Anyone have a chicken that just doesn't lay?

[RainbowBirds_of_a_Feather]

Aloha,

I feel your pain on that it is a bother when a hen decides to let the rest of the flock be egg machines while she sits on a lap.

I have a method I use to get slackers to lay. But it involves a roo. But if not, the back massage will get her to feel like she is bred and will stimulate ovulation. I learned this from my Asian friends that raise fighting birds. When she squats, as you attempt to pick her up, then put your two hands on her wings. Then gently rock your hands on her back, like a rooster treading. While that is going on, remove one hand and brush her tail to the side. That mimics the same thing like a roo maneuvering her for fertilization. Then release her and she should shake her feathers like she just got bred. It has worked with my new layers that have no roo. Until they get a roo placed with them.

 

[BethieofVA]

Fred's Hens :

Sure, lots of folks find they have a hen or two that doesn't lay. They usually find them between the ice cube trays and frozen bag of peas.

Sorry, but it was right there.

 

[Mervin]

Quote:
jettgirl24

Would your BR be from Privett by any chance? I picked up two from a feed store and neither lays all that well. Pinky, my favorite, is absolutely horrible for laying.

 

[jettgirl24]

I feel your pain on that it is a bother when a hen decides to let the rest of the flock be egg machines while she sits on a lap. I have a method I use to get slackers to lay. But it involves a roo. But if not, the back massage will get her to feel like she is bred and will stimulate ovulation. I learned this from my Asian friends that raise fighting birds. When she squats, as you attempt to pick her up, then put your two hands on her wings. Then gently rock your hands on her back, like a rooster treading. While that is going on, remove one hand and brush her tail to the side. That mimics the same thing like a roo maneuvering her for fertilization. Then release her and she should shake her feathers like she just got bred. It has worked with my new layers that have no roo. Until they get a roo placed with them.

Very interesting! I have a roo who is 25 weeks and has just started to act like a big man in the last two weeks or so... I haven't really seen him put too much interest in Eggie as he prefers my BO (got a fertile egg yesterday! YAY!) but I will keep an eye out. Who knows, maybe he'll kick her into gear

Would your BR be from Privett by any chance? I picked up two from a feed store and neither lays all that well. Pinky, my favorite, is absolutely horrible for laying

I'm not sure what hatchery she is from... I got her from Monroe Farm and Feed. Next time I'm in there I'll ask who they order from though. It'd be interesting to see if there's something about their BRs, although the other BR that I got at the same time as Eggie is a pretty good layer. She's not quite on par with my BO but she lays 5 to 6 days a week.​

 

[HLAC]

I got 13 golden comet chicks in April. 12 of them were laying by 15 weeks. There is one that just won't lay eggs. It won't squat and it's a different color from the others too. Not really rooster color but much lighter than the others. I think it might be messed up in the 'plumbing'. I've named him/her "Useless" but it's a nice enough chicken that it hasn't been sent to the stew pot yet.

 

[tinychicky]

yeah, i have hens that don't lay too much- i just keep them as pets and showbirds!

 

[HHandbasket]

If it makes you feel any better, I have a barred rock who was 35 weeks old before she laid her first egg. She started laying a little over a month ago and has only missed 4 days of laying since she started. And I know an egg's an egg and they all supposedly taste the same, but I swear, the barred rock's eggs have a heartier flavor and richer yolk.

 

[Sootsie]

my silkie roughly a year old has only laid 2 eggs good job she;s too small to eat and was my first chicken i bought as a pol now a pet lol

 

[RainbowBirds_of_a_Feather]

Quote:
Very interesting! I have a roo who is 25 weeks and has just started to act like a big man in the last two weeks or so... I haven't really seen him put too much interest in Eggie as he prefers my BO (got a fertile egg yesterday! YAY!) but I will keep an eye out. Who knows, maybe he'll kick her into gear

Would your BR be from Privett by any chance? I picked up two from a feed store and neither lays all that well. Pinky, my favorite, is absolutely horrible for laying

I'm not sure what hatchery she is from... I got her from Monroe Farm and Feed. Next time I'm in there I'll ask who they order from though. It'd be interesting to see if there's something about their BRs, although the other BR that I got at the same time as Eggie is a pretty good layer. She's not quite on par with my BO but she lays 5 to 6 days a week.​

Sorry I was looking for this thread... LOL... I am glad you got an egg and the Boy is turning into a man... no pun intended... LOL.. But yeah he will definitely get her to lay. But often the roo will go after the more submissive hen. Some people that I know say that is the roos favorite. Here are ways to get the roo to for all the hens.

Form A) This often involves separation of the roo and then placing him back to the hens after a week or two. Usually you can take him from an isolation pen to the wire side of the Hen's cage and he will dance and you will see some hens squat. Usually all, if the girls sow interest. Or you can have the girls roam and release him after they come out and he will chase and mount them, usually the nearest hen. The chase is funny but if you never seen a roo chase down a hen it may seem violent. But trust me feral roos will do that to hens until they submit.


Form B) My Game fowl friend also taught me to use the squat.... ravage technique. (As I call it) I have used this to get my hens that are either too small or too large to get fertilized. It helps to encourage the roo to breed more hens other than the submissive ones. But either the male needs to be isolated or if you have more than one roo. Let go the Roo and bring out a hen you want to breed. Attempt the Mock Mating. But when she is in the crouching position let the male mount her and finish the job. But for small hens let the roo tread on your hands fro small hens especially if it is a large hen. I use this to allow other males to tread on hens that are not submissive/ being bred. But it takes time to get the roo to understand/ trained to do this. My lower ranking males will do it but the upper males really don't do it as much. That's because they already service the submissive flock members.


Oh one more thing I forgot. Roos come down early in the morning off the roosts and wait for the females on the ground. When the hen lands the roo will breed them. So you may not even need any of those aids to get her to lay. just give it time.