One Egg, But No More Since

[julesapple]

Hi everyone! haven't been about for ages -been busy revamping the kitchen single-handedly.

Three of our older girls have each laid one egg or two recently, since going off lay last November-ish, but no more since. They are about 21 months old, wormed with Flub regularly, eating well, looking great and behaving normally. I've noticed that Ginger, the cockerel, ignores them, but hopefully he's going soon (he was supposed to go ages since, but we were let down) if he's the problem.

Any suggestions? I thought maybe the weather is confusing them - it's alternately well below freezing or warm 12 to 14oC.

Jules

[RichmondHens]

Welcome back Jules!

If they only went off lay in November they are doing well to be thinking about starting up now. I give mine at least 3 - 4 months before expecting anybody to recommence laying. That said, I have the Welsummers on my hit list as they are all being lazy so and so's. Apart from the youngsters hatched last year, NONE of the 8 others are in lay yet which is disgraceful given they went off lay right at the beginning of September. They have been laying around in the sun this morning dusting and pottering, looking at me as if to say, this is a lovely life you know. I'm saying, yes lovely life but if you don't get those eggs a coming then you will be looking at the inside of a casserole dish!

[julesapple]

Thanks RH. I wasn't worried about them as such...well, yes, I was...but they look happy enough. The older girls aren't happy having Ginger the cockerel about, I don't think. He's a lovely gentle boy so far, but he really cannot tell the time. He has to go!

I was concerned that they've laid a few eggs and decided 'Nah, not for me' as if they'd remembered what it was like and decided against doing it again. Bit like me after baby #2 - although I had another 2 after her (seemed like a good idea at the time!) but when labour started I suddenly thought of all the other things I'd rather have been doing that day.

Jules

[petal]

Lol! its wierd though, how one forgets what labour feels like. I would LOVE another baby! WHY? I think I might be a bit old at 41. Its odd your girls are not laying again, even our fat buff orpington is providing an egg a day at the moment.

[RichmondHens]

Sometimes I think I would love another baby, but only a baby mind. Do you think I could give it back when it reached the screaming toddler stage?

And Petal, you're not too old at 41. I had my son at 40 ................

But hey, lets just hatch chickens instead!

[Glutton4...]

Too old for kids at 40 - I was too old for them at 20! LOL Made it to 47 without, and had my 'equipment' removed. I'm with Richmond, lets stick to Chickens!


... and Puppies, natch!

[polo]

Chickens are one heck of a lot easier than children. Love my DD dearly but I'm having no more..... :-)

[julesapple]

Too late...I've got four!

But they are fast growing up at 25, 21, 17 & 14. Haven't quite cracked the leaving home bit with the oldest two - but then, these days, they can't afford to leave.

If my DD had been the eldest, I'd have had no more either. Much much harder work than her three brothers added together!

Jules

[julesapple]

I am convinced that the girls have been reading the Grapevine....after posting about not getting any eggs from three of them after the first one or two, the three I mentioned are all now laying every day.

So today's haul was 7 eggs from 10 girls. Very colourful they are too; one deep choc brown, one slightly lighter, one green, one blue and three tinted -but all different shades.

Jules