20 weeks, no eggs.

[Dogfish]

Getting impatient here. 5 Black Austrolops, 5 Barred Rock, 3 Gold Sex Links, and 3 Rhode Island Reds. I chose these breeds because they are all supposed to be steady egg producers. They have a safe house, they get to free range for a few hours every evening, plenty of high quality food, clean water, and a large run. Added a few Black Austrolop roosters two weeks ago, and all get along fine. The roos are even doing their bid'ness.

I know I need to be patient. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[gritsar]

Patience Grasshopper. Twenty weeks is a very loose rule of thumb. Some will lay earlier than that, others will be much later.

Just be sure that they haven't chosen to lay elsewhere during their free range time.

 

[ZooMummzy]

Mine usually never lay till about 25-27 weeks.

 

[BoerneChickens]

I had read 24-26 weeks - I jsut got my first egg this week at 23 weeks from my Marans. Still nothing from the EEs the same age

 

[LarryPQ]

Patience.

Plus it is HOT outside. Would you want to go sit in a hot little nesting box and try to force something that large out of your cloaca? I think not.

 

[Dogfish]

I don't have a cloaca.

Plus, it has been very temperate here for the last few weeks with temps around 70 at most.

I know, I need to be patient.

Would they get the hint if I started bumping a few of them off? I was hoping they would get the hint after I butchered my CX.

 

[LarryPQ]

Chickens can't count and have notoriously short memories. I doubt they'd notice if one or two were "made examples of".

 

[Dogfish]

Make a good enough example, and I'm sure they would learn.

 

[emys]

Too many treats??? If you are giving them a lot of extra grains or fruits, don't. Greens and feed.

 

[NeeleysAVLChicks]

I would just give up on them, stop checking for eggs, accept them as pretty lawn ornaments. As soon as you do, they'll start laying.