Friday, May 30, 2008

Four Egg Day

four eggsWhen we had only two hens we got two eggs each day. So when we got two more hens we naively assumed we'd get four eggs each day, after a settling-in period.

But our two older girls are hybrid layers. They're bred to produce an egg a day. The new girls are Rhode Island Reds, and there are some differences we didn't expect. Rhodies are utility birds, bred for meat and eggs. They're not as good at producing eggs as hens bred to be layers, and they're not as good at producing meat as birds bred for that purpose. But they're a practical compromise for homesteaders and smallholders.

Pure bred birds also go broody more readily than hybrids, as we've already found. So a four-egg day is a special occasion rather than a daily event.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I just think that it's fascinating that how ever much research and thought one puts into a new project, when you go live with it it still finds a way of surprising you with the unexpected. Hence the need for blogs like yours!

I must share this, though, which made me laugh.... I just came across the Yahoo Answers website, where someone has asked 'y do hen lay eggs but not give birth to chicks'. I need to stress at this point that despite the tortured use of the English language this does appear to be adults asking the questions...! Out of 30 responses at least half..well... judge for yourself!

(note - I've not included the writer's names in order to protect the stupid...!)

three answered 'I don't know'...

two answered 'it's just how it is so why question it'. (I presume these are both still living in caves waiting for the thunder god to make the pretty fire...)

one answered 'because hen belong 2 catagory of egg laying mammals'!! (close but no prize...)(actually no, not close at all...)

one answered 'so we can eat eggs. God provides'. (also still living in a cave etc etc)

one answered 'because they're not mammals, they're cold blooded birds'! (I'd obviously forgotton that your hens need to bask on rocks for several hours before having the energy to flap around the garden...!)

one relpied 'well maybe cuz chickens are like birds and birds lay eggs so chickens do too'!!! They also go on to add 'source of information 'umm.. my own mind'!!(no comment I can think of is good enough to sum that one up!!).

and my favourite - 'I don't know, because my friend's neighbour's dog ate her chicken'......!!!!!!

are we sure that we're the species who put a man on the moon???!

brilliant blog as always

Andrew

Unknown said...

Four eggs ~ a luxury! Even with my quantity of hennies, 4 eggs is good ~ some can't be bothered to lay, some lay out & Mindy & her pups think that all eggs are theirs! My ducks lay early, so I do get anything up to 6 ducky eggs a day before I open up the shed & I can collect them first thing.

Gary ("Old Dude") said...

found your blog listed under Home and Garden, and being an old laid back kinda dude, opted to check it out. Wow, learned I too am ignorant of the chicken world---hybrid layers, rhode Island reds, and then the comments---hell I still don't know why some lay eggs and others go for chicks----Still kinda found the whole blog making me grin.

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