You guys who have been reading know we got some chickens this year for the first time, and we have really enjoyed them so far. We got them when they were 11 weeks old, and we were supposedly getting 6 hens from the farmer we bought them from [our lab mix chewed through the wooden wall of the chicken coop and got one of them, so now we have 5 chickens and a coop that is re-enforced with MDF all the way around LOL!].
They are 21.5 weeks old now and nobody is laying yet, which we were kind of wondering about ... we were told to expect eggs between 18-22 weeks. The chickens all look healthy and happy, they are really sweet and we love them. [We have one of each: Auracana, Gold Laced Wyandotte, Partridge Rock, Buff Orpington, and a New Hampshire Red].
So, this week one of the chickens started crowing.... we think it might be the Gold Laced Wyandotte, who seems to be sprouting some tail feathers, but we can't really tell yet. The Partridge Rock looks like it might be getting tail feathers too, so we may have two roosters. [And, these are the two that fought so much - the Wyandotte always beat up the Partridge Rock and never bothered anyone else - which makes me further suspect two boys]. I can't catch one in the act of crowing because every time I get close to the coop it shuts up and runs to the door to see what yummy thing I am bringing to feed them. :)
Needless to say, any roosters must go away because we like our neighbors and don't want any trouble. The kids are upset [oddly enough, the Wyandotte that I am pretty sure is the boy belongs to my one lone son! How funny that HE got the boy chicken!].
The farmer we got them from said we could exchange any that turned out to be roosters [but he swore they were all hens...], but the kids have been holding these chickens,
playing with them, taming them, hand feeding them, and basically turning them in to sweet pet chickens this whole time. So, they are sad. If I had been buying them to eat, I wouldn't have let the kids play with them and get attached, but we were buying them for eggs. My husband keeps threatening to eat the one that is crowing, which sends the kids into hysterics... !
Just in case some of you readers are "chicken owners", anybody know how to tell for sure which ones are boys? And any ideas why these hens aren't laying yet? [unless they are all roosters LOL! Just my luck!] They are getting 20% protein layer ration now, oyster shell, and some cracked corn scratch every day. Their feathers are full and shiny - they seem very healthy and happy. Would having a rooster in the mix delay their setting or anything?
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