We culled for the new layer flock and got really good results this year. They were hatched May 2nd, 2018. Tonight my husband found the first egg, resting on top of the nest box cover. We’ve been too busy to pull the board off to allow access to the nestboxes. Maybe tomorrow we will get to it.
Those big girls were sloughing off today, only 9 eggs for 18 birds! We had 13 for 18 yesterday, though.
Do you feed your birds comfrey? I've seen claims that it'll help with production and quality.
Congrats on new layers! :)
I do when I remember... I've not been out in the gardens to work much due to the heat and the poultry processing prep. It's cooling down today so I hope to get out there next week. I expect some will go up to them then.
Cool! Didn't know if the claims were true. I have found that mine love everything green they can get.
That's great! I'm still waiting for my April 11 hatch to start laying.
They can take up to 8 months before starting, depending on feeding practices and breed.
That’s what my husband just found out tonight too! We have brahmas and Plymouth rocks. We’ll be feeding them layer feed at around 18 weeks. I hope we don’t have to wait 8 months! What variety do you have?
We wait until they are really laying before we start layer feed. If they get the calcium too early, there's a risk of kidney failure...
This flock is Barred Rocks and Buckeyes.
Oooo.. thanks for the heads up!