Valentines Day is, traditionally, the day by which pure breeds should have come back in to lay. My Garden Girls were unimpressed by this piece of information, which I gave them on the 7th of February so they had plenty of notice.
Milly, my loopy cream legbar, is back in lay. She laid for about 7 days in January, then stopped. Then she laid for a couple of days in February, and stopped. She started crouching for me in January, so I knew she was getting ready.
She's also started getting very squawky in the mornings. Not an egg announcement, more an exasperated, loud, long, shrill trill. She's presumably feeling that Spring has sprung and she objects to being confined to the (extremely spacious) run before I let them out.
The other Girls show no intentions of coming back in to lay. Florence (Australorp) and Roobarb (Australorp/Indian Game) have lovely clear eyes, red combs and wattles, but nothing else; Custard (Sasso, 4th in pecking order and horrible to Tilda) does not have bright red comb and wattles. Still, she started to lay at 19 weeks old, so I don't really mind her taking it easy.
Tilda (Sasso, number 5 in pecking order, disabled chicken) I don't particularly expect her to lay.
I think the two bouts of snow, with Spring in between, has thrown out their clocks.
Milly, my loopy cream legbar, is back in lay. She laid for about 7 days in January, then stopped. Then she laid for a couple of days in February, and stopped. She started crouching for me in January, so I knew she was getting ready.
She's also started getting very squawky in the mornings. Not an egg announcement, more an exasperated, loud, long, shrill trill. She's presumably feeling that Spring has sprung and she objects to being confined to the (extremely spacious) run before I let them out.
The other Girls show no intentions of coming back in to lay. Florence (Australorp) and Roobarb (Australorp/Indian Game) have lovely clear eyes, red combs and wattles, but nothing else; Custard (Sasso, 4th in pecking order and horrible to Tilda) does not have bright red comb and wattles. Still, she started to lay at 19 weeks old, so I don't really mind her taking it easy.
Tilda (Sasso, number 5 in pecking order, disabled chicken) I don't particularly expect her to lay.
I think the two bouts of snow, with Spring in between, has thrown out their clocks.
Elsewhere, the Allotment Girls are laying prolificly - especially those that aren't yet a year old. I expect the bouts of broodiness will start soon.
