will my "late bloomer" ever bloom?

[mdelhomme]

I have four chickens, three have been laying for about a month. The fourth seems to have little interest in being domestic. I suppose she could be a roo, but she's been squatting and not trying to be dominant, and looks (shape wise) like her sisters, but hmm. Do some chickens just never start laying, or am I being too impatient? My Slacker is the darker brown EE, her sisters are another EE, a Barred Rock, and a sex linked Buff Orpington. Any tips? Does she need a trip to planned parenthood to watch the "video"?

 

[theoldchick]

Is it crowing?

 

[mdelhomme]

No crowing, for which I am grateful, my neighbors (and husband) would be perturbed.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

All birds pictures appear to be pullets - I know you say that the others have been laying for about a month, but I don't see any mention of the actual age of the birds. There is a wide range of "normal" when it comes to the age at which an individual bird begins to lay.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

When you mention your "sex linked buff orpington" are you referring to the solid dark bird in picture #1?

 

[mdelhomme]

Yes, Doracus is black with some brown neck feathers. She and the two Easter Eggers were purchased from a feed store about March 9 and I believe they were a few days old. The Barred Rock was purchased 3 weeks later at about the same age. That makes them 27 and 24 weeks, respectively.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Yes, Doracus is black with some brown neck feathers. She and the two Easter Eggers were purchased from a feed store about March 9 and I believe they were a few days old. The Barred Rock was purchased 3 weeks later at about the same age. That makes them 27 and 24 weeks, respectively.

Ok, so you have a Black Sex Link.

 

[mdelhomme]

Yes, sorry about the confusion. Gotta get my chicken terminology right.

 

[mdelhomme]

Fast forward more than a year. When I checked the nest box today I discovered a green egg. This is weird because our EE that was actually laying eggs died last fall. I bought another EE this spring, but she lays brown eggs. Ruby still squats and goes into the nest box on occasion. She has to this day still never laid an egg. (that's why we bought another chicken last spring). So do I dare hope that Ruby has finally found her groove? She went through a molt this fall and is now fully feathered again. We're really excited but wow is this strange. Do chickens often wait a year and a half before they start laying.

 

[mdelhomme]

Got another greenie today! Starting to be excited!