Rhode island reds

[MrBloom]

Hi guys i recently purchased 6 Rhode island red hens and there about 2 month old maybe a little more but im only guessing, i was just wondering if they should be laying yet as they are pretty big and they look healthy but no sign of any eggs as yet. the main stuff they eat is natural things that they would find in the wild like any kind of green leaves old cuttings stuff like that. i do keep Pellets for them inside the coop as well but mainly they just live off the land as i want to keep them as natural as possible. any advice would be great guys. and also should i let them roam free 24/7 and leave the coop hatch open or should i lock them away at night which is what i have been doing as i have spotted a fox or 2 roaming close by near the allotments

[kathyd]

Hi Mr B - I think it depends on several things as to when your birds will start to lay, but I believe age is more important than size. Different birds start to lay at different ages, but most seem to start between 16 and 24 weeks I think, depending on the breed, so if your's are only 8-10 weeks old they're probably a bit young. I've been told that day length also affects birds laying, and even adults often slow down or stop as winter approaches and days get shorter. I'm sure I heard somewhere that if a young POL (point of lay) bird reaches laying age late in the year, she may not start until the spring even if she's technically old enough.

If your bird is ready to lay, she'll probably squat when you place your hand gently on her back. Her comb will also be a bit redder then previously. My youngsters also start to show great interest in nest boxes for a few days beforehand, and eat like there's no tomorrow! If you're lucky, they'll make a really loud and happy 'eggy' noise when they lay their first few eggs to tell you how clever they've been . One of mine laid her first the other day - very tiny, and quite blood streaked, but a real egg! She was strutting and shouting for ages, bless her. Hasn't laid another one yet mind you, but things is looking up!

Re-food, if they have access to layers' pellets and fresh water all day they should be fine, and eating from the land is lovely for them .

I'd definitely lock them away really securely at night, don't leave the coop open. It's recommended that you remove food at night to discourage rodents. Are they protected by a fence or anything while they're out free-ranging during the day? Mine have a big run behind an electric poultry net, but I also let them into the garden unless I go out, in which case they're put back in the run again.

I've only been keeping chickens for a year, and have got most of my advice on here - it's a fab forum! I'm sure a more experienced keeper will be along shortly and will correct any errors in my advice with a red pen, and add more of their own!

Enjoy your chooks, they're a wonderful way of life aren't they .

[MrBloom]

thanks for your input and they are already starting to sit down quite a lot and are making a lot more noise than usual but no eggs as yet. i did get told something similar about the time of day or something to do with there body clocks that make them lay or something but it went straight over my head lol. hopefully the ladies should be laying pretty soonish

[RichmondHens]

All good advice from Kathy. Be patient, they will lay when they are ready, you can't hurry them!

[MrBloom]

yes indeed the ladies will lay when there ready lol. we have also just had given some baby chicks which are very strange there mother had like a purple colour / tint to her feathers. we think they may be silkys but we don't know for definite. can anybody shed any light on what bird this may be

i will try get pics of them shortly

[RichmondHens]

If they are chicks they will need a separate diet from your older ones and therefore would be better kept in a separate run. This also gives them time to develop full immunity before mixing with the adults. The minimum age I recommend for mixing youngsters and adults is 16-18 weeks so they can all eat the same food.

Look forward to seeing the pics but can't promise to identify them, they may be crosses.

[MrBloom]

thanks for the input and ill get some pics today at some point

[Feral007]

Our new gals are rhode island reds crossed with isa browns. The older one is meant to be about a week or so off laying age and the younger two about 4 weeks or so. The smaller girls look quite little compared to the other one, so I'm thinkiing a growth spurt is about to happen.
We are also planning to free range ours during the day, and then lock up at night. We're letting them have 3 nights in the henhouse (it has a wire front so they feel like they are out during the daytime)
And I'm going to let them out and hope they know to go back home and roost at night - because 90 acres is a lot of chook chasing if they don't!