32 Week old BSL that I truly believe is barren....

[BethieofVA]

She doesn't even squat and it frets the crap out of me!!!

I swear I believe she will never lay. She is sweet and loving, but show no signs of laying an egg, nada. I sent her pick to the hatchery from which she came and their reply is that she looks fine for laying, just maybe a late bloomer. She has tiny comb and NO wattles which they say happenings some times with a ressive gene. Who knows....maybe one day.

On a happier note, I should be getting two new EE pullets this weekend. I am stoked!

 

[prov31gal]

you know i have this one buff orp girl who is more than 7 months old now and she has never layed, she also has almost no comb and no wattles, my friend commented that she looked bald because of it. her tiny almost flat comb is also a very light pink, not red like the others. i dont know if shell ever lay. but your post reminded me so much of my chicken that i had to comment. she was from cackle hatchery. where was your chick from?

 

[BethieofVA]

Quote:
She was is from Ideal. The folks there seem to think she has the right "body composition" to lay, but she shows no signs of it I had a small egg over a week ago and thought maybe it was from her, but I just think other BSL slacked off a bit. LOL!! I got excited for nothing. I guess there are eggless chickens out there and maybe you and I got two of them!

 

[greenmulberry]

There are eggless hens! I had a speckled sussex that never laid a single egg!

She just dropped dead one day when she was about 3 or 4, never having laid an egg. I suspect there was something just not quite right in her, and it caught up to her one day.

 

[prov31gal]

so what are your plans? im going to have to dispatch her if i really think shell never lay, but i dont want to. aaarrgghh.
shame, though, because shes a really sweet little chicken.

 

[Mrsfoote]

BSL is that black sex link ?? if so i got one in april from tractor supply alomg with 5 other chicks who all ended up being roos

well we moved when she was 26 weeks old and guess what same things no eggs no wattles or comb and i thought they were suppose to be good layers....so I gave her away haven't asked the people if she started laying yet don't really care but i did the same bought two laying hens and have one pullet who is getting ready to lay any day now...shes squatting and bright red wooo hoo and my one hen who was taking a break is laying everyday now the other is in heavy molt

 

[Barry Natchitoches]

Quote:
I have a one and a half year old EE hen who -- to the best of our knowledge -- has NEVER even sat in one of the nests, least more laid an egg.


We'd long ago rehomed her to freezer camp, but she is such a friendly hen. It's as if she feels like she has to make up for her barrenness by being super-friendly to us...


So we will keep her, and love her the way she seems to love us...

 

[prov31gal]

so, what is the connection between the lack of combs and wattles and the non laying. does the bald headed gene also carry the barrenness trait? or is it a hormonal thing? do the lack of female hormones cause the decreased or absent comb and wattle growth? maybe its like a human with hypopituitaryism , they cant reach pubery and are barren without hormone replacement.( they thought my youngest had that at birth because he had some wacky wacky labs that came back and eventually they figured out it wasnt that, and hes fine now. )
but maybe its like that with chickens too? i dont know , just a guess.

 

[sourland]

Lack of developed , red combs and wattles can be a genetic trait (think EE), but in breeds that normally have well developed secondary sexual characteristics the lack thereof may indicate low female hormones. The cause? Perhaps physical, but more likely just later at reaching chicken puberty.

 

[BethieofVA]

My Minnie is sweet and she will be with us until it is her time, no freezer camp for her.