Happy new Year to everyone. We have started New Year’s Day with an egg from Ebony, Smoke and Marmite. Marmite’s third egg is a much bigger size than her first two. It is what I would consider as a normal size.
New Years Day’s eggs
This morning’s eggs plus Marmite’s last egg for size comparison. On the left is Marmite’s last egg followed by her egg laid today. Next is Smoke’s egg and on the right Ebony’s egg.
I am amazed that although there has been a huge change over of girls coming and going this year the egg total is very similar to last years.
Last year we had 439 eggs and this year we have had 431 eggs.
Sadly only Speckles, Dandelion and Cinnamon have completed the year and I can hardly really count Speckles as she is such a poor layer.
Speckles laid 12 eggs in 4 months giving her an average of 3 eggs a month.
Dandelion laid 61 eggs in 7 months giving her an average of 9 eggs a month.
Cinnamon laid 78 eggs in 9 months giving her an average of 9 eggs a month.
Sadly we lost Apricot in April before she had started laying.
Sadly we also lost Freckles in June. Freckles laid 38 eggs in 4 months giving her an average of 10 eggs a month.
I was heartbroken to lose Emerald in July but she was one of the few girls that we had got to old age. Emerald laid 24 eggs in 3 months giving her an average of 8 eggs a month.
We got Ebony in July. She must be in her first year as she is still laying and hasn’t moulted. Ebony has laid 106 eggs in 18 months giving her an average of 18 eggs a month.
We got Flame a week after Ebony in July. She stopped laying at the end of November and started to moult heavily so we think she may be 2 years old. Flame laid 97 eggs in in 5 months giving her an average of 19 eggs a month.
We got the two silky girls at the end of May and they haven’t started laying yet. Silky feathered girls mature slower than girls with frizzle or straight feathers. We think they are about 9 months old.
We got the five amigos at the end of August. We think they are about 6 months old as some of them are just starting to lay.
Smoke has laid 16 eggs in 1 month so has laid an average of 16 eggs a month.
Marmite has only just started laying and has laid 2 eggs in 4 days so I can’t give her a monthly average yet. Her first 2 eggs were the tiniest eggs we have ever seen.
We have 3 of the amigos yet to start laying. Yet to lay are Sienna, Jasmine, (silky girls), Vanilla, Spangle and Salmon (amigos).
It will be interesting to see how many eggs we get this year when all twelve girls are laying. I am anticipating some dramas over the nest boxes too, despite having 3 nest boxes, plus the chicken shed.
So to conclude – Speckles is hopeless at laying (3 per month) and has laid half the eggs she laid the year before. Speckles is about 4 years old.
Freckles, while we had her, Dandelion and Cinnamon were/are better layers (9/10 per month). Dandelion and Cinnamon are 2 years old.
Ebony and Flame are excellent layers (18/19 per month). We think Ebony is 1 year old and Flame is 2 years old.
Then we come to Smoke. Although I put her average at 16 eggs per month (because I had only one month to count) she actually started laying a week into the month so her average will be higher. In reality she laid 16 eggs in 21 days so her possible average could be higher. She was laying 5 eggs per week so could potentially average 20 per month. Only time will tell but this is amazing for a serama in my experience up to now.
The silky girls and the five amigos are from a different breeder to my previous seramas so it will be interesting to see if they are all good layers or if Smoke is exceptional.
However it turns out I feel very lucky to be getting eggs at this time of year and with twelve girls laying later this year there should always be plenty of eggs and no need to buy any which will be lovely.
Well done to all my girlies.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
Well done girls!! Marmite’s eggs are a good size now!! I am surprised that Speckles is such a poor layer – Ancona’s are supposed to be good layers – but I suppose there are always exceptions xxf
I had read that ancona’s were good layers so have always been surprised at how poor a layer she is. As you say there are probably always exceptions.
Well done all you girls.All those lovely fresh eggs,
Absolutely. We love them.
It’s a good haul for the year, Carol. Nice that the tiniest eggs have given way to something much more normal! Speckles s a bit of a conundrum, but may perhaps be older than first thought? I know they say that younger anconas have less white. She is a beauty, th0ugh, especially that comb when in lay and her eggs are a remarkable size but, I suppose, as she lays so few. she can invest a lot into each one!
I have just looked back at my records and now realise that you could be right. I thought I had got Speckles at point of lay but looking back I noted that we got Speckles and Butterscotch at the end of July 2015 and Butterscotch was already laying but I had noted that Speckles didn’t lay at all as she was moulting. This means she was at least a second year bird and possibly older so could be 5 or more. Speckles started laying at the end of February the following year.
On the other hand we also had Topaz who laid the least eggs of all so I know from that experience that some girls just don’t lay well. As you say Speckles is a lovely girl and when she does lay her eggs are huge so I am not bothered at all how many she lays.