26 week old flock and no eggs? Is something wrong?

[frostic]

My barred rock squatted today when I was in the coop. How long does it usually take for them to lay after that happens?

took my easter egger 2 and half weeks after she did her first squat! i got a first egg today and its green!

 

[PopoMyers]

My 3- 25 wks. old Welsummers aren't laying yet, but getting there. It's so hard to be patient. My 4 ISAs are all finally laying. The days are getting longer, so keep checking for that surprise.

I think one of my wellies started laying pullet eggs 5 days ago, at 26.5 wks. She squats more readily now, but the other two are not quite there yet. Butt check is telltale.

 

[PopoMyers]

I do live in upstate NY so it is cold and the days are short. How are you able to tell that yours will lay soon?

You are probably the same latitude as I am, but your winter is colder. Check out the articles in this forum. The squat, brighter red combs and wattles, nest visiting, widening pelvic bone width. Search for butt check.

 

[PopoMyers]

Oh man so many chickens not laying! These are my first chickens so I’ve been extra anxious to get an egg. But hearing that so many other people aren’t getting eggs either makes me feel like it might be normal.

A friend who had chickens said between 25-28 wks is normal. Of course, they can be earlier or later, as I've read in some cases. I think I would get worried if they don't lay by mid- spring, when our daylight should be much longer. It is, after all, still only a little over a month past winter solstice.

 

[PopoMyers]

Thanks for the info! I have noticed that they are starting to go into the nest box and a couple of them seem to be getting more color in their combs and wattles. I don’t think the Sussex is close though and who knows about the Polish.

What pretty girls!

 

[ChristinaBee]

It finally happened!! My first egg! And it was from my barred rock

 

[PopoMyers]

Congratulations! The rest should follow along as well. The eggs do get bigger over a few weeks. My 2 Wellies are laying pullet eggs for now. Had 6/7 a few days ago.

 

[JustAChickenLoverOverHere]

This might just be her breed, but my Joe Goode Grey pullet didn't lay until she was 11 months old! Got her first egg a week ago. Another American gamefowl hen she was sold to me with at the same age still hasn't started laying.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

I feel your pain. I have 20 young pullets (BO, Black Australorp, Ameraucanas, and Blue Andalusians) who are 20 weeks old. None are laying yet. To add insult to injury, I'm currently getting only 2-3 eggs per day out of my 14 adult hens (10 RIRs, 3 BOs, and 1 Ameraucana). My adult Ameraucana hasn't laid an egg since early November! All are well fed so I'm pretty certain it is just the lack of sunlight since I do not provide any supplementary light in the coop.

ETA - I also have 5 female ducks who are all around 10 months old. None of them are laying yet either....

My Buff Orpington Duck molted several months ago and still hasn't started laying again. My Pekin on the other hand won't take a break. I do feel like she'll be molting soon and will hopefully take a break during. Then I won't get any Duck eggs. They're very reliable once they start!

 

[ChristinaBee]

Congratulations! The rest should follow along as well. The eggs do get bigger over a few weeks. My 2 Wellies are laying pullet eggs for now. Had 6/7 a few days ago.

Thank you!! It was such an exciting day. The egg is actually pretty big for a first egg I think. I had some large eggs from the grocery store and it was a little bigger then those. I’m very excited for my welsummer to lay and get some darker eggs.