I have 7 Isa Browns. I got them at 13 weeks. They all started laying in May, within a 2 week period of each other, so I put their hatch date at approx. Jan 1st and guess them to be 10 months old now.
1. difference in comb size and color
3 of my girls have large red beautiful combs. 3 others have tiny combs that just didn't continue to grow, and they are pink - not the vibrant red of the first 3. The 7th has a comb in between the tiny and the large.
These pics show one of my big comb girls, and two of the little comb girls.
2. quit laying
They layed like machines all summer, then, the week after Labor day weekend, (early Sept.) they all stopped at once. Then early Oct, one started to lay occasionally. She is now laying pretty much everyday, and 2 others will lay once or twice a week. 4 don't lay anymore at all.
3. molting at young age
After they stopped laying, in late September, most of them began losing a lot of small downy feathers. I began noticing missing neck and tail feathers. At that time, they were not even 9 months old. Isn't this way too early to molt?
I have read that the molting can make them stop laying, but I don't understand why they are molting at such a young age. There was no traumatic event that I know of. They eat very well..... In fact, they seem to always be starving. They range over 3 acres all day everyday, and we feed them layer pellets every evening. They attack the food and don't stop until it's all gone.
Also, could there be something wrong that's making 4 of them have such small and pale combs in comparison to the other 3?
Would that affect the egg laying? I know my regular layer, is one with the large comb, but I can't say for sure who the other two layers are right now.
Am I not feeding them enough if they seems to always be starving? Could this affect laying and comb size?
None of them act sick. They are all very active. I see no worms.
I can't help but wonder if all of this is related somehow.
thanks!
Coach P.
1. difference in comb size and color
3 of my girls have large red beautiful combs. 3 others have tiny combs that just didn't continue to grow, and they are pink - not the vibrant red of the first 3. The 7th has a comb in between the tiny and the large.
These pics show one of my big comb girls, and two of the little comb girls.
2. quit laying
They layed like machines all summer, then, the week after Labor day weekend, (early Sept.) they all stopped at once. Then early Oct, one started to lay occasionally. She is now laying pretty much everyday, and 2 others will lay once or twice a week. 4 don't lay anymore at all.
3. molting at young age
After they stopped laying, in late September, most of them began losing a lot of small downy feathers. I began noticing missing neck and tail feathers. At that time, they were not even 9 months old. Isn't this way too early to molt?
I have read that the molting can make them stop laying, but I don't understand why they are molting at such a young age. There was no traumatic event that I know of. They eat very well..... In fact, they seem to always be starving. They range over 3 acres all day everyday, and we feed them layer pellets every evening. They attack the food and don't stop until it's all gone.
Also, could there be something wrong that's making 4 of them have such small and pale combs in comparison to the other 3?
Would that affect the egg laying? I know my regular layer, is one with the large comb, but I can't say for sure who the other two layers are right now.
Am I not feeding them enough if they seems to always be starving? Could this affect laying and comb size?
None of them act sick. They are all very active. I see no worms.
I can't help but wonder if all of this is related somehow.
thanks!
Coach P.
