Meet my girls!

[dmm1976]

Wilma

Betty

They are making all those cute happy noises chickens make! So I think they like their new home. Starting out small but I'm sure my flock will grow. Eggs- cited to get my first eggs. They are molting and I know they won't lay as much in winter. The lady I bought them from said I could put lights on them but that can stress them out and shorten their laying life. ( which will also shorten their living lives cuz as soon as they are done laying they are dinner ) lol.

[KSALguy]

putting lights on them wont stress them out at all, I kept lights on in the coop all the time and they went to bed like anything else, also it wont shorten their laying life either, all hens are hatched with a set number of eggs that COULD be laid, but this number is in the Thousands/millions no hen is going to be able to lay that many eggs, they will continue to lay eggs as long as the are kept in condition to lay, it will slow down the older they get but lighting has nothing to do with that,

[CurtisWilliams]

What lovely girls. Looks to be a RIR and a Barred Rock. Is this your first flock?

I agree that putting a light on a timer will have NO harmful effect on your chickens health or longevity.

[Missy M]

I give mine lights set on a timer. It comes on early to get them up and lengthen the day for them. If they have started to molt the light won't help them. They have to finish this process first.

[dmm1976]

Originally Posted by CurtisWilliams

What lovely girls. Looks to be a RIR and a Barred Rock. Is this your first flock?

I agree that putting a light on a timer will have NO harmful effect on your chickens health or longevity.

Close! A Dominicker and a golden comet. Thanks for the info on the light! As they are molting I won't bother this year. I might decide to later if I'm really hurting for eggs. But since I'm the only one that eats them and they r mostly used for baking I probably won't need to. They have settled in nicely. No eggs yet but I figured it'd be a few days. Thanks for advice guys, I appreciate you all sharing your knowledge.

[dmm1976]

And this is the second time I've had chickens. Last year I had 3 a Dominicker a golden comet and a buff Orpington. Their names were Thelma and Louise, and a chicken called Wanda. Lol I also took care of my family's large flock of bards and Cochins, but when we moved to sc I gave them to my uncle. I'm glad to have a mini flock again.

[CAjerseychick]

Sorry do not really have input to give, but they are nice looking hens, very curious about the Dominickers myself, they had them at the feed store last year and I am looking into something alittle less feed- heavy (than more Jersey giant gals)-- and got a good 7 eggs daily from 10 hens, but now, after their first moult barely 1... (there is still a couple hens growing back their feathers even)....

[dmm1976]

Both my Dominicker and my buff orp layed similar eggs about every other day. They were about the size of grocery store large eggs and light brown. My golden comet layec pretty much 1 a day. They were twice the size of the other two. and a rich brown color . got over a dozen a week most weeks during summer off of 3 hens. As far as feed ... I fed them veggie scraps , a couple scoops of laying pellets and clover. ( had a large patch in the yard I would just grab and throw to them. The two I have now are getting a mix of scratch and laying pellets. Veggie scraps but no clover here . Probably gonna toast and crush up eggshells to give them too. Never did that before but I heard its great calcium for them .