Chook(s) Started Laying :-)

[matthew2riches]

I am finally back from a few months of solid work!!! :-) :-) :-) But for how long... I don't know!

Anyway - I had my first egg from the lazy lot 2 days ago!

Only thing is, I looked this morning and there were 2 more eggs but they were broken soft shelled though so they weren't broken on purpose thank god!

I am hoping this is the sign they're going to start to lay - funny time to start don't you think? I am going to stick a light in their house if they really want to lay eggs.

Combs are just reddening and loud clucking noises have started. I think their body clocks are messed up!

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. How much extra light should I be giving them do you think?

[Bramble-Poultry]

chooks need around 14 hours a day to trigger the egg laying. when supplying light it is best to do it in the morning, then turn it off and let the birds roost naturally as the sun sets. Otherwise you need to get into the realms of light dimming etc otherwise you will leave them out in the run if the lights suddenly go out!

therefore, i would set the light on a timer to come on at around 4am, then you should get a reasonable amount of eggs. i know that in the deepest parts of winter that means only 12 -13 hours of light but they will be ok.

As the days extend, you could move the light timer forward to 5am then 6am then let nature take back over again. you will only ever need the light to come on for a few hours until about 8am. Use a couple of low energy ones in a waterproof IP65 bulk head light units, that should give plenty - or if you want to be really energy concious, get a flourescent light unit and plug into it one of Maplins new LED tubes. They are pricey at £24 each for a four footer, but they only use something like 11w and last for 10,000 hours. Thats low energy, low cost! and being solid state, you cant break the filament!

[Nicos]

Mine sarted laying mid November last year- and laid almost every day throughout the winter!

Your first eggs eh??...yum!!!!

Mine didn't have any extra light- let out when it got light- and they took themselves to bed when they were ready- didn't affect the number of eggs !

( have you eaten them yet???)

[matthew2riches]

Nicos - They're my first eggs from these chooks. It's been sooooooo long since I had 'homemade' eggs! Still p*sse* off about the killing that happened in the summer!

[di]

Matthew,I do wish you'd come to us for eggs whilst you were waiting!!!
Pleased you're finally getting some now though!

How are the Boys?Are they both still with us?Our Norfolk Grey has become a right viscious g**...the two Legbars are still pretty calm though.(although they should really be in the freezer by now!)

[matthew2riches]

Matthew,I do wish you'd come to us for eggs whilst you were waiting!!!
Pleased you're finally getting some now though!

How are the Boys?Are they both still with us?Our Norfolk Grey has become a right viscious g**...the two Legbars are still pretty calm though.(although they should really be in the freezer by now!)

Cheers Di but I have been confined to the computer for god knows how long, having no time to myself but it's quieter again (but for how long I don't know) so have some time for me chooks and lottie :-)

The boys were moved to a friends as they were starting to wreck everything and drive my girls up the wall They might come back in the spring for a bit of blind dating though

[matthew2riches]

So it seems another chook is laying but soft shells!!!

Best way to stop it and bloody quickly??? I'd hate for them to start eating them

[Scottishnewbie]

we had the egg eating bit earlier this year and it was awful. tried everything, and i mean everything to get them to stop but nothing worked and in the end we had to cull them. it was a hard thing to do but now we have new gals and 3 ex bats and we get 4-6 eggs every day just now

[Suechooks]

So it seems another chook is laying but soft shells!!!

Best way to stop it and bloody quickly??? I'd hate for them to start eating them

If they're young POL it happens occasionally till they get into the swing! They should be utilising the calcium ok but you can add some codliver oil as we have so little sunlight at the moment, so that will help them use the calcium. Shouldn't happen too much though - are they on layers pellets/mash? That should contain enough calcium but you could leave some oystershell or mixed poultry grit for them just in case.

[matthew2riches]

They're on layers mash. I'd hate to have to cull them now

I think I had this with my first lot of chooks on the lottie but as you say I think it did stop after a few weeks.

Cheers!

[Eco-Chic]

They're on layers mash. I'd hate to have to cull them now

Scottish was talking about culling re egg eating Matthew, not because of soft shells

[matthew2riches]

Scottish was talking about culling re egg eating Matthew, not because of soft shells

Lol! But soft shells mean they could get their beaks in an eat too...

Awful :-(

[Nicos]

Fingers crossed- so far I've not had a soft shell

Are these exbatts we are talking about- or just 'normal' chooks who haven't been abused re calcium deficit?
My shells have been getting thinner as I've not been pushing the calcium- (although I have this week)

Is thinner shells usually the sign before a softie is laid- or can a chook with nice thick shell suddenly lay a softi????

[di]

Matthew,if ours have laid a soft shelled one they often eat it but don't seem to have had the sense(yet!)that a normal egg is the same thing.
so hopefully yours will be the same.Fingers crossed.

[Suechooks]

Is thinner shells usually the sign before a softie is laid- or can a chook with nice thick shell suddenly lay a softi????

Both I think! My ex-batts lay thinner shells then softies then seem to stop laying &/or go into a moult. One of my young Warrens laid a softie the other day but is now laying normally again - just a blip in the egg production.