# Waddles. the non egg laying hussy



## OutOfTheLoop (Apr 1, 2012)

Some of you read the other thread that i accedently hijacked regardings to my chicken Waddles. So here is some pics I took of her today. She is the only hen I have leftout of 6 I bought from tractor supply. She is about 7 months old, and I have been awaiting eggs, but she is holding out on me. I was informed she might be a meat chicken. 

My concerns are is if she is a meat chicken, her quality of life may not be up to par. I dont think she is too fat, but she was bigger than her 5 "siblings". she gets aorund just fine, and actually chased me today pecking my legs lol. So ungrateful, after I had just cleaned her coop.  She is my sweetheart, and follows me around like a puppy when I let her out for her daily romps. She is very vocal as well, nd yells at me the entire time. Anyways, enough rambling, here she is. So what is she, a egg chicken or a meat chicken?


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## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

By meat bird, do you mean Cornish Giant? 'Cause that's rather what she looks like to me. I used to have them many years ago. I found the cockerels were prone to going off their legs but the hens were pretty good. They will lay eggs - just not in the quantity that a Leghorn can spit out. It looks like her comb is getting some colour to it so there may be eggs soon. Also, I see she's out and about in your yard so she may have hidden eggs while out there.


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## OutOfTheLoop (Apr 1, 2012)

She doesnt get left out unattended in the yard. The BOs dogs would eat her. She was gracious enough to let me build a coop and bring waddles with me when I moved my horse, but I don't want her dogs snacking on my hen lol. I shut the dogs in a stall and let her out for a little bit, but I follow her around, or should I say she follows me around. Unless she can lay an egg and bury it out of sight in the time it takes me to blink lol!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

Some of my hens never laid eggs until they were 8 months old. Lazy birds.


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## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

What are you feeding her? She is a doll!


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Meat birds do lay eggs, but not in the quantities by chickens bred specifically for high egg production.

She could be anything, but like Chevaux I'm leaning toward Cornish Giant. Why do you think her life won't be as good if she's a meat versus egg chicken?


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## OutOfTheLoop (Apr 1, 2012)

Lol thanks! I feed her the laying crumbles they sell at tractor supply. I bought a bag when they were on sale for 5$, and that was over two months ago I guess. She's still eating out of the same bag lol. Maybe I don't feed her enough, bit she shure doesn't look like she's starving
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## OutOfTheLoop (Apr 1, 2012)

Speed Racer said:


> Meat birds do lay eggs, but not in the quantities by chickens bred specifically for high egg production.
> 
> She could be anything, but like Chevaux I'm leaning toward Cornish Giant. Why do you think her life won't be as good if she's a meat versus egg chicken?


Because google told me she would get really fat and her legs would turn blue!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

I feed my chickens as much as they will eat. I keep the layer pellets in front of them 24/7.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

OutOfTheLoop said:


> Because google told me she would get really fat and her legs would turn blue!
> _Posted via Mobile Device_



Google lies in this case. :lol:

I plan to get combination meat and egg birds, hopefully next spring, and I fully expect them to live long, healthy, productive lives. Of course, since I'll be raising several broods for the freezer, some of them won't have LONG lives, just healthy ones. :twisted:


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## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

I like Homegrown non-medicated laying pellets and toss a big handful of oyster shell in twice a week. My feed is $15 a bag, yuck! You may also leave a bowl of used eggshells out for the hens to eat up. Also if I get a cracked egg I toss it on the ground in their pen and they fight over them. If you can try and till up an area or over seed your garden in clover, that helps too. I'm the only person in the county that's getting steady eggs without a light right now. That thar is my braggin rights round these parts! LOL!

She will lay, hopefully!!

ETA: Get a big feeder and keep it full (I keep mine in the coop in the winter). My girls always have food in front of them.


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## OutOfTheLoop (Apr 1, 2012)

I never thought about giving her food free choice. I'll get a feeder next time I'm at tsc and fill it up for her. I'll get some shells too and mix that with her feed. Sin e the bags almost gone, do you recommend the pellets or the crumbles?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

Pellets for me are better. You lose a bunch to powder when you buy crumbles. 
But that's just me!


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

....................


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

Speed Racer said:


> Of course, since I'll be raising several broods for the freezer, some of them won't have LONG lives, just healthy ones. :twisted:


Speed, you are a meanie doodie head. 

Just kidding. Quoting you from the other post......... :lol::lol:


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Celeste said:


> Speed, you are a meanie doodie head.
> 
> Just kidding. Quoting you from the other post......... :lol::lol:



I know, right? Give someone good, sage advice, and because I'm not slobbering praise all over them, they get their knickers in a knot. :?

