8 to 9 month hen is still not laying

[BittyBantamMom6]

I have a bantam hen that is 8 to 9 months of age, and she still hasn't laid her first egg. She has no symptoms of being egg bound, but occasionally lays in one of the nesting boxes for 10 to 20 minutes on occasion. I've also gone egg hunting daily in her entire range. She is the only one of the two hens I have that is old enough to lay. I've had egg laying chickens before (you can read their story in "dark days in my flock") and all the other hens I've had started their laying at 6 to 7 months. I'm not sure why she isn't laying and I am open for anyone's thought/suggestions.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I have a bantam hen that is 8 to 9 months of age, and she still hasn't laid her first egg. She has no symptoms of being egg bound, but occasionally lays in one of the nesting boxes for 10 to 20 minutes on occasion. I've also gone egg hunting daily in her entire range. She is the only one of the two hens I have that is old enough to lay. I've had egg laying chickens before (you can read their story in "dark days in my flock") and all the other hens I've had started their laying at 6 to 7 months. I'm not sure why she isn't laying and I am open for anyone's thought/suggestions.

What breed of bantam is she? Some breeds mature more slowly than others. Do you have a photo of the bird that shows her in her current state? It can be helpful to see the bird to assess physical signs of how close/far from production a bird might be. Have you given her an exam to verify that she is not in production at this time? It is entirely possible that even with your in-depth searches she is laying and you are not finding the eggs/the eggs are being consumed/etc -- checking her over physically can help to determine this.

 

[BittyBantamMom6]

I can get a picture tomorrow. She is a Millie fleur duccle bantam. My boy is jumping her so if she is then, for how in depth my searches are, there is a possibility it could be consumed, but I haven't found evidence of them being eaten too (I have had an eating problem before, but thankfully it was quickly snuffed out). I'm not sure what I'd be looking for in a physical look over