Laying/Hatching Averages

We have had a slow time getting our birds to lay this year.

It took 12 days between the first pair of eggs and the last pair to be laid, and we still have one pair that have not laid at all yet. However, the hen from the non-laying pair is a Jos Thone bird, new to us, that might be a late bred, we don't know.

Perhaps we should count ourselves lucky that it has gone as well as this, because it is a new loft and new boxes to all of the birds, half the birds in the stock loft are new to us, and of course new to each other, as we have invested in some Ad Schaerlaeckens and Jos Thone stock birds, and some of the originals have different partners this year.

I know of other fanciers who have also had difficulties with trying to get birds settled to a box, and their flock has also taken quite a long time to go down on eggs. There have also, from other fanciers, been some stories of fighting amongst the cocks with one or two eggs being broken. In that respect we have been quite lucky.

Am I right in thinking that, say, within a flock of 15 to 20 pairs, it is normal for all of them to go down on eggs between 5 and 10 days of each other?

How have other members found things so far? I know that some of you have already got some nice looking youngsters.

All the best.

Phil

we have had a good hatch rate in the race pairs 1 pair were clear ,stock have been difficult tbh with 2 pair with clear eggs but all the others hatched ok ...think 1 cock may be a duffer will give him another chance see what happens ...been a testing few days around the lofts changing water 3 x a day taking a hot water bottle and towel to the lofts to ring the ybs as my hands are far to cold (warm heart )
but what we have in the nests I am more than happy with ...good luck with breeding season phil and hil

We not to bad this year with 18 pairs of race birds just chipping 1 pair are 5 days behind the others and 12 pairs of stock down out of 15 the first started to lay after 8 days so quite happy with the way its goig

Found it hard my self this year I've got 15 yb from ten pair lost few eggs first time they laid

Had a quick look when feeding this afternoon and theirs about six out now I think they should all be out by Wednesday bar one pair they should be a week on Monday

We had quite a good Hatching Within 4 days 12 pairs hatched Lost a couple of young on the first round But hopefully this Round might be a little bit better All the races Have finished and all the Young Have been taken away

had problems last year with first time cocks so paired earlier this year and sods law went like clockwork, have rung 32 and 3rd round will be hatching 14 days.... done and dusted for another year

good % of hatching, but comparing this years ybs with last years, I don't think they look as good.....they are all healthy, but just not quite as good as other years, maybe because of the very cold weather, I don't normally have ybs in the nest this age, but paired up early this year.......maybe go back to 1st saturday in feb next time