The Poultry Keeper

funky chicken Phil · Joined: 11 Oct 2005 Posts: 3 Location: Cumbria

Has anyone out there any experience of keeping black rocks and sussex. I have acquired some recently and they are now at POL. From experience can anyone advise at what week their own birds laid their first eggs.

Thanks

NannyP · Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2005 8:52 am Post subject:

POL can mean anything from 18 to 30+ weeks. It depends on the breed. Pure breeds are often later laying than hybrids.
My Welsummer didn't begin laying until 28 weeks, my Pekin hen is not laying yet and she is 27 weeks old.
It's also getting late in the year now, many hens (pure breeds especially) stop laying during shorter winter days, and start again in mid February, so you may still have some wait.
Very Happy

George · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 5661 Location: London

One of my Light Sussex started laying at 25 weeks, although the other hasn't started yet Wink

Nisi · Joined: 09 Sep 2005 Posts: 164 Location: Yorkshire

One of my black rocks started at 18 weeks and the other at about 22 weeks. I have not had any eggs today at all though, so I will be rigging up some lighting for them tomorrow !

summayah · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 4289 Location: luton

my light susex girl started laying around 23 weeks ~ she was the first of the 4 pure breeds that I got at the time. Some of my other pure breeds have taken, like nannyp says over 30 weeks, 34 to be precise. But it's such a nice surprise when they do start, although if they start this next week they then might well take a long holiday until February! Mine didn't though,she was still laying well into December ~ having been hatched end of March. In fact the 3 that came into lay continued through to December. (lost them all to mr fox whilst I was away so don't know if they would have just continued through to the next year).

phil and charlotte · Joined: 01 Aug 2005 Posts: 114 Location: South Somerset

My three 'true' Black Rocks waited until 26/27 weeks to start laying. They laid excellent eggs from the start, in the nest boxes, which have grown to an acceptably large size over the past fortnight.

No. 4, the odd one out because she is so much browner and a bit lighter in weight than the others, is still only laying erratically (soft shells, no yolks, laid in the coop, from the perch, on the path outside, etc., etc..).