb said they were about 16 weeks old. We feed them treats in the afternoons of mealworms, marmite on toast, blackcurrants and mixed corn (not altogether of course) and they have their pellets the rest of the time. I read somewhere that they should start to 'crouch' down when they are about to start laying but all ours do is leap and run about! We love them to bits but do want eggs sometime so when will it be???? I understand that thry are not machines but my girls Lucy and Daisy are keen to get on with some home baking over the summer hols as well as having fresh eggs for breakfast in the mornings. :*? Tracy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted July 26, 2007 Share Posted July 26, 2007 Hi Tracy and welcome to the forum! I found that they started laying a week or so after they started crouching. Their combs become redder and they will start acting differently. I have fixed your picture link so if you go to 'quote' on the top right of my post you can copy and paste your signature so that others can see your chickens. - my Hen pictures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy T Posted July 26, 2007 Author Share Posted July 26, 2007 Christian Followed your quote link and did what you said but I'm not sure if it worked? When I went back into the post the address thing would not take me to my pictures! I'm rather dim about this sort of stuff as I usually let my computer programmer husband do all it all but I thought I'd have a go this time. The hens combs are quite red now so just got to wait I suppose. Hope they don't turn out to be non-layers!! Tracy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted July 26, 2007 Share Posted July 26, 2007 Ooooo - I predict any time now as they'd be what 20 weeks now? If their combs are red - then that's a good sign. Fresh eggs within a week! Mystic Em predicts!!!! Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy T Posted July 26, 2007 Author Share Posted July 26, 2007 Having moaned that we had no eggs when we checked the nest box at 1.30 this pm we found an egg. We think it might have been our Black Rock Myrtle due to the shell colour but we await to see what the others produce! Not a bad size (34g) so must have been hard work for whoever. Just got to decide who gets it now! See the link for the picture. Bit blurred as we were so excited! Tracy http://club.omlet.co.uk/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=15516 http://club.omlet.co.uk/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=15522 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starboyhull Posted July 26, 2007 Share Posted July 26, 2007 Looks very much like our black rock eggs, although one of them lays really dark eggs..... Well done Isnt it exciting..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJuff Posted July 26, 2007 Share Posted July 26, 2007 Our black rock Darcy Vader lays small smooth pale brown eggs. I looked at your pictures of Myrtle, she has a very pale face. Are you sure it's her egg? Darcy had a very pale creamy face like that when we got her. She now has a bright dark pink face, a vibrant red comb and is laying well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy T Posted July 26, 2007 Author Share Posted July 26, 2007 The picture of Myrtle is when we got her in June. She now has a much redder comb and face. Only Emily has a pale comb still. I suppose it could have been Peckish's egg as her comb etc is very red but looking a other sites, a Hebden Black eggs are darker brown. Once Emily is laying I'm led to believe that they should be speckled. Tracy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xChicken04x Posted July 26, 2007 Share Posted July 26, 2007 Weldone that chicken! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
