Pullet Eggs

This year's pullets are steadily coming into lay. The Exchequer Leghorns started to produce at 22 weeks old and lay most days. For a small bird their eggs are a good size and will get bigger as the birds get older.
At 30 weeks old the Welsummers were a little later than the Exchequer Leghorns but from the start the size of their eggs have amazed me.

Photo: Pullet eggs: White -Exchequer Leghorn; Tinted/cream - Indian Game cross breeds; Brown - Welsummer


I am hoping to breed from the Gold Duckwing Welsummers and will keep a record of each of the birds in the aim of producing a healthy, strong egg laying line. As I only have a small flock and each bird lays slightly different coloured eggs I should soon be able to differentiate between them without trap nesting. However I think the birds have already cottoned on and are sabotaging my plans. They enter the nest box two at a time but only one lays, they then both come out calling with pride. It may take a little longer than I first thought.

Photo: Welsummer pullet eggs. (so much darker than they appear in the photo)

Autumn sort out

We spent the weekend sorting out the poultry.

The cockerels from this years hatch are beginning to mature so we have started to reduce the numbers. On Friday we dispatched four of the oldest - 3 Welsummer and 1 Indian Game Ixworth cross. We weren't expecting much from the Welsummer birds but we were disappointed with the final dressed weight of the IG/IX.
With hindsight they were given far too much space to roam and also ran with the young POL birds. I am reluctant however to house them as it is moving away from my idea of raising birds with as much freedom as possible.
The remaining younger cockerels are now running separately from the pullets and have the run of only one pen, possibly still larger than recommended but a compromise.
Although not as large as we had hoped, the conformation of the IG/IX was good with more breast meat and larger thighs then the Welsummer, who are in reality a laying strain.
Amongst the next batch of cockerels are 2 Indian Game cross Australorp birds who already are much larger and heavier than the other breeds. Definitely the way to go.

Most of this years pullets are now running together in a fresh pen. They have settled in well and look close to lay. I am keeping 6 of the Welsummers to breed from, the rest of the birds will join the laying flock for the time being.

The Exchequer Leghorns have also been moved to a new pen and other than making a decision on which of the cockerels to keep will now remain together as a breeding group. Yesterday, at 22 weeks old one of the pullets laid her first egg. A good size for a first egg from a small bird. They are showing promise.

The older hens are still at various stages of moult. The few that have completed their moult are looking very smart and their fine appearance exaggerates the sorry state of the rest. One poor Light Sussex lost most of her feathers in one go and now they have started to grow back resembles a young prickly hedgehog.

With just the layers and the Indian Game left to sort and move we are now almost organised for the coming months.

Hens on holiday

Yesterday Margo & Co arrived for their months holiday. They are staying with us whilst their owners are enjoying a holiday of their own.

It is the first time I have taken in poultry on a temporary basis.

For both their own well being and that of my flock they are being kept separate.

Their night time and wet weather accommodation is the poultry shed, which has been thoroughly scrubbed and disinfected. An enclosed area at the back of the shed is for roosting and laying, a larger area to the front of the shed is for them to scratch around in, to feed and drink and to watch the world go by through the wire door.

Most days they will be outside in a large grass run, only returning to the shed to roost.
On the days they are confined they will have greens hung up to peck at and a dust bath to bathe in.

They already seem quite settled and like so many 'spent' hens ( these came from a large free range unit) are very calm and tame. Today I collected 2 eggs from the 3 hens so they appear to be laying well.

I just hope they 'enjoy' their stay and that their owners return to three healthy happy hens.

Photo: Nov. 3rd 1st day on the grass