Today I managed to get some better photos of the girls. I had given them some yogurt and was going to photograph their yogurt covered faces but by the time I went back they had cleaned up, however I managed to get some good shots of their combs.
Pepper’s wattles
Pepper’s pea comb and spike
Dotty still has no comb
Bluebell’s floppy comb and Treacle’s large comb
They still love yogurt
Treacle, Bluebell and Pepper are eight months old and all three are laying eggs now. Dotty is seven months old, not laying and still has no comb. I have felt for some time that she is in a time warp, remaining a baby (or teenager!). I had a theory that it was because she was born later in the year, it seemed to hold back her growing up.
On reading the natural history chicken book that my son bought me for Christmas, it seems that I was on the right track. It says that chickens maturing in Autumn or Winter will start to lay eggs later than chickens maturing in Summer. Chickens usually start to lay at five to six months. Treacle started to lay at seven months, Bluebell at seven and a half months and Pepper at eight months. Dotty is now seven months and still a lot less mature then Pepper (who is the same breed). She has no comb and still makes baby sounds. I don’t expect her to lay until spring but you never can tell with chickens, they have a habit of surprising us!
Click here to see the history of my flock.