My "pet" chicken

[samie]

I FINALLY got my chickens after wanting them for EVER

2 sweeties - it is all we have the room for and all we need for 2 people

BUT

after 2 months one got a nice red comb and started laying eggs but the other despite getting fatter still has a reddish smaller comb and has never laid any eggs

i am sure it isnt a rooster, it doesnt crow or dominate, the laying hen actually takes the lead all the time

they are inseperable so it doesnt matter if hen 2 lays eggs but i was just wondering if it is possible she is just never going to, so I dont have to keep on thinking of watching her for eggs.

thanks!

[bee_pipes]

It might just be a matter of bad timing. We live in Tennessee and got our first chickens in the middle of July. Saw an egg or two before the end of the year, but it was sporadic. By the end of January they were lating regular as clockwork. We have raised a few batches of youngsters from the incubator since then. I have noticed they do not all mature at the same rate - some are slower than others.

Your second chicken might not be laying eggs yet because she just is not mature enough and the shorter days are telling her body not to lay. Wait till the end of January - they should both be laying by then.

Ours - Buff Orpingtons - seem to slow down and stop laying around the end of October/beginning of November. They then go into moult. Everybody is out of moult and laying again by January, and by the ned of the month they are cranked up for production.

Best of luck with your chickens - you're going to enjoy them.

Regards,
Pat

[samie]

thanks! bee_pipes. I already enjoy them *;D they are a riot

spring doesnt come that early here tho (new england) but I am glad there is still a chance for some eggs from my "pet" chick.

they are red sex links or so I have surmised through research (after being told they were rhodeIR)

I would love some buff orpingtons they are beautiful...I may expand my endeavor lol (house right now is small-only for 2)

[WRTN]

We have 15 chicks that are now about 10 to 7 weeks old. Almost full grown but still have a ways to go. We had a problem for a few weeks when the younger chicks got sick and 2 died. We suspect it was coccidiosis. A friend suggested feeding the chicks pig zipper for about a week and WOW! what a difference and improvement. The chicks chirp and sing merrily now and follow me around the yard. Next come introducing the chicks to the full grown birds out in the barn.

Now that we have a little experience in raising the chicks, plan on ordering some Black Jersey Giants. They are supposed to be good meat birds as well as good egg layers that lay very large eggs.

[bee_pipes]

This is our first year with ducks. We have 3 hens and 2 drakes (?). We get three bige eggs daily, and they show no signs of stopping. This just might carry us through the winter until the chickens start laying again. This has been a pleasant surprise.

Regards,
Pat