New ones still aren't laying

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Carolyn227

Carolyn227

In the Brooder
8 Years
Apr 30, 2011
80
0
39
I'm wondering if I have breeds that take longer to mature, and that's why they aren't laying yet. They were hatched in the beginning of May and here it is October and nobody's laying yet. They are blue andalusian and buttercups. Are these breeds that typically are slower to mature? They don't seem to be as big as they should be, and are certainly much smaller than my other hens. Should I not expect eggs until the spring?
 
Andalusians and Buttercups are smaller breeds of chickens, so I don't think that they are runts or that their size is the problem. Your birds may not start laying until spring, as daylight hours are decreasing. Try adding a light to your coop to encourage them to lay. Has anything stressful ocurred lately (predator attacks, new birds added, etc)? Stress can cause birds to not lay, or delay their laying.
 
I guess I was miscalculating their age, because I thought they were closer to 22 weeks. I just counted and you're right, it is about 18 weeks. My sister got other breeds about a month before me and her hens have been laying for over a month now, which added to my concern.
 
Yep.. I get it. I had a couple birds laying at 24 weeks and the rest were between 26 and 27 weeks. My son has a couple that were laying at 18 weeks. I would look at my girls and remember that I got them primarily for natural bug control and entertainment.. eggs are a bonus. But it was still a very loooooong wait!
 
Yes, we don't really eat many of our girls' eggs, but they are mostly for entertainment and bug control as well. I just wanted to make sure there was nothing wrong with the new ladies!
 
My girls are just over 6 months old. I have three of them and only 1 is laying - and even she is sporadic; I get an egg every other day. I have read plenty of articles about hens stopping - but not too many articles about why they don't start.
 

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