chicken help please

[ukpaul27]

hi all

i have bought some chickens yesterday they are Rhode Island Reds i have got them on my allotment and i guy come over to me when i put them in the coop and said that they are not point of lay does that mean i will never get any eggs from them????
sorry if it sounds a silly question

[Squirrel]

That is not a silly question ukpaul27! You won't learn unless you ask.

It is possible that they are off lay at the moment due to being moved around, or maybe just starting to moult. Chickens get very tired and almost run down when they are laying every day, so usually in early autumn they start to moult (looks like a snowstorm of feathers sometimes!). While they are moulting they will not lay as they are busy replacing feathers and need all their energy for that. Once they have grown all their feathers back they usually start laying again, but by then it is winter, so will most probably not lay very well until Spring.

If the comb of the chickens are a pale pink it means they are not in lay. A laying hen has a lovely very red and plump comb and bright eyes and just looks full of herself. The length of day determines laying seasons for hens, which is why some people put lights in their hen houses over winter to keep the hens stimulated and in lay. Personally I don't as I prefer my birds to have a rest before they start to lay again.

Rhode Island Reds are known to be very good layers. Feed them well on layers pellets which will supply them with all the nutrients and protein that they need as well as grit, which they use to break down their food in their crops. Change their water every day so it is fresh and cool. Hens don't like hot or warm water.

It might be worth you while popping down to your local library and having a browse through their books on keeping chickens.

Please don't hesitate to ask if you need help with them, there are loads of us on here who can help you!

[ukpaul27]

hi

thanks for that.
when you say comb of the chicken what is that is it that bit on there head ?lol


thanks
paul

[Squirrel]

That the jobby! No brush though lol!

[ukpaul27]

just sent you a email lol

[ukpaul27]

just read that post again mate i get ya now sorry long day today lol

[Tensing]

How old are they?

[Saoirse]

Hi Paul!

Point of lay really refers to their age i.e. they are about 14-18 weeks old and about to start laying for the first time. Hence "point of lay". Your allotment chap may mean that he thinks that they are slightly younger, and not yet ready to lay. I would agree with Squirrel that your better guide is to look at their combs. My sister just got two hybrid hens which were sold as point of lay but to my mind were pretty young: small pale combs, and didn't begin to lay for about 4 weeks or more.

Good luck with your girls!

[CountryFayre]

In hybrids pol is 18 weeks - they tend to come into lay anywhere between 18-24 weeks . With birds like the Rhode Island Red and other large fowl, POL is nearer 26 weeks. These are rough guides and assume that the birds have been fed the correct diet with not too many scraps thrown in 'cos they like them!! This also assumes that they will reach POL before the light starts to drop and bad weather doesn't hamper them. If you hatch in Jan/ Feb/ March then you may well get your birds into lay in the Autumn, however most birds are hatched after this period and are more likely to come into lay in the new year when the light starts to pick up again

[Squirrel]

Isn't that just typical! Swopped over to pure breeds from hybrids and tried to time it so that the new birds would be point of lay by now! Are they? Like heck they are!

So that means 18 hens eating their heads off giving me five odd eggs a day - at the moment! Ah well - that is the joys of chicken keeping! Wouldn't have it any other way!

Thanks for the tip about the age of RIR's etc I didn't realise they were a month behind the hybrids when it came to laying!

[yoanbob]

its pretty individual depending on breed, and each chook, just like us even with the same diet they mature differently, the comb is a good indicator, as is leg coulor, yellow means young pale means older

[nick the grief]

leave a copy of Cock -a- leekie soup recipe lying around, that should stir them into action

[CountryFayre]

look at it this way. At least get will get a chance to bond with them first and you know what they say......good things take time to prepare...their first egg will be good!!

[yoanbob]

well worth it when it comes.