Why Aren't My Chickens Laying? Here Are Your Answers!

[HHandbasket]

Quote:
Many things in that article are "just not so". That's why I don't understand how anyone on here is using it as a reference guide. For the information in that article, you can find almost the exact opposite of most of that information here on BYC.

I found the article to be pretty much noniformative due to the lack of accurate information available in it.

 

[HHandbasket]

Quote:
Hi there and welcome, and congrats on the new mini flock!

Nobody's chickens are laying this year. There are a few thousand chicks that came from hatcheries this past spring that should have started laying in the last 2-3 months and haven't even started showing signs yet. Just yesterday, my barred rock (almost 8 months old) finally squatted, and she was at laying age almost 3 months ago. She musta heard me talkin' about whether or not she'd be better as chile verde or as a stew with dumplings. LOL! My welsummer and RIR are still not showing any signs, no squatting, though the RIR did finally start to develop wattles this past week--they are all of a few millimeters now! LOL!

As far as the Florida cold, just make sure they have a draft-free roost area to sleep. Mine sleep in an open-air outdoor pen in northern California with enclosed roost areas for them. I used to live in Louisiana, so I know those harsh southern winters can be bitterly cold because the humidity in the air freezes & bites right through you (you don't have to have snow for it to be cold enough to make you miserable LOL).

Don't be too alarmed they're not laying. It's not just you. It's everybody who got pullets (young hens) that were hatched this past spring. Some people's chickens have started laying, but an inordinate number (more than usual) have not and are slow to mature & it seems to be nation-wide. I, too, wondered if I had been feeding them wrong or something, but they've been here over six months and getting all the right food & still nothing. Same with another friend of mine who bought hatchery chicks that hatched in March--her girls have at least had combs, wattles, and showing signs of egg-laying maturity for several months now, but just no squatting and no eggs. Buncha freeloadin' chickens. LOL.


I know some people swear by hatcheries, but so many of them are producing birds that lay late if they lay at all. I'll only buy from BYCers in the future, seriously.

 

[Grand-hen-ma]

Thanks HH, I appreciate the help. I have pictures so I am going to try and up load them and see if anyone knows what the new girls are.

Hugs from Fl

 

[speckledhen]

I've added two more articles on the first post. In spite of some complaints that the first one sited doesn't apply in all situations, and some of the information is too brief and/or generalized, the main causes listed in it are correct. Hens are individuals and there can be other factors not listed, mainly disease, as to why they aren't producing when you think they should be.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
No complaints from me. The first info posted hit the nail on the head. Good job speckledhen!

 

[halo]

Quote:
Hi there and welcome, and congrats on the new mini flock!

Nobody's chickens are laying this year. There are a few thousand chicks that came from hatcheries this past spring that should have started laying in the last 2-3 months and haven't even started showing signs yet. Just yesterday, my barred rock (almost 8 months old) finally squatted, and she was at laying age almost 3 months ago. She musta heard me talkin' about whether or not she'd be better as chile verde or as a stew with dumplings. LOL! My welsummer and RIR are still not showing any signs, no squatting, though the RIR did finally start to develop wattles this past week--they are all of a few millimeters now! LOL!

As far as the Florida cold, just make sure they have a draft-free roost area to sleep. Mine sleep in an open-air outdoor pen in northern California with enclosed roost areas for them. I used to live in Louisiana, so I know those harsh southern winters can be bitterly cold because the humidity in the air freezes & bites right through you (you don't have to have snow for it to be cold enough to make you miserable LOL).

Don't be too alarmed they're not laying. It's not just you. It's everybody who got pullets (young hens) that were hatched this past spring. Some people's chickens have started laying, but an inordinate number (more than usual) have not and are slow to mature & it seems to be nation-wide. I, too, wondered if I had been feeding them wrong or something, but they've been here over six months and getting all the right food & still nothing. Same with another friend of mine who bought hatchery chicks that hatched in March--her girls have at least had combs, wattles, and showing signs of egg-laying maturity for several months now, but just no squatting and no eggs. Buncha freeloadin' chickens. LOL.


I know some people swear by hatcheries, but so many of them are producing birds that lay late if they lay at all. I'll only buy from BYCers in the future, seriously.

You claim the article Cyn posted isnt accurate, but you arent accurate either. I know a lot of people who's hens are laying right now; mine are laying over 2 dozen a day. The only people complaining are the people whos hens arent laying. So then read the articles on why they arent laying! I havent seen a thread yet from people who's hens are still laying, probably because it would be too long. If you check the Hatching Eggs for sale forum, you'll see theres lots of people's hens laying right now. Ebay is full of hatching eggs. My local farm market is loaded with eggs. So there are a lot of hens laying now, even in spite of the shortened daylight hours. If you read that article, it states the reasons why hens arent laying right now. So why do people seem to think its some anomaly that they arent laying??? That is the whole reason Cyn posted these articles, to advise why your (the generic your) hens arent laying, if they arent.

 

[HHandbasket]

I completely understand what you are saying and what the original post was about.

I appreciate the information being shared.

That being said, however, I agree that perhaps disease or something similar thereto is playing a part. Yes, there are a LOT of people whose spring pullets are laying now, including many here, and mine are even finally starting to now in December!

My point, though, is that if you talk to many of the people on BYC and on other chicken forums, but especially on BYC, there is a higher number than USUAL of pullets not laying yet that traditionally, in seasons past according to those more experienced, should have started by now. And it makes one wonder what the cause may be, as the number not laying yet seems out of balance to those at the same age this time last year and the year before and the year before.

That's all I'm saying. Never meant to be argumentative. I'll leave the thread now. Hugs and have fun, all!

 

[speckledhen]

As far as low production, my flock currently consists of 28 layers that range in age from about a year old up to five years old, all except for 13 are over three years old. For a while now, we've been getting between 3 and 8 eggs daily. One of the producers is one of the three oldest hens and she is laying an average of 2.5 eggs per week. Some are still finishing a molt. Not one of my BBS Ameraucanas is laying, not one, even though they have all their nice new feathers and look gorgeous. Even one of my youngest girls did a mini-molt and quit laying for a time. It's just the ebb and flow of the cycle of chicken-keeping.

 

[chickchickgirls]

So I know production drops off this time of year, but I literally have not had an egg from 17 hens in over a month. I have one mixed girl who is about 2 1/2. I hatched her in my classroom and she is my "pet" girl. I have 14 assorted RIR, LH, Americaunas, SL Wyandottes, and Barred Rocks that are about 18 months, and two girls hatched in the classroom in March (who have never laid an egg yet and they were not hatchery eggs). I didn't want to stress them more by adding lights as some of them were molting and I figured it's nature's way. However, with that being said, paying for feed for 17 full sized hens and having no eggs at all for a month is getting concerning. They are allowed to free-range at times, although I have been keeping them locked in their pen since my border collie enjoys warm eggs from the nesting boxes when the gate is opened. I thought he might have been stealing them, but that is not the case. Should I be worried about them. I just switched their feed to 20% protein per my feed store. Any other suggestions?

 

[speckledhen]

Not sure what else you can do except wait it out. You have good protein in the feed already. Most of mine are not laying and haven't been for awhile and one that was laying just went broody.