8 mo old hens never started laying

[Happy Chooks]

They are most definitely NOT 8 months old. They look about 5-6 months old.

 

[Kittymomma]

Quote:
Agreed, though I'd say not more than 5 months and possibly a few weeks younger. They're beautifull and very healthy looking though, so I'll bet that once they get started you'll have more eggs then you know what to do with.

 

[WhetzelMomma]

Quote:
It is true that laying years will be reduced.
Looking at your photos, I don't think your hens are as old as you think they are. They still look VERY pullet to me. That's how most of my hens looked at about 4-6 months. I'd give it more time.

You mentioned that you had heard hens don't like to lay where other hens have laid, and that's actually completely false. Hens LIKE laying where other hens have laid. It's actually in their instincts TO lay where other hens have laid. You can encourage this by tricking the hens into thinking another hen is using a nest by placing false eggs in the boxes where you want them to lay. I use golf balls. You only need one or two nests with one golf ball in each nest.

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

Can you tell me where it says that laying will be reduced if you use lights, i have had no problem with laying using lights, no internal, shell-less, and i have 4 year olds still laying great and they are heritage breeds. everything i have read actually says that hens like a 28 hour day, and that is published. all I have heard about not using light/reduced lay has been hearsay.

 

[WhetzelMomma]

I have only talked with farmers etc. that have said that hens only have a specific number of eggs to lay, and so by using light to fool them into laying more, you shorten your laying years. That isn't to say that they won't lay for a lot of years if they have the eggs to do it. I take issue with the 28 hour day. First of all, because there isn't such a thing, and second of all, it's not natural. It goes against nature not to have SOME sort of day/night cycle. Whether you choose to have your hens laying on an artificial day/night cycle or just go with the natural cycles is up to you. Personally, I don't light artificially, but I also live in an area that has reasonable long days in winter, and most farmers around me get eggs all winter, even if they are in lower numbers.

 

[dogdollar]

Those chickens don't look old enough to lay to me. I have barred rocks and production reds and in both breeds, when their combs got tall enough to actually fall to one side is EXACTLY when they started laying.
DD

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
It goes off the theory that a hen only has a certain amount of eggs to lay in her lifetime. So some people say if you add lights, then they will lay those eggs sooner and not have anything left to lay later in their life. Thus shortening their useful lifespan.

 

[Keara]

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Ohohohohoh I would like a 28hr day too!!!! Please, please, please.......

 

[danischi24]

I think that it was supposed to read 18 hour day.

 

[twestover]

Good morning. I'm not clear how to make a new post yet, so I'm posting also in this thread as my problem is the same. I got five chicks at one day old April 1. One cuckoo maran has a severe walking disability and is very small, but she lived in spite of everything, and she doesn't lay, but she is our friend, and I don't really care if she never lays, we just love her anyway. We got another cuckoo maran to replace her when she was three days old and we were told she would die, and she lays lovely eggs, regularly. We also have a New Hampshire Red and a Rhode Island Red and they also lay almost every day. Their eggs are small, but delicious. We also have a Gold Laced Wynadote. She is enormous, the biggest of the flock, but she doesn't lay eggs yet. They have a very large coop with great nesting boxes and an automated door, and they free range all day in our fenced back yard. They are very friendly, I would say even loving. They sit in our laps, though the Wynadote is not as friendly. We've looked all over, thinking maybe she was laying somewhere else, but no luck there. She never makes all the noise the laying ones do before an egg comes. Should we worry? The others have been laying for about 2 months now. We feed them hen laying food form the feed store. The shells are amazingly hard. We supplement with tortilla chips at cocktail hour. Any thoughts about what to do about Lacy, our non-layer? Many thanks in advance.

Terri