I don't 'do' cooing and hand holding. You want advice, you get it. If you want me to tell you what a SAINT you are, you're barking up the wrong tree. :twisted:

As far as eatin' mah chickens, I'll invite all of you over for a BBQ when they're old enough! :wink:


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

I'll get there once they are cooked. I'm not plucking any dang chicken.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Pish, you'll need _some_ sort of exercise to get your appetite working! What better way than plucking chickens? 

Just kidding. I'll take whichever ones I'm planning on processing to the local Amish. They'll kill, pluck, and dress them for me. Not sure I have the stomach to do it myself, although I _have_ picked up a book on how to do it.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

What? I get plenty of exercise arguing with you on the horse forum.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

I have a white Ameraucana hen, she looks a lot like your Waddles. She is my blue egg layer and she didn't start laying until the OTHER EE's had started laying various shades of green eggs. Mine were all between 28 and 32 weeks when they started laying eggs, I got them as day old chicks in Feb and grew them out and didn't really start getting good production out of them until late Sept/early Oct. They now are laying MACHINES, I get almost 3 doz/day. Just give her some time.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Celeste said:


> What? I get plenty of exercise arguing with you on the horse forum.


:rofl::rofl:

Well, not so much _recently_. :wink:


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## Delfina (Feb 12, 2010)

Speed Racer said:


> Meat birds do lay eggs, but not in the quantities by chickens bred specifically for high egg production.
> 
> She could be anything, but like Chevaux I'm leaning toward Cornish Giant. Why do you think her life won't be as good if she's a meat versus egg chicken?


Regular species of meat chickens live a great life. 

What I was telling her on another thread was Cornish X's. They do not lay eggs and they were specifically bred to do one thing, get really fat, really fast. They WILL get so fat they will die. 

These are the typical "meat birds" hawked by TSC and other farm/ranch/feed places. I see tubs and tubs of them come Spring at all the various rural stores, they sell them by the hundreds along with a few varieties of egg chickens. No normal meat birds have ever been stocked. Great if you want fat chickens to butcher, useless for anything else.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

That's why I'm planning to buy from a hatchery and not someplace like TSC, Delfina. I don't want to just raise a brood for meat, I want a heritage breed that will have good, long, healthy lives. 

I'm thinking Orpingtons, because the roos tend to be laid back and rather gentle, and if I'm breeding, I'm definitely going to need a roo.


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## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

So do you think laying pellets are better for them rather than scratch? Making sure she isn't getting corn in her diet should help. And letting her out as much as possible for exercise.
If so I think it would help her hen live longer.


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## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

Speed if I were you I'd go to a forum like BYC and buy some off of them.
My RIR's (hatchery birds) are supposed to go broody, being a "heritage" breed. But they are just as mass produced at the hatchery as they are for TSC. They have lost their tendencies and I'm going to phase them out.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

What is BYC, Fly? I want the healthiest birds possible, so if I can buy from a smaller breeder I'd rather do that.


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

Nothing of value to add. Just wanted to say every time I see this thread title in the new posts list it makes me giggle. Thanks :lol:


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## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

Backyardchickens.com is my fave. I'm addicted to reading the info on there. Awesome breeders that really know their BIZ. If I were you I'd put up a wanted ad in the buy-sell-trade forum. Also ask around in the breed section!


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Thanks for the info, Fly. I've seen that website, but never really looked at it in depth. Guess I'll go take a look around.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

My local feed store orders from a big hatchery. They can get whatever you want. My best layers have been the Plymouth Barred Rocks.


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## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

OP, one thing: Please make sure she has lots of fresh clean water at all times. This is essential for the egg laying process.


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## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

Delfina said:


> ...
> 
> What I was telling her on another thread was Cornish X's. They do not lay eggs and they were specifically bred to do one thing, get really fat, really fast.
> 
> ...


I agree they excel at bulking up in a short period of time, Delfina, but they still have to lay some eggs otherwise the breed would die out in one generation.


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## OutOfTheLoop (Apr 1, 2012)

Chevaux said:


> OP, one thing: Please make sure she has lots of fresh clean water at all times. This is essential for the egg laying process.


She has one of the big waterers. When it was hot I changed it everyday. Now that's its cold, I only change it every few days or so. It got nasty quick in the summer time.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

Something else to consider is that if she's 7 months old now, she was a fairly late hatchling (May as opposed to March or April.). So if she's a breed that starts laying later, say at 7 - 8 months, (egg laying breeds tend to start earlier, at 5-6 months), and that coincides with shorter days, colder weather and when egg production usually slows down, she may not start laying well and consistently till spring.

I also second the recommendation for the BYC site. Great site, great info, great people. 

Third, I love my hens. Both as useful livestock and delightful pets. Can't say enough good about them, don't ever want to be without a couple hens ever again.

So feed Waddles up and keep her happy and I'm sure you'll get eggs eventually.


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