Black Australorps not laying eggs ~ 7 month old

[grisou]

Hello,

My 5 Black Australorps (BA) are not laying eggs, despite being 7 month old. I'm from France (so Nothern hemisphere).

One of them actually started to lay eggs one month ago (so she was 6 month old). But not anymore, so I have zero egg now.

I raised them from fertilized eggs thanks to a Silkie mother. I suspect I missed something in their diet. I gave them special first-age food for 4 weeks, then special 2nd-age until they reached 16 weeks, then layer-feed.

When they were around 3 month old, I made a mistake, giving them layer-feed for 10 days.

Outside of this, did I miss something ? Are vitamins absolutely necessary ?

Thanks for your help,

D.

 

[aart]

Do they free range?

Do you give them anything to eat other than the layer feed?

 

[grisou]

Free range most of the time. I give them some food leftovers, and salad from time to time.

 

[aart]

Free range most of the time. I give them some food leftovers, and salad from time to time.

Good chance they are laying out in range area?

Might be time for an exam:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/

Then.....
Free range birds sometimes need to be 'trained'(or re-trained) to lay in the coop nests, especially new layers. Leaving them locked in the coop/run for a week or so can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. Fake eggs/golf balls in the nests can help 'show' them were to lay. They can be confined to coop and maybe run 24/7 for a few days to a week, provided you have adequate space and ventilation, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it. ..at least for a good while, then repeat as necessary.

 

[grisou]

The only layer was laying in the coop, there is still a little probability that they lay in the range, I'll check, but it's probably another problem.

 

[2pointers]

Hello,

My 5 Black Australorps (BA) are not laying eggs, despite being 7 month old. I'm from France (so Nothern hemisphere).

One of them actually started to lay eggs one month ago (so she was 6 month old). But not anymore