Are they going to lay soon ?

[Hazel feather]

Hi all ,

I’ve noticed the roosters are taking an interest in these hens !
First is forest the olive egger , she’s a year Old tomorrow ! ( still hasn’t laid an egg ) she’s a cuckoo Marans cream legbar cross .
Then mochi and Faye the EE girls ( bought as English araucanas but they don’t have a crest ) they will be a year in February. They are quite vocal , especially Faye . They are free range and eat organic layers pellets . They have lots of nest boxes available and fake eggs to coax them into the nest.
Forest in pic one , mochi in pic two and Faye in pic three.
Thanks in advance !

 

[theoldchick]

At a year old they should be laying. Since they free range you may have to find their stash. Hens are good at hiding their eggs!

 

[Cloverfluff]

Mine are pretty good at laying in the nest/coop, but they like to randomly swap which areas. Sometimes it is in the easy to reach actual nest and sometimes they are in the far corner of the coop. My scooper gets a lot of use when they are that far back.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I can't remember where you are located but from the background in the photos I'd assume a reasonably mild climate in the northern hemisphere. It does not look like the middle of summer but there is some green stuff. That means your days are still pretty short compared to what they will be in a couple of months. First I'll go through some of the reasons you may not be getting eggs.

When they molt they generally don't lay. With yours it is probably not the molt but if you are seeing feathers flying around it could be.

A real possibility has been mentioned, they are hiding a nest. Even when they don't free range they can be really good at hiding a nest in a coop or run. This is fairly high on my list of possibilities in your circumstances.

Something is getting the eggs. Some critters leave signs like shells or wet spots when they eat eggs but things like snakes, canines, and humans don't. I don't know if snakes are active where you are. I don't know what other animals are possibilities where you are, it could be something other than a canine to not leave signs. Dogs are often guilty of egg eating. If it is a human it would be someone that you see all of the time since you never get any.

They may simply not be laying yet due to the short days.

So what can you do? Can you lock them in the coop or coop/run for a few days and see if you start seeing eggs? That would mean they are hiding a nest or you locked out an egg eating predator.

Discretely mark a couple of eggs and leave them down there for a few days. If they disappear then something or someone is getting them.

If they are laying the vents look different from one that is not laying. If they are laying the vent is fairly large, pink, and moist. If they are not laying the vent is dry and tight. Once you see the difference it is obvious.

When pullets or hens are laying their comb and wattles usually get bright red. That is the rooster's signal that the eggs need fertilizing. Usually does not mean always. From your photos the combs are red enough that they could be laying but not really the bright red I'd expect. I cannot tell for sure.

They may be laying, they may not. I'd suggest the vent check as the best way to get information. Good luck.