10 months, no eggs

[DraftXJumper]

Hi all! I haven't posted in awhile, but my girls finally started laying one-by-one this fall through winter (no extra lighting!). Four of our five girls are now laying. Those are the girls we bought as day old chicks online. The Easter Egger pullet we got last summer was three weeks older than our original girls, making her about 10 months old now. No eggs from her whatsoever. We added artificial light in the coop in the morning hours. It only adds about an hour of daylight, but jeez...she's 10 months old! One of my girls started laying during the shortest days of the year without any artificial light. Is this pullet a dud? I don't want to get rid of her, but we are only allowed five hens in our town, so she is taking up precious space. How much longer until I should give up hope on her entirely?

 

[PirateGirl]

One of my girls finally laid her first egg about a week ago at almost exactly 11 months of age. I'd hang on until it's spring and she hits a year old and see what happens. Plus if you were to cull her, it could be hard to integrate just one new chicken if you are already at your max and cannot add two together. Share a picture and others can let you know if they think she looks ready or if there are any doubts that she is in fact a "she". Hopefully she is in the nest box as I type!

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

Are you sure she's a pullet?

 

[DraftXJumper]

I guess I can't be 100% sure, especially since I got her from a local farmer. No crowing so far though. I will try to take a pic and post it today once it's slightly warmer

 

[chuckachucka]

I have a Pekin bantam pullet who recently laid her first egg at ten months....and that was it. One egg and she retired, apparently. So it's possible yours is a freeloader like mine. Any other strange symptoms or behaviour? Mine crowed sometimes until she popped out that egg. Now she doesn't crow, squats for my roo...but just doesn't lay.

 

[Kiki]

x2 on a picture or two.

 

[DraftXJumper]

Hopefully the pics work

 

[Latestarter]

To me it looks like she's just "slow to mature". Since it's still technically "winter" and cold, I'd give her a few more months. It's the light level that starts them laying and the days have been getting longer for a while now, but it may not be enough for her to start yet. If she isn't laying by a year, I'd say move on from her.

 

[MrsBachbach]

Hopefully the pics work

Yes it's a girl. 10 months is about the right time. Maybe she needs a bit more daylight hours and warmer temps. I'd give her another month, make sure no one is fighting with her in the pens (stress will stop laying) and see what happens. Sometimes they end up being duds because of genes or disease. She could be an internal layer, have a shell gland issue or something (that is usually caused by some illness she picked up). She may be fighting an illness right now, you never know, they are good at hiding what ails them.

 

[Cindy in PA]

Have to ask how do you know she is not laying? If you are just going by the number of eggs you are getting a day, she could be laying a brown egg like everyone else. Just a thought.