When will my chickens lay eggs?
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Chickens | 661 comments
Even though I know that egg laying is unpredictable at this time of year, it’s always a bit disappointing when I lift the lid of the nesting box and there’s only one. An egg from Carol. She is firing on all cylinders now and producing one egg a day, the maximum that a domestic hen can produce.
“What’s going on with the other four chickens?” I think as I stump back through the garden in my dressing gown and wellies.
The other four chickens are elderly maidens, well into their third year. I know that after two years egg production diminishes but somehow I hoped that the organic food and beautiful adornments in the pen might make a difference. Of course they don’t. As the years roll by, the chickens will produce fewer and fewer eggs until they go to that great pecking ground in the sky.
The pretty white bantams, have never been very obliging on the egg laying front. In their prime, they probably only laid two or three eggs a week. They are not a laying strain and we knew this when we bought them. But we have discovered that they are very photogenic and are happy to model endlessly.
I’ve been checking the hen’s combs. A pink comb indicates that a chicken is going broody, and will not lay. They are all a bright vibrant red, including Mrs Boss (this chicken won The Broodiest of all Known Chickens Award 2004, 2005 and 2006).
So you can imagine my delight when I lifted the roof of the nesting box this morning and found two small eggs nestling beside Carol’s large speckled brown one. I sprang back to the kitchen to make the perfect breakfast omelette.
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I have a chicken she has stoped laying her bottom is crusted with siome kind of whit powder
Can I run her under warm water or is there anything I can do she is one year old and her wings are droopy and has had a brown fluid run out of her mouth smells awful. please help.
Where would i get wormer for chickens and how will i know they have all had some…Do I have to catch each one and give them panacur. Ive just started with chickens , I have no idea what i bought.for all i know they could all be cockerals…hmmm… could be why no eggs from tey sussex ones… or they are too young …My 4 Warrens are great..old birds they may have been but running free in my garden seems to have renewed their egg laying abilities… Also i thought chickens always did runny poop… never seen a solid poop from them… The older ones wait till i walk near and aim at my shoes…. but its ok…. I smirk as i eat their eggs…. However back to worming … any one got any ideas or tips for me… or tips on sexing them?
Thanks
I have five ladies, they are not laying its winter in new zealand at this time will i get eggs over this time i dont know much about these ladies i got given them.
hi i have 4 chickens and sometimes my eggs have little hard lumps on only a few what could this be and why they like that? thanks
Hi chucknchristy
Young chicks are just so delightful. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Stuart
Oh well done! I’m so envious.
Hello Jane S
Pulling out feathers on her chest is a sure sign of nest building and imminent broodiness.
I have no idea how you tackle this problem. The feathers will grow back in a few weeks.
Hello, Fiona,
One of our Light Sussex hens(in her second year)is pulling out feathers on her chest. She is more prone to go broody than the other hens and now has a bald patch! She seems perfectly healthy.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Many thanks,
Jane S.
ive mated a 5 month old rody cockrel with 17 warren pullets 18 month old.all the eggs were full 2 did not hatch 2 the mother squashed but i ended up with 5 yellow balls of fluff this morning
today it was really nice outside .. i took the 4 chicks i have and let them in the run for awhile wow did they like that they was flapping their wings and running around pecking the ground, till the sun was ready to go down they was all 4 sitting back at their box that they are kept inside wanting to go back in hopefully they will sleep early tonight and not be louder then the tv lol
jim@lee this time of the year you can take the lamp off at 5 week old no problem.ive 2 hens sat on eggs they should be hatching in the next few days i leave them with there mother for 4 weeks then seperate them.i then put them in a small shed with a wire front so they can see everything whats going on i keep them on growers pellets.after 6 or 7 week old i sort the hens from the cockrels then i clip one wing so they cant fly and then let them on the field.just be careful of rats and magpies.
We just got 6 baby chicks on the first day of spring. We’ve had them indoors under a light since we got them–the coop is almost finished. It has been AMAZING watching them grow-they grow SO fast! So, at what point do they HAVE to go outside? Do they still need to have a heat lamp? They don’t have a run (yet), that’s the next project…
PS We have found this site very informative–thank you! Just don’t have time to read ALL the questions and responses. Thanks for helping!