10 month old dominickers haven't layed yet...

[donna68jss]

Got these Dominickers as chicks in March of '08. They have not laid an egg yet. Feed them layer crumbles and sometimes cracked corn. Approximately 13 hens and 1 rooster. We live in Northwest Florida. It's cold here this week but, until now, have not had any drastic weather changes. They have nice little laying areas with hay. They have plenty of food and water. Why are they not laying?

 

[Wynette]

It's likely just lack of daylight hours, as it sounds like you're doing eveything right. They need 12-14 daylight hours to be in natural egg-lay mode.

Some folks put lights in their coops to simulate additional daylight; it's a personal choice - I prefer not to do so, as I feel mother nature knows best.

 

[Brunty_Farms]

Just give them time. With my experience with this breed they were the last to lay along with the buckeyes.

Be patient... they can't hold them in forever.

 

[cmom]

I agree with the other posts. Light and time.

 

[beakkeeper]

You're SURE they're hens??? lol It must be so frustrating!!!! Sending egglaying vibes your way!

 

[Omran]

Quote:
First

Do you free range your chicken?if so they might be laying ouside and no one collect. because for me it is real odd that all 13 hens never laied an egg with 10 months old.
I have only one hen whitch never laied and she is also 10 months old, but my wife said that she wants her as he pet otherwise I will eat her.

Omran.

 

[The Chicken Lady]

Omran may be on to something.

What is your setup like? Do you have an enclosed run, or do you let your girls free range during the day?

 

[A.J.'s]

I have a hatch of 8 chickens various breeds but EE rooster. They hatched on October 31 2007.
By halloween 2008 I was upset that I had no eggs from these girls. I addressed this on site and had so many different guesses.
the one I chose to believe was that a the rooster was not only their daddy, he was t heir uncle, their grandaddy and their brother and their cousin so on and so on.
out of laziness I did nothing.. juust allowed them to run around and enjoy life with no responsibility. Now here it is January of 09 and guess who is laying pullet eggs??????
one year old at halloween 08 and now 15 months old and finally laying.
their first eggs were the tinest things ive ever seen. I denied it was them for a long time, but caught them at it by watching closely.
King Tut their ah daddy has retired to another farm down the road. He had been the exclusive Roo for several years and I just didnt give it a thought that it was not a good thing to do.

 

[JustChicky]

I wonder why? I got mine in April and they started laying in Aug and Sept. The eggs were really small, they are bigger now about a medium sized egg. They aren't laying much now, I get one egg a day. I hope yours lay soon, maybe they will start laying bigger eggs!

Where did you get them from? Mine are from Ideal.

 

[JustChicky]

You know it might be the corn. I recently gave my girls too much scratch grains and they stopped laying, like I got 1 a week. I was giving them a dish full, now I only give them a little (like a handful) and I am getting more eggs. They were also getting fat. I was getting plenty of eggs before the scratch.