Eggs?

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I'm sure this is going to sound silly but here goes.

We have three chickens who are doing fanastic, the problem is only two are laying.

How long do they need to settle before they lay?

I thought as the others were laying they should all be doing it.

My husband is keen to impress upon me they are here to lay or they be gone.

I'm not even sure how to check who is laying as they are all the same and the eggs are there in the morning.

Maybe I can just say they are all laying just not every day..........:-)
 
Have just read your previous post. Ok, youve only just got the hens & say they are 20 weeks ish. They have already laid but not every day. you can sometimes find that new hens will lay for 2 or 3 days then stop for a bit while they adjust to new surroundings.

Yes, you could tell your OH that they are all laying as this is probably the truth, as each hen is different & they dont all lay every day . They have a cycle of, I think, 23 hours? & they can put off laying if say the weather is too hot, too wet, too cold etc (I had no eggs today when I usually get at least 5, cos of the weather) & other reasons.

have all your hens got red combs?
 
Hi, thanks for your comment,

Oh dear I thought I had done all my research, I think I need to go back and do some more!

My smallest girl has a very small pink comb, I'm guessing this is significant.
 
Hi There

If it's any help. I have almost 300 ex batts. We decided we would ring all the hens that were laying eggs. I think we have put a ring in just about all of the hens and are still getting only about 7 dozen eggs a day.
So it looks like they are nearly all laying but they are very hit and miss.

I do realise that ex batts have been used till way past their best as far as laying goes, and I also realise that the move from battery to free range is a massive culture shock to their system.
Having said that, It does not take much to upset their routine and when we first got them, they layed like mad the first day, then slowly that tailed off for approx 4 to 6 weeks, after that they started laying again and I think we must be at the maximum for what these hens are likely to produce,

I have heard that even POL's can take some time to get into their stride so wouldn't get too worried about whats happening with yours, they will come good in the near future.

cheers
 
true-bantam-mad said:
The weather can also play a huge part in the laying off eggs.
Dan
Click to expand...

In what way?

My new chucks laid for three days upon arrival, one each - today we have drizzle and one egg.
 
KRISZTENE said:
My smallest girl has a very small pink comb, I'm guessing this is significant.
Click to expand...

Yes, that is significant :) She probably isn't in lay yet. If the pullets are only about 20 weeks old, they are still very young. Some hens may not lay up until 26 - 30 weeks depending on breed.

Have you checked her vent? Compare it to one of the pullets which have a bright red comb. With a pullet in lay, the vent will appear moist and be quite wide. A pullet not yet in lay the vent will be smaller, tighter and quite dry in appearence.

You can judge how far they are from laying to some extent. A pullet in lay, you should be able to fit two to three fingers between the pelvic bones (a handspan below the vent). Size and colour of the comb is also another indicator - a small pink comb = not yet ready to lay, once the comb grows and becomes redder, that is a good sign she is close to laying. You may also find that the pullets crouch and adopt a submissive mating posute when you approach them, or touch their back.

Don't worry too much. It probably won't be long before she is laying :)
 
This is a site full of little gems and great advice ! I'm getting to like it here ;)

Just as a point to add to all this... My Black Rock hens are a breed for the table AND laying. The average for the breed is 280 a year.(iirc) Quite a good rate imho. So far I'm very impressed with them.

However. The point is, there's another 85 days in the year they don't lay.
 
IMHO a "Utility" Bird. And when I cross them with my Buff Orp. (another but bigger utility bird) I hope to have a nice mix for both eggs and meat.

Black rocks being from The "Rock" and "Rhode Island" strains which are known as a Utility strains. Need I say about the Buff Orp ? :D Both are getting a bit "Showy" but I have hopes that with the mix...
 
Rebelodicus said:
IMHO a "Utility" Bird. And when I cross them with my Buff Orp. (another but bigger utility bird) I hope to have a nice mix for both eggs and meat.

Black rocks being from The "Rock" and "Rhode Island" strains which are known as a Utility strains. Need I say about the Buff Orp ? :D Both are getting a bit "Showy" but I have hopes that with the mix...
Click to expand...

More meat on a quail than a BlackRock! Black Rocks are lean mean egg-laying machines therefore no extra energy to go into laying down muscle.
 
You could say that of an Ex-bat,(even more so) but a year of corn in with the pellets and free range fun has made it so they give a "Hen;a;leaky" or "Henveg" soup/pie with plenty of meat for what the dish requires. I generaly get 8 large servings per bird. I haven't yet tried a Black Rock but they're about the same size and though I wouldn't say they were "meat" birds, they look able to suit both purposes. Besides... It's the cross offspring I'm trying to breed for the possible result. The girls themselves are safe due to that..... for now ;)

I have no desire to have the mutants they use for "Meat birds"... I've seen the progs and seen what they get like if they live past a certain age.... (That also from a chap that managed to get some up at our lottie)

I'll play at making Muts that can do both.
 
if they suit your purpous thats all that matters, but if it takes a year to fatten them up........ :-)07
 
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