New to keeping chickens

[ford1990]

Hi, just wondered if someone can give me some advice. I recently bought five hens to keep in the garden purely for laying eggs. I bought them from a good friends brother in law (probably not a good idea!) as I was told he'd bred loads and knew all about them. He said they were old english game breed and would lay approx one egg each per day within a month or so. However, I have had them over two months now and not had one egg. They are fed on layers pellets and dried corn to which they have access to all day plus water and they can free range outside in the day or go in their coop whenever. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks for your time.

[Hans Mum]

Hi, there will be someone along a lot more knowledgeable than me, but do you know how old they are? that determines when they might start laying, at this time of year when the light levels are reduced they do not lay every day anyway.
I would cut back on access all day to corn its like sweets for kids only after they've eaten their meal. Layer pellets have all the nurtients and vitamins they need.

[Flummery]

I know that when people want an egg a day per bird they usually get a hybrid - even these have a bit of a rest over the shorter days. As far as I'm aware, you won't get so many eggs from Old English game birds. I don't know who has them, but try Google for more info.

[MaureenHall]

Have a good look at the wattles and combs on the girls. If they're young birds and the combs are still very small, they're not ready to lay yet. If they're older birds with fairly large combs and they're a bit on the pale side, then they're having a bit of a rest and they'll come back into lay as the days get longer and the temperatures go up a bit. One way to tell if a hen (or pullet) is ready to lay, put your hand on her back; if she crouches down then she's ready, if she runs away then she's not. The crouching action is an automatic response if she's ready "to receive a cockerel" and they won't do that if there's no chance of producing offspring

[Bramble-Poultry]

we have a trio of OEG here, they are also known as Cornish in some older texts. We get around 100-150 eggs per hen per year in the first year, tailing to around 50 eggs per hen by year three.

If you were told you would get an egg a day, it could be a bit adventurous, you might find that the one egg was between all 5!

As Flummery says, if you want an egg a day you are best looking at the hybrids or any bird with a good utility Rhode Island Red in its make up.

The OEG was used to develop the Ross Cobb meat bird, bred for its ability to bulk up for meat, at the expense of producing eggs. A lot of people cross the OEG with a dorking or sussex to get the double breast gene which lays down a lot of meat on the breast, making a superb eater.

You get plenty of breast meat on the OEG anyways, as you will notice they have the "gunslinger" stance, with their wide apart legs. If you get some go broody in the summer, let them raise a few as hell hath no fury like an OEG mummy. She will defend those chicks to the death, unlike some broodies that will let mr rat just wander off with the chicks one by one without batting an eye lid.

What colours do you have? The OEG comes in many colours, the ost popular being a dark brown (almost black) and a pale orangey sandy colour, as well as the jubilee which is all sorts of speckly colours.

[ford1990]

Thanks to all of you for your information, I have attached (or tried) a photo of a couple of the hens if anyone wants to have a look. But it sounds like I should have gone and bought some hybrids as I wanted them purely for eggs so if anybody wants these then let me know!

[RichmondHens]

They don't look like OEGs, but very pretty I have to say. They look to me like golden Campines. I'm sure you will be able to sell them very quickly. Whereabouts are you?

[Birdie Wife]

They are very pretty indeed, OEG come in lots of different colours and the stance looks right for OEG but they don't look quite broad enough across the chest.

Here's a link on Campines. THey have white lobes which yours look to have too, and they are better egg layers generally than OEG. I would hang onto them! But that's just me Pure breeds don't generally lay as many eggs as hybrids, but they do keep going for longer - you'll probably find hybrids will lay lots of eggs for a couple of years, then nothing at all, and you either have to keep them and waste lots of feed on unproductive birds or cull them and start again.

[tlck9]

Thanks to all of you for your information, I have attached (or tried) a photo of a couple of the hens if anyone wants to have a look. But it sounds like I should have gone and bought some hybrids as I wanted them purely for eggs so if anybody wants these then let me know!

where are you based ford1990

[Snadger]

They are bonny birds & look like a banty! If you were near to me I would deffo do you a straight swap for hybrids in lay at present as I got 20 eggs today (getting more each day!) and this eggy diet is doing my ed in!

[ford1990]

I just want to say thanks for all the help people have given me. It looks like my birds are golden campines after all and not OEG's! They are nice nice looking hens and I didn't really want to let them go, so I've just got to be patient and wait for them to lay!

On a different note, does anyone know anything about clipping wings? Obviously I wouldn't want to damage them but they love trying to fly and someone suggested to have them clipped.

Again, many thanks!

[MaureenHall]

There's some good diagrams and pictures on how to clip chooks wings on this site Wing Clipping - Back Yard Chickens

[Bephlam]

Gorgeous birds...but still look young. I'd just give them some time...and you could always get two or three P.O.L to go with them!

[kirsty b]

Very pretty birds, might have to see if any of them are bred near me.

[ford1990]

Gorgeous birds...but still look young. I'd just give them some time...and you could always get two or three P.O.L to go with them!

Yeah they are lovely looking birds and great to watch cause they are so active, as soon as the back door opens they are all waiting at the front to see who it is! Do you think they would be ok if I added two or three POL hens of a different breed or hybrids?