Advice on encouraging new chickens to lay?

[magdelaine]

Well, here we are weeks later and the girls still aren't laying. I've given them alfafa, dog food, cat food, all kinds of scraps, even some chick starter feed as we have 5 weeks old hatchlings too. They have access to the inside of a spacious coop with comfy laying boxes (that's been done for about two weeks now). We even added some 3 month olds and a rooster. I don't think any of them have accepted him and I don't ever see them do the submissive squat. The only thing we haven't added is a light to the coop to extend the hours of light they are exposed to; that should be added in the next week or so. It seems that they are still losing feathers, though none of them look like they are actively molting. How long does it take to get through a molt, if that is what is keeping them from laying?

It's frustrating because besides the three Wellies all the rest are juveniles and months away from laying themselves. I would also eventually like to use them to hatch out test chicks with our Marans cockerels but if they aren't laying there won't be any chicks, obviously. Hmmmph.

 

[magdelaine]

Just checked my dates and it seems we've had them for just over two months. Is that a long time for adult hens to go without laying?

 

[magdelaine]

Update: 6 months we've had them and still no eggs. BUT! I finally inspected one a little more closely and found a messy butt. The one thing I hadn't done was treat for parasites and the verdict on the picture I took was mites and lice. Ick! I treated my whole flock with Ivermectin for the first time and gave all the Wellies a nice bath. That was last week.

The girls, normally very stand-offish to the point where they would spend half the day in the coop rather than in the run, are now outside with the others more. Their combs are growing bigger and redder too. They were shriveled and pale for the longest time. Now that I know the subtler signs of infection I'm kicking myself; they've been sick the whole time. No wonder they didn't act like the others!

Fingers crossed we get some eggs soon.

 

[magdelaine]

Yay, got my first egg since we got these girls! So, when in doubt, treat for parasites. That was the missing step in helping them to lay again.