9 month old EE hasn't started laying

[NC Chicken Lover]

I have two EE's, both 9 months old. One started to lay a couple of months ago. The other has never started. I have never seen her even get near a nest. Could this be normal? I have noticed that she and a few other hens have bare bottoms, from just under the vent down toward their legs. I noticed one of my Delawares picking at her in that area the other day.

Could she be molting and that be a reason for her not laying? Egg production from my other hens has dropped dramatically over the past few days.

I keep the nest boxes dusted with Sevin, but have not inspected for mites recently. Some of the bare bottoms still continue to lay, so I wouldn't think they have mites/lice.

Any thoughts on this?

 

[spamee34]

I honestly think mine all molted before they began lay they are nine months' old and still arn't laying and my bared rocks and reds were all bare on their heads and necks for a while and then they started looking normal again and now their butts are bare and my wyondotts backs down by their butts are bare and the rooster isn't paying them any attention yet so I know it's not him as a matter of a fack my roosters butt is even bare he has his rooster tail feathers just his actual butt is bare do roo's molt too?

 

[hen-thusiast]

EEs can be notoriously late layers. We had one start at 19 weeks and the other at 41.

It is kind of strange that all their butts are featherless. I'd check them over for lice/mites and keep an eye on them. What are you feeding them? You haven't said what you are feeding them, maybe they have a protein deficiency. How much scratch are they getting? It should only be a treat and not a staple in their diet.

How much room do they all have? Sometimes feather picking can be caused by boredom as well. It very well could be that the drop in egg production and the featherless butts are connected.

 

[Southernbelle]

I had a group of 6 EE's I bought from TSC and the first one started laying at 18 weeks. After a while I was getting a bunch of blue and green eggs and assumed they were all contributing. When they were 10 months old, suddenly I started getting a pink egg! She just matured WAY later than the others.