[mondaysoff]

Hi all. Since December of last year I had made my mind up that I was going to keep some chickens, up until 8 weeks ago I have been building the Hen Hilton. I have used this forum, in the background many times for some good advice, spent many hundreds of £'s getting it built and supplies stocked and ready, and spent as many hours reading books and researching on the internet, if your going to do something like this, I think you have to do it properly.

I have had my 8 hens now for 4 weeks, they were a bit dishevelled when I first got them due to the bad weather and lack of sunshine, they are between 12 and 15 weeks old now, have almost doubled in size and feathering up well. They are on layers pellets for most of the day, some greens from the allotment every other day, leaves off of the shrubs within their run and corn last thing in the afternoon, with a few blackberries, raspberries and grapes thrown in the mix also from the lotte.

A question I need to ask is, will my hens as young as they are go into a molt this year or next year? I know I have several more weeks to wait for the first eggs as I have 3 light breeds and 5 heavy breeds, I'm just wondering when they do start to lay, being mid Sept time will they stop laying soon after to molt in their first year?

[Sassy]

 may moult a little this year but you will probably not notice. More likely to have a full moult next year. Hens lay when they are ready, you may get some eggs this year but some may not start until after Christmas. But they will be worth waiting for.

[Casey76]

Your hen Hilton looks lovely!

Your hens shoudn't be on layers at the moment.  They still need to be on growers, especially the heavy breeds, which might not lay until 30-36 weeks.

Pullets can be safety on growers until they have layed their first egg.  As long as they have access to oystershell (separate from feed) they will have enough calcium in their diet to grow healthily.

Putting pullets on layers pellets too soon can result in bones becoming brittle (too much calcium) in extreme circumstances.

[mondaysoff]

Your hen Hilton looks lovely!

Your hens shoudn't be on layers at the moment.  They still need to be on growers, especially the heavy breeds, which might not lay until 30-36 weeks.

Pullets can be safety on growers until they have layed their first egg.  As long as they have access to oystershell (separate from feed) they will have enough calcium in their diet to grow healthily.

Putting pullets on layers pellets too soon can result in bones becoming brittle (too much calcium) in extreme circumstances.

Thanks for the advice Cassy76, I will change there feed with immediate effect. Makes you wonder about some breeders and what they tell you!

[Casey76]

Sorry I didn't even reply to your question!

It is unlikely your pullets will undergo a full moult this year.  If you are unlucky they may undergo a partial moult (where you will see feathers on the ground, but the pullets don't look bare) or a neck moult, where they look a bit like naked necks for a few weeks.

The question of will they or won't they lay this year is a tough one.  If your light breeds are the older ones, then you might be lucky and they may start to lay before the days get too short.  If your heavy breeds are the younger ones, then it is unlikely they will lay before spring next year

I hatched a lot in May last year ( which is a little late), and none of them layed a single egg before April this year, which was really frustrating!

[mondaysoff]

Sorry I didn't even reply to your question!

It is unlikely your pullets will undergo a full moult this year.  If you are unlucky they may undergo a partial moult (where you will see feathers on the ground, but the pullets don't look bare) or a neck moult, where they look a bit like naked necks for a few weeks.

The question of will they or won't they lay this year is a tough one.  If your light breeds are the older ones, then you might be lucky and they may start to lay before the days get too short.  If your heavy breeds are the younger ones, then it is unlikely they will lay before spring next year

I hatched a lot in May last year ( which is a little late), and none of them layed a single egg before April this year, which was really frustrating!

Thank you for your advise, it's most welcome.

My hens are now on growers pellets with additional oyster shell in separate containers. You are correct with the age of both light and heavy breeds, the light breeds are the the eldest, and with my Blue Leghorn which is maturing quite fast with large wattles and comb and reddening I think she may lay before the year is out. Which brings me to ask, will she be OK on growers pellets? as all the others will surely have to stay on them.

I am in no great rush to get eggs, I am all for the natures way of things. I am having great fun everyday, watching, learning and interacting with them.

[ANHBUC]

They will all be fine on growers until one starts to lay.  Then you could separate the layers from the non layers for the morning when they will do most of their feeding.  A little of layers or growers shouldn't do them any harm.  We have built our walk in run with 3 sections so that the different ages can have the food they need on the morning.  Then they are alllowed to freerange in the afternoon.  They all make their own way to their own enclosure on a night.  If your run is one large area you could make a temporary partition for the layers and non layers.  Scaffold debris netting is a relatively cheap material to make a partition with.

Some of my first hens were on layers early as the breeder said it would be alright (2 were laying and 4 were not for another 14 weeks).  They don't seem to have any ill effects but I now know they should have been on growers.  They did not lay very well for their first winter which may be because of the feed they were given as chicks.   

[Sassy]

In Septembers Country Smallholders, Pammy Riggs chicken expert, writes that it is ok to keep them on growers as long as they have access to oyster shell. This is something I would not have done until reading this.

[joyfull]

the only thing I would point out is that if your hens are still on growers feed when they lay and it has anti coccidiosis treatment (should say so on the sack or at least say ACS) in it then you should not eat their eggs. I always feed my young on a feed without this just in case any layers get some of their feed or in case they lay early. Layers feed never has ACS added