Molting, Broody or ? - How To Identify A Laying Chicken

We are not  going to be culling any of our chickens that are not laying eggs. They are pets and even if they don't lay they do clear the property of insects, they fertilize and turn over the leaves, look good and are fun to watch. So, they all stay. However, I'm curious.

   I wanted to know which hens were laying eggs and why some of them weren't, why and when some molted, and how the broody business affected egg laying, etc. So... I went on a Google search and I found a site here (University of Kentucky) that not only explains a few things and it also has photos!

   There are photos of a good layer and poor layer, vents and fat deposits, and more. I'm going to read this over a few times and then maybe check my hens at night when they are on their roosts.

   Not all of our hens have yellow skin so I would need to use the other methods to check for layers. At least now I know how to identify which chickens are laying. I think it is interesting how the hen uses up the yellow pigment and then goes off laying and replaces the pigment and then starts up the laying process again.

   These photos show the chickens yelling at me yesterday to let them out of the pen, the hens squeezing between the slats, and then running off to the woods. Do they stop to say hi or thanks? A few stick around for a little bit. I think they are the smart ones who want to find out if I have treats.

   This is, Shorty, the short legged Buff Brahma that wasn't expected to survive because she was half the size of the other chicks  and in such bad shape the feed store added her to the box of chicks for free because they didn't think she would live if left with the other chicks. So she was a freebie.           

   When Kristine went down to the feed store to get the second batch of chicks (actually we'd already gotten 4, but they seemed to need a few more buddies before they'd stop peeping all night long) she  was given two buff brahma chicks, when she'd originally only asked for two. The girl who was getting the chicks said,"Oh. We're going to give you this one for free. We don't think its going to make it."


And indeed, the freebie chick was half the size of the other chicks, and crouched, and weaving slightly, and none too bright of eye. Yep. It was probably a goner. But she took the miserable little thing home anyway, and tossed it in with the all the others, bringing the total number to 7.  3 dark brahmas, 3 buff brahmas, and 1 lone cochin.


They dog piled that night with Death-bait, right in the middle. The next morning, DB was up, eating, and actually frisky... Kristine came to the conclusion that although it was undersized, it just needed less crowded conditions to do well. Today she's sort of short in the leg, but otherwise quite alive and perky. (This paragraph was written by, Kristine. I always get this tale mixed up, so she volunteered to set the story straight.)


   Shorty and the photo of the Wyandotte yesterday both have yellow beaks and yellow feet. So, I think this means that they are getting tanked up on yellow pigment and ready to lay soon?  When we start getting more daylight?


PS:
Here are two more sites I found. I still think the Kentucky one is the best, but these have additional information. Florida Poultry Judging Manual and the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

[3 eggs yesterday]

[2 eggs today]

Peek at the Past

February 1, 2009

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Smiles