11 months today and NO eggs :(

[StarLover21]

My wheaten maran is 11 months old today and not a single egg from her. She's very little, but she has a reddish comb. She is very flighty and does not even squat or seem at all interested in the nestboxes/coops. No egg song ever Is she just never going to lay an egg? Because that's what it's looking like to me. She's now 44 weeks exactly- almost a year old.

Do some chickens just never lay eggs?

We are, of course, sure she's a hen. We're also sure she is not hiding her eggs anywhere. I've heard wheaten marans are just really slow- but 11 months-?

I'm getting worried that maybe something is wrong with her Any ideas/suggestions?

Oh she has also been wormed and treated for mites.

Here's a picture of her from...about two months ago and she doesn't look any different.

 

[halo]

Wheaten marans arent that great of layers to start with, but you are also dealing with getting close to the shortest day of the year. Unless you are going to put her under lights, you'll probably just have to wait until the days start getting longer.

 

[StarLover21]

Yeah- I guess I was just expecting her to lay way back when she was six months when the time of year was better- in June/July. We may try putting in lights this year, but we don't really have a way to reach electricity to the coop.

 

[BackyardAnita]

That's suprising! some hens never lay, but that's very rare. her comb seems pretty red, i hope she starts laying soon

 

[JanetS]

My sister-in-law has a hen that has never layed an egg. She is over a year old.

 

[StarLover21]

My sister-in-law has a hen that has never layed an egg. She is over a year old.

Oh no I hope that's not what turns out with Nutella

I figured out a way to put her under light- I created her own little pen somewhere where I can stretch a light. It's a regular old white kitchen bulb- does that matter? Does it need to be any specific kind?

I checked and the sun rises at 7 and sets at 5:30. So that gives her about ten and a half hours of normal light. How many extra should she have? Should she be getting twelve hours total? I'm going to put on the light for extra time at night (does that work)? So I would leave it on until around 8 or so?

I hope this works! While she's seperated I'm also giving her extra protein snacks and also trying the chilly pepper in her food trick.
hopefully I'll get my chocolate egg soon

 

[PAchickengirl]

I got my first egg after trying a little apple cider vinegar in the water. Might have been a coincidence, along with a light. I have it come on at 4:30 a.m. Until daylight, and also for about an hour in the evening. That gives them 15 hours of light and 9 of dark, approximately.

 

[StarLover21]

Is it okay to turn it on at night instead of in the morning? My light isn't timed and I don't really want to get up at 4:30 to turn it on

 

[PAchickengirl]

Not entirely sure. Think the morning is better, from what I've read. I am only doing an hour or so in the evening. My friend said she did hers in the evening, and the only impact was that her chickens were afternoon layers instead of morning layers, in her experience. I got an outdoor timer for $16. at Lowes, it was worth it! Though it wasn't me plugging the light in early, my husband is up and ready for work at 4:30 a.m.

 

[StarLover21]

I'm okay with her being an afternoon layer as long as she lays

I'll look into the timer, thanks