Buff Sussex hen not laying

[allotmentkate]

Hi all

I have 4 hens, 2 hybrids and 2 purebreeds (a buff orpington and a buff sussex) The hybrids each lay an egg a day, model hens. The purebreeds don't.

The one I am most supprised at is the buff sussex, Gerty, I know orpy's aren't good layers but I thought Sussex were.

I bought them all at POL in February. Gerty started laying in April and between 7th April and 25th August has laid a total of 29 eggs, she hasn't laid since August. She is happy, healthy, inquisitive, all the things a hen should be but doesn't lay.


Any tips or advice or guidance on why she doesn't lay and what I can do would be gratefully received please.

Thank you

Kate

[Chantal]

A good question Kate as my Sussex Buff (Selsey) seems to be right off her lay. She wasn't too bad for the first year but I think we've had 2 eggs this month. She's not laying them where we can't find them as she's confined to the shed/run at the moment.

When I bought her I was told the breed are good layers.

[alan refail]

Kate

Why she doesn't lay - Modern hybrids were bred to produce eggs for commercial producers - hence one a day, then they are usually finished after 12-18 months (or "depleted" as the awful word has it). Commercial producers dispose of them after depletion. "Pure breeds", on the other hand, are somewhat closer to their wild ancestors and lay in season. During the winter they lay very little, if at all, but they live (and lay) for longer. When a hen is hatched she has within her all the eggs she'll ever lay, and when they're laid, that's it.

What to do - all I can suggest is wait and hope. She should start again. My old Leghorns stop laying for the whole autumn and winter, but start again in spring, despite their age.

Pob lwc - Best of luck

Alan

[allotmentkate]

Hi Chantel and Alan

Thank you both. I'm glad to read that you thought Sussex were good layers too Chantel. I guess I will just have to wait and see what happens next year. Strange that she stopped laying in August. She is a fantastic little character so I wouldn't change her for the world. And I guess 2 eggs a day for 2 of us is more than enough really.

Don't want to think about what happens when the hybrids stop laying, they will just live out their lives with us until the great henrun in the sky calls them.

The Hybrid / pure breed combination is a good one though, eggs from the hybrids and continuing the breed plus individual characteristics from the purebreeds.

Kate

[RAREBREDCHICK]

Hybrids are speciality bred to lay all year round, many pure breds will go off lay in the winter, darker, shorter days. You can counteract that by using artificial light. But I would enjoy your hens for the beautiful birds thay are.

You dont say, but many pure breds these days are bred for show, not egg production. If buying pure breds again it is well worth sourcing a good egg laying strain of the breed you require. As you say Sussex should be good layers, but rarely compete with their hybrid cousins. But if your buff girl is from a show strain egg production is not important, also some Buff Sx are crossed with Buff Orps further back for the colour and as you state they are not prolific layers.

Hope this helps?

[PLUMPUDDING]

One of my first hens was a Buff Sussex called Ginger and she seemed to lay for about 16 days then have a rest and then start again. She usually laid between March and October and just the odd one during the winter, but she kept this up for about six years. She was 8 when she died. Buff Sussex are a lovely placid, friendly breed.

I've had all sorts of breeds from Old English Game, Lavender Araucana, Silver laced Wyandottes, Light Sussex, Freesians (not cows - a very flighty small breed that didn't lay well, and recently I've been trying some hybrids - Daisy Bell, Black Rock, Speckledy and Warrens. My new babies are two rather expensive Cream Legbars who are supposed to lay blue eggs.

My oldest hens are the Araucana who is 8 and still lays little blue eggs, the Wyandotte 7 who only lays an occasional white egg that is very small for the size of the hen. All the rest are under three years and lay nearly every day. The Black Rocks in particular lay a medium sized nice brown egg and are good solid little birds. The Warrens seem very light compared to them, but lay quite large light brown eggs.

The oldest hen I ever had was a 13 year old Old English Game bantam. She had even laid an egg the summer she died. She was showing her age and had to have her nest box on the floor as she couldn't get on the perch, and I had to put an extra couple of bricks at the door so she could climb back into the hut. She eventually died of a heart attack when my son was a bit over enthusiastic when chasing her back into the run after she had sneaked out and was scratching about in my seed bed.

What are your favourite breeds?

[Chantal]

Kate, my Buff Sussex started laying again around 2 weeks ago and has laid every day since.

Three months off and back into full production mid winter. Perhaps it's the weather