# They are now laying pigeon eggs!



## hellofromtexas (Feb 16, 2014)

I've been having issues with shell-less, stressed hens and immature laying but we have now moved to daily pigeon eggs with a strong shell. For now, there names are Pigeon egg layer 1, Pigeon egg layer 2. and pigeon egg layer 3

Next week may be as dry as a desert tho and I will call them free loader 1, free loader 2, and free loader 3.

The hens are 5ish months australorp (I'm not keeping track really) , I figure it's going to be a little shakey for a few months. Eventually, they will be hen 1, hen 2, and hen 3


----------



## piglett (Jun 21, 2012)

sounds like they are just "breaking in their equipment"

you will have normal sized eggs in a few more weeks


----------



## hellofromtexas (Feb 16, 2014)

piglett said:


> sounds like they are just "breaking in their equipment"
> 
> you will have normal sized eggs in a few more weeks


I'm sure they will have their freeloader phase again too lol. Their names will change daily between freeloader, hen, and pigeon egg layer. I'm getting small to large eggs with a good strong shell most of the time. I get the shell-less but I think it's a maturity issue and it's happening rarely. They have layer feed and free choice oyster shells both they eat often.

When they lay large normal size for the breed, they get the name hen. When they lay small to medium, they get the name pigeon layer. When they lay nothing they are a bunch of freeloading bums and get the name freeloader.

Either all 3 of them are laying or I have one black australorp that lays 12 eggs a week. If the latter is true... Call the world book of record people. I think they are 5-6 months old. They are still growing a bit.


----------



## Fiere (Feb 26, 2014)

As piglett said, they are breaking in their equipment. It's completely common and happens to every single hen. Considering you've only had them for a week and they are laying so consistently, they were not so stressed as you thought 

Pullets lay all sorts of weird eggs while they're organs start functioning and very soon, everything will start working together as it should. Think of this as the test run. They will have another test run when they start up their next lay cycle, though usually not as severe. Totally normal and not cause for any sort of alarm. 

I like the shell-less eggs myself. They are pretty funky.


----------



## hellofromtexas (Feb 16, 2014)

They have gone back to hen 1, freeloader 2 and freeloader 3 today. I knew this phase would hit but man, I still hate it.

I like adult hens over pullets. It's the same reason I hate having a new puppy too. The only baby animals I like are lambs and cattle calves. Chicks and puppies are tolerable but not a fan. I generally hate all other forms of children unless they are family or I can give them back. The good news is they're a heritage breed so, I won't reach this phase again till they are 6 years and soup. 

My escape artist chicken may become soup sooner than later. It keeps sneaking out of the run in the morning when we attach it. It's a very curious and adventurous chicken. We have to herd it back into the run so the hawk doesn't eat it.

So the moral of the story is I hate most baby animals unless they can be used for food. Like veal and lamb (Cornish rocks fall in this category too because I can kill them at 6-8 weeks but not australorps)

I've had a lot of family experience with chickens but they weren't mine. Just had to toss scratch, check food and water, say if there were problems and collect eggs sorta deal


----------



## Fiere (Feb 26, 2014)

Actually, you will hit the freeloader stage every single year for a month or two at a time while the birds molt. Then with the decreased light of winter their laying will drop off a bit again. It has little to do with pullets vs hens and everything to do with the start/end of their lay cycle, and every lay cycle is not it's former glory.

Birds lay best their first cycle, then less, and less, each year until they just stop. Breed plays a factor in this, heritage breeds lay less thus their productive year are longer. But with heritage breeds, even the production bred ones, the numbers are still very inconsistent and one bird might lay all her eggs in three years while, another might take eight to finally be done. So be prepared to add or replace birds every few years, regardless of breed.

For example: my ISA hens lay easily 300+ eggs their first year of lay. The second year, 150-200. The third... 50-100. Forth I might get 75 lol. My heritage breeds vary so widely, between breed and between hen. But roughly, my *best* layers give me 200-250 eggs the first year, 125-175 the second year, 75-100 the third year, etc. 
I had one who was in her 4th year of lay and would lay one golfball egg every 3-4 days religiously. I had another in her 4th year who laid me 6 whole eggs. They were both considered to be of "better" laying breeds. I will expect eggs from them easily for another two years, but they'd get a gold sticker at that point.


----------



## Fiere (Feb 26, 2014)

Moral of the story, you'd rather pullets than adult hens, you know they will lay the best


----------



## hellofromtexas (Feb 16, 2014)

Fiere said:


> Moral of the story, you'd rather pullets than adult hens, you know they will lay the best


Molting is a fact of chickens but there is only that issue to deal with. I will then call them freeloader 1, freeloader 2, and freeloader 3. There have been a lot of chickens that have worn these names for short periods which briefly involves mumbling certain things about freeloaders that would not be best to repeat.

There is not trying to train them to do stuff. Like lay where they are suppose to and not eating eggs. The one that takes the cake is train them that the neighbor's light is not the sun with creative sewing and they need to go to bed by 9 pm and cannot stay out till 12 in the morning.

Good news, lay in the box and egg eating got cured with the same easter egg (the look on their face when they tried to eat the easter egg was priceless).

Still working on neighbor's light source. I've talked to the neighbor, turning off the light is not an option, therefore dark screen out of raggedy old towels.

I need to move to the country. I'm dislike neighbors in close proximity.


----------



## piglett (Jun 21, 2012)

i think you should process then at once

the eggs in the stores are better anyhow


----------



## hellofromtexas (Feb 16, 2014)

piglett said:


> i think you should process then at once
> 
> the eggs in the stores are better anyhow


I don't like store eggs


----------

