26 week old Rhode Island Red won't lay eggs

[LostTesseract]

Hey folks, I'm getting a little bit concerned about the 26 week old RIR hen who hasn't laid a single egg. 2 of her roommates are leghorns who've been laying for at least a month. They started around 18 weeks. Maybe it's nothing to be concerned about but the whole flock is in great health, they have an abundance of space and free range, there are no predators or stress, there is one 3 months old cockerel to our 15 hens, she seems to be well fed and in great shape, so I have no idea what the problem might be.

If anyone has any thoughts I'd love to hear them. Or if I can make an changes to help her lay I'll do it. I've checked and everything says that a RIR should start laying at 18-20 weeks.

 

[Alex S]

Hey folks, I'm getting a little bit concerned about the 26 week old RIR hen who hasn't laid a single egg. 2 of her roommates are leghorns who've been laying for at least a month. They started around 18 weeks. Maybe it's nothing to be concerned about but the whole flock is in great health, they have an abundance of space and free range, there are no predators or stress, there is one 3 months old cockerel to our 15 hens, she seems to be well fed and in great shape, so I have no idea what the problem might be.

If anyone has any thoughts I'd love to hear them. Or if I can make an changes to help her lay I'll do it. I've checked and everything says that a RIR should start laying at 18-20 weeks.

She is most likely hiding clutches of eggs! How much land do you let the chickens free range on? Are there secluded bushes or trees where she might want to lay?

 

[LostTesseract]

She is most likely hiding clutches of eggs! How much land do you let the chickens free range on? Are there secluded bushes or trees where she might want to lay?

My husband thinks that is the very issue. Unfortunately we have 3 acres but we have looked and looked in as many places as we can think of, in fact just this morning husband hand weeded the whole front yard looking for a clutch. Thank you so much for your help, I guess we will just have to keep looking for her stash maybe locking them into their pen for a couple of days will reveal whether she's started unbeknownst to us?

 

[Alex S]

My husband thinks that is the very issue. Unfortunately we have 3 acres but we have looked and looked in as many places as we can think of, in fact just this morning husband hand weeded the whole front yard looking for a clutch. Thank you so much for your help, I guess we will just have to keep looking for her stash maybe locking them into their pen for a couple of days will reveal whether she's started unbeknownst to us?

So a trick I just learned. Is keeping the hens in the coop/run for a few days (or even a week) will teach the chickens to lay in the same spot. You have have to do this a couple of times to fully teach her. Worst case scenario shes a really late layer. Some hens wait up to 8 months to even start laying

 

[LostTesseract]

So a trick I just learned. Is keeping the hens in the coop/run for a few days (or even a week) will teach the chickens to lay in the same spot. You have have to do this a couple of times to fully teach her. Worst case scenario shes a really late layer. Some hens wait up to 8 months to even start laying

Thank you so much for taking the time to discuss this with me, I appreciate it so much!

 

[Alex S]

Thank you so much for taking the time to discuss this with me, I appreciate it so much!

No problem! I'm still wating for my hens to lay!

 

[aart]

Time for an exam:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/

Then......
Free range birds sometimes need to be 'trained'(or re-trained) to lay in the coop nests, especially new layers. Leaving them locked in the coop/run for a week or so can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. Fake eggs/golf balls in the nests can help 'show' them were to lay. They can be confined to coop and maybe run 24/7 for a few days to a week, provided you have adequate space and ventilation, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it. ..at least for a good while, then repeat as necessary.

 

[LostTesseract]

Time for an exam:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/

Then......
Free range birds sometimes need to be 'trained'(or re-trained) to lay in the coop nests, especially new layers. Leaving them locked in the coop/run for a week or so can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. Fake eggs/golf balls in the nests can help 'show' them were to lay. They can be confined to coop and maybe run 24/7 for a few days to a week, provided you have adequate space and ventilation, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it. ..at least for a good while, then repeat as necessary.

So here's the deal, literally 2 days after I placed this post, and right before making the decision to pen the RIR until she lays in her nesting boxes, she started laying! And in the boxes! Now she out-lays her 2 leghorn roommates! She must have been a late bloomer after all! Thanks again for all the help. You all have been amazing.

 

[LostTesseract]

No problem! I'm still wating for my hens to lay!

She started laying just 2 days after we had this discussion - I didn't have to pen her up or anything! Now she lays more eggs than her already laying roommates, the leghorns. When the other hens catch up I'll have more eggs than I know what to do with. Thank you so much, again, for your help!