38 week old Chantecler still not laying eggs!

[Montana-Hens]

I have a 38 going on 39 week old chantecler who has yet to lay her fist egg. I took a picture of her head yesterday and posted it so you could see her.

She is a really nice looking partridge Chantecler, but she did not start laying before winter....never started and I honestly can't say she looks like she will any time soon.

I picked by birds for winter heartiness. My buff brahama and barred Plymouth rock laid all winter. My Welsummer quit in October, but this dear bird has yet to lay.

Anyone with this kind of experience I should would appreciate your insight.

I live in MT. My ladies are free range and have a great insulated coop with windows but no extra light. I know that is why the Welsummer quit for the winter, but this lady has get to grace us with her first egg.

 

[sara]

She might be delayed. Sometimes it seems if they are at the age to come into lay when day light hours are short, it can take until the days start to get longer to start to lay.

 

[grandads]

Try this and I swear It worked. Two pounds corn meal one jar cayenne pepper water to make moist. I read this on byc, and it worked. they loved it, went from one egg a day to 7or 8 in three days, today I got 10!!!!!!!!!!

 

[flakey chick]

You are right. She doesn't look like she is about to lay anytime soon. I'd guess just a matter of needing more daylight hours.

 

[ZooMummzy]

I have the same problem. My almost year old BO hasn't laid a single egg. She doesn't even act like she wants to. Her comb is very small and barely pink but she is healthy and not an internal layer (had the vet check her out). I kept her isolated for awhile just to see if she was laying and I didn't know. Nope, no eggs. I have no idea what to think or ideas. Maybe when the days get longer again they will finally mature.

 

[waynesgarden]

My Chanteclers have always been late bloomers, usually starting to lay at about 30 weeks. (Around October 21st this year.) I think that a possibility is the breed's apparent (to me, anyway) tendency to delay laying and the cold weather and the short days are all contributing.

Perhaps giving the birds extra light early in the morning might help trigger egg laying. (Lights are on here at 3:30 these days.)

I'm partial to Chanteclers. The only chickens I raise anymore. Aren't they sweet birds?

(BTW, Here's a link to a former flock member of mine on the front page of a newspaper back in NY where my previous flock went to live when I moved to Maine. Off topic I know. I'm just a proud Papa.)

Wayne