Half my flock are all grown up

Treacle seems to have suddenly matured over the last month. As she has matured she has taken her place as top hen and she has grown much more vocal. Treacle used to be my quiet hen, quiet because she was not very vocal. Now Treacle has become more talkative, and having found her voice, it is a loud voice. When I go up the path towards them I can instantly recognise the difference between Pepper’s very vocal but slightly mournful “boc boc” and Treacle’s very loud and clear “boc boc”

Treacle’s comb and wattles have also become much more developed.

Treacle’s comb and wattles have suddenly matured

Because Bluebells comb matured first, I thought she would be the first to lay eggs and had heard that when they are almost ready they will squat when you hold your hand over their back. I have tried that many times with Bluebell and she just side steps out of the way. When trying to stroke Treacle recently I accidentally hovered my hand over her back and she went down into a squat. Now I know what people mean when they say that. Every time I hover my hand over her back she squats. Maybe Treacle will be the first to lay eggs.

I think they may wait until spring though as the days are getting shorter. I have also heard that pure breeds lay about a month later than hybrids and are less likely to lay through winter. Treacle is a longtown brown and will lay dark brown eggs, Bluebell is a chalkhill blue and will lay blue eggs and Pepper and Dotty are dominiques and will lay light brown eggs. I have had my girls for five months now and I think Dotty is six months old, Pepper seven months (because I was told there was a month between them), and Bluebell and Treacle eight months. I was told that Treacle is a slower developer and would lay at about a month older than the other girls but that once she starts to lay she is a really good layer. I would put Bluebell and Treacle at a month older than the other two because their combs and wattles were always more developed and if Treacle develops later that would explain why her comb has taken a month more than Bluebell’s to look fully mature.

I am now assuming that Dominiques are also slow developers because Pepper’s comb is still not mature and Dotty actually seems to be stuck in babyhood. She must be six months old because I have had her for five months and was told she was one month when I first got her and yet she still uses her baby twitter rather than a grown up “boc boc” like Pepper and her comb is not at all developed. She is feisty and greedy yet doesn’t seem to be growing up.

Dotty still has no comb and still looks like a baby

They all look happy and healthy so I think they will all develop at their own pace and although I would love to have some eggs, I love the girls so much that I don’t mind if I have to wait for a bit.