26 weeks and still no eggs!!!????

[Cluck17]

I have 8 chickens 5 ameraucana and 3 RIR. The reds are 26 weeks and some ameraucanas are 27-28 weeks old. I have no rooster in my flock. I have ping pong balls in nesting boxes and all the tactics to get them laying. I only saw a few go only once into the nesting boxes. My hens are all purebred and are babies of show birds. The breeder said the RIR are slow feathering chickens. Does this push back the laying? All Amera have red combs and are fully grown. The RIR all have red comb but only one has a big big comb. Any suggestions why they aren't laying?? Thanks!

 

[FeatherstoneFrm]

Mine oldest 3 are 26 weeks old and I still have one freeloader. I think she is a New Hampshire red or some kind of production red. She is lighter red and smaller than the RIR. She is squatting and her face, comb and wattles, though still small ate red but she is showing no interest in the nest box. I check her pubic bones periodically and they are still very close together. I guess they will lay when they are good and ready. But the waiting is terrible.

 

[slordaz]

Amerecuanas don't usually start laying eggs until 6-9 months old from the ones I had in my previous flock, but when they start they are really good

 

[Cluck17]

Yes I think waiting for my girls to start laying eggs is the worst part of raising chickens. It just gets you so anxious!

 

[slordaz]

I take it you don't hatch out, hopefully you have broody hens, at rate i'm going gonna go bald lol, it may only be 21 days but so much can go wrong in those 21 days then ya gotta get them outta the brooder deal with integrating em into the flock and then still gotta wait for em to start laying, I will let ya know what mine do when they do start as the rooster is an Amercuana with pea comb but my hens are production rhode island reds that have been laying an egg a day since 20 weeks molting, I was told they will most likely lay a green egg, so then I have to put up with my moms jokes about green eggs and ham