19 and a half weeks old and still no eggs :( egg countdown anyone??

[Runawaylobster]

Suddenly I am very hopeful...... I have 2 squatters! I was cleaning the coop and they were at my feet, so naturally I'd try to pet them, and 2 of them did the squat! Woo hoo!
Edit. Son had one more squat for him.

Desdemona started about 10 days after her serious squatting started...

 

[jkraze]

I have read that with young hens in their first year of laying, they will lay through winter with no additional light. Anyone care to verify/disclaim this? We didn't want to push our chickens, but I thought they would slow down for winter, not completely quit laying!

My first year Australorps are still laying, although they have slacked off a bit. My younger Buff Orps have just started laying at 22 weeks, so I don't think you'll need to push them with artificial light. It is a shame that you had to actually BUY eggs! I feel your pain!

 

[debir1966]

My first year Australorps are still laying, although they have slacked off a bit. My younger Buff Orps have just started laying at 22 weeks, so I don't think you'll need to push them with artificial light. It is a shame that you had to actually BUY eggs! I feel your pain!

Because of the older chickens complete cessation of laying, I am going to try and plan all my new layers to hatch in May/June. That way they will hopefully be right at the start of laying at the beginning of winter, so hopefully we will not have to buy eggs (not sure I want to even call them that LOL) in the store again!

 

[Sally8]

Thanks, I am thinking I will see some eggs in December after the solstice.  A clerk at TSC said that I should only feed them layer feed and no treats/human food or they won't lay.  Is that an old wives tale or what?    I still feed them grower (because they are not laying yet), grit, crushed eggshells once in a while and during the week when they can't free range because I'm at work, they get "breakfast" to keep them busy (some combination of oats, flaxseed, kale/other greens, mealworms, cottage cheese, pumpkin/squash).  On the weekends they don't get breakfast, they get to free range.

Hi, I was told the same thing by my mother. Whatever is in the laying mash is supposed to help. I was always going to look......if I ever do, I'll let you know. My chicks are 20 - 25 weeks. Some have been laying for several weeks, some not at all. Here's to waiting.

 

[afoshawk119]

We have 3 Rhode Island's that have finally started to lay. We got three eggs this week but two of them had red membrane in them so I am not sure if this is a young hen issue.

 

[MissusC]

I am suffering from egg envy over here....... Still no eggs! 6 months old.

I am with you. My oldest girls are 25 weeks and I got nothing going on over here. I've had the *very* loud egg song practicing going on and some squatting, but that's been happening for a bit now and no eggs. Although, perhaps it's a blessing as I just had to worm everyone and we wouldn't be able to eat them anyway.

 

[blondiebee181]

We have 3 Rhode Island's that have finally started to lay. We got three eggs this week but two of them had red membrane in them so I am not sure if this is a young hen issue.

Could possibly be blood spots which are normal for new layers...

 

[chickenteacher2]

And I finally saw today what a squat was.....weird. My adult hens don't do that, the ones already laying.

 

[B J Hopkins]

I've had 2 eggs from my 4 Brown Legg'erns yesterday & today. Todays second egg though was as small as my Silky egg so I'm thinking 3 of the Legg'erns are laying, just not all at the same time. It looks like 2 of the 5 RIR are ready to start laying. AND I see the hens/poulets are now accepting the young EE cockerell. He's 7 months old. They no longer turn around and chase him away.

 

[Nelson-90]

well here in Oregon fall is starting and the days are shorter and they are slowing down real big.