are my hens getting ready to lay?

[Akpheng]

Hello all i am new to the forum and have just started raising oriental fowls. Mostly shamos, thais, and asils. But my question is that all my hens seem to be interested in the nest boxes i put in the coops. Some have actually made a nest in there. All my hens are 7 months old and up. Its been almost two weeks and no eggs. What gives? And i been feeding them layer pellets for the past three weeks. Please help....

 

[LAChickens]

Hi Apheng, I'm not sure where you are located, but many breeds don't lay during winter when there are fewer hours of daylight. This is especially true if they are moulting, as their energy goes into growing new feathers. I'm in California, and have 18 hens ranging from 25-35 weeks old and most are just starting to lay — this week. Out of 18 hens, I'm lucky to get three eggs a day. Up from an egg a day last week. Some breeds mature slower than others too but at 7 months I'd think that the season is probably more of a factor than their age. Have you tried putting wooden eggs or gold balls into their nesting boxes? Apparently, this can help them figure things out. Good luck!

 

[Akpheng]

I am located in fresno, ca. Yes i have tried the golf ball trick and even tried real eggs. Maybe its not time for me yet. It has been getting warmer in the past week or so. But thank you for the reply. Im new to this stuff so i will be picking at everyones brains.

 

[Akpheng]

Okay so the eggs I put in the nest, one of the hen cracked open then it was a free for all. I hope this doesn't become a habit of egg eating. All four eggs were destroyed.

 

[Akpheng]

Okay a little update since my last post. I'm up to five eggs so far. So far so good.

 

[Akpheng]

All 7 of my hens are laying. Im over flowing with eggs....the problem is that no one is setting. I also notuce the hens kicking some eggs out of the nest. I been putting them back and several hours later they kick it back out again. Should i just discard the eggs thag the hens kick out? Little help please.

 

[LAChickens]

Are you having any better luck with setting? Some breeds set and others don't, and they goo broody when their biological clocks go off. As soon as my hens started laying, I had three go broody in a week. I wasn't sure how to stop them, so I gave them fertilized eggs and they hatched out a bunch of chicks. Fascinating experience, but I'm re-homing the chicks.