November 30, 2013

Pullet Eggs

This year's chicks are all grown up and starting to lay!

First egg from this year's chicks

Our home hatched chicks made their appearance last June 19th. They, along with the 17 mail order chicks are now 5 months old.

Two pullet eggs and two hen eggs. The medium size egg on the right
is also a first timer's. I'll need to figure out who'e started laying.

I was very happy to see these. I've only been getting about an egg a day for weeks now, from our Buff Orpington hens. I still have four of my original hens (hatchery chicks from February 2010), but they haven't laid in a long time.

I'm not sure who laid them. All three of our pullet breeds, Buff Orpington, Silver Laced Wyandottes, and Speckled Sussex, are brown egg layers.

One of my Buff pullets is actually only half Buff. I don't know who her
mother is! Somehow I missed that when I gave Mama her eggs to set

Of cockerels, we're down to three. They are all Wyandottes because Dan wants to stick with that breed, but we only need one. Two of them have divvied the hens up between them. One group roosts in the coop. The other in the cedar tree in the chicken yard, and the third rooster is the odd man out.

Silver Laced Wyandotte cockerel

The coop rooster has all the older hens. Unfortunately, he's the most aggressive. Hopefully if we keep one of the other roosters and all but the oldest hens, things will settle down and they'll all move into the coop for the winter! Of course, those are our plans, which the chickens may or may not agree with. We'll just have to wait and see.

Pullet Eggs © November 2013 by Leigh 

16 comments:

Farmer Barb said...

Isn't it interesting how we make all kinds of plans and then the animals vote. We are the wisest creature because we can adapt. We can also eat them!

Ed said...

Makes me wonder if the hens choose which rooster to follow by the house (or tree) he keeps or if they really just like that particular rooster. If I had to choose a mate based on sleeping in a tree or a house, I would most certainly put up with a lot to live in the house!

Renee Nefe said...

Yay for more eggs! I hope you figure out who's who.

Leigh said...

Barb, I've finally come to the conclusions that we humans are rather inconsequential in animals' eyes. Our job is to provide food, water, shelter, and take care of any problems that arise. After that compliance to our wishes is a favor, not a give. :)

Ed, LOL. The situation makes for curious speculations. I think the oldest hens have something to do with it. They are pretty ruthless toward the newcomers, so likely most of them won't go in there because of that. That includes the rooster, except for the dominant one who pushed his way in.

Renee, me too! When the time comes to hatch more, I'd like to just use the Wyandotte eggs. I hope I can tell the difference by then.

Susan said...

Oh, lucky you! I have six pullets and am only getting one egg. All together, I have 27+ hens and I STILL am only getting one egg. It's frustrating.

Woolly Bits said...

chicken psychology doesn't seem to be as easy as I thought it would be:) I'd have thought that if only one rooster is left, the hens adapt to that - "automatically"... I hope they'll sort it out to your satisfaction! and I thought chicken laid eggs longer than just 3 years, just lesser at a later age? I try to learn about that before actually having the birds myself:)

Quinn said...

I've also got hens on the brain tonight, Leigh! Under cover of darkness, I moved two new layers into the Poultry Palace tonight. FIngers crossed the Old Guard does not insist on an uprising at daybreak!

Leigh said...

Susan, unfortunately I haven't had an egg since I took those photos, LOL I've been in the same boat as you with 21 hens. Very frustrating.

Bettina, chickens never cease to amaze us. Yes, they do lay longer than three years, but production will decrease. My Welsummers laid their third year as well as the Buffs in their first. We just have too many chickens! Eliminating some of the oldest will help upset the entire pecking order so that hopefully the younger ones can get into the coop when the weather turns severe later this winter.

Oh Quinn, I hope it works for you! I hope your old hens cooperate!

DFW said...

I can.not.wait until I have chickens. so glad you are getting eggs again!

Leigh said...

DFW, and I just found a stash of about half dozen eggs in a corner of the hen house! (Better than outside somewhere. :)

Tina T-P said...

Don't ya just love those pullet eggs - some are tiny, some are HUGE - and boy those big ones must make em squak! That rooster sure is a pretty boy! T.

GrannyAnnie said...

I'm so glad to see someone's chickens are laying right now! Not a one of mine has been laying for awhile.

Leigh said...

Tina, the one had a little blood on it so I'm guessing it was no fun to lay!

Anna, it's a relief to finally bet getting eggs again! Interesting you should mention yours haven't laid in awhile. I've been seeing that same thing around the blogosphere.

Shawn said...

Ours finally have begun - hatchery purchase 1st week of June. I have ID'd 2 of the responsible ladies (both barred rocks), but we are getting 2-3 eggs per day suddenly so it would seem at least another has begun. The weather has been great this week so I have been outside working, but no matter how hard I try to keep an eye on them - somehow each time I check-up on the coop an egg is left with no chicken in sight! Very exciting!

Leigh said...

Shawn, that is indeed very exciting. Before you know it you're going to have more eggs than you'll know what to do with. A very good problem to have. :)

Linda said...

I only have one hen of the original four that I kept out of ten chicks. She graces me with an egg about once a month since it turned cool. She will give me about two eggs a week when it gets warm again.

She has managed to not get murdered by raccoons and did not just drop dead like the others I have gotten in the last 4.5 years. Her new companion lays about five or six eggs each week.

They have never had a rooster.