Laying off over winter

[Brian Adam]

What's everyone's chooks' laying rates like this week, and how has it been over autumn leading into winter? 

Our three hamburgs were purchased last October as POL pullets, but it turned out one of them might have been a year older as she started moulting early March and 3 months later she's still off the lay! in that time she had terrible plumage and a pale comb, but eventually her new feathers grew and she looks good now. She still has a very pale pink comb and is off laying.

The other two haven't actually stopped laying all through this time, but the rate has gone down a lot especially this week. Their summer peak rate 5.5/week av per hen has been 'trending down' down to 2 a week each this week. 

They free range here most of the day, but as the days are so short nowadays they've been hanging around the house/pen at about 2.30 each day. So in they go.

General feeding regime is 'laying pellets' in a feeder and a cup of wheat at the end of the day, mainly to help get them all in at once. I've also been feeding them protein (cooked meat scraps) which they all go crazy over. 

[Brian Adam]

They're back on the lay! After quite a while off the job. One chook Yellow took 5 months moulting and looking pink in the face/comb. Another (Green) took only 5 weeks (very efficient!). So now all three are laying again. They're not champion layers at the best of times, the 3 put out about 5.5 eggs each a week. But we like them. They like the dog roll and catmeat too!

[Jenny Freewalker]

Hi Brian, i got 4 young bantam cross chicks from bird rescue about 3 months ago and they have just started laying. One has been laying for 2 weeks and lays blue eggs - the others are brown. The eggs a small but quite cute. 2 of my original bantams started laying again straight after moulting - about 5- 6 weeks which was really pleasing. l now have surplus eggs and am selling a few to work colleagues. hope you are both well. l'm getting tired of the heavy downpours as l have a small pond developing in the back yard.

[Brian Adam]

Good job, Jenny. Looks like August is the month for starting egg production! Our chooks are totally free range nowadays. They're v timid around people so tend to stay away from the house and the main garden area. Just shoo them with a broom (a traditional method) if they wander too close. At the end of each day I toss some wheat at the henhouse entrance to get them gathering there ready for beddy-byes. Need any more bottles? We have shiraz and sauv blanc, and many many 'Linda' sparkling sauvignon blanc bottles. Bri

[Sarah Walsh]

I have an orpington/shaver cross that is still laying an egg a day. This is her first winter since she started laying last spring (she's about 18mths). Her companion, a bantam, will sit on eggs but not lay them...

[Sealander]

My Araucanas stopped popping out the eggs back in March to moult and never started back up again ;)
Not the world's greatest layers, I'm switching breeds next season to North Holland Blues.

[Brian Adam]

Free range to us means the whole of our property, not just their yard. They love under the ferns and so on, and peck away at the lawn, both for bugs and worms and the greenery. When you say 7/7 do you mean 7 eggs a week per chook? I assume you have 2 hens.

And Earl, is this their first season? I was informed POL pullets will lay throughout their first winter, but with some reduction in lay rate.

Your shavers are certainly good layers, and I wonder what other poultry breeds are doing at this time of year, and what age chooks they are.

Bri

[Earl Mardle]

Our brown shavers have been steady on 7/7 each sicne about October when they settled in to regular production.

Times have been a bit erratic the last week or so, but we're still getting 14 eggs a week from them

We feed about 100gm sprouted wheat and the same in laying mash plus free range in their yard most of the day and a few leaves of SIIIIILLLLLVVVEEEERRRRBBBEEEEETTTTT!!!!! every day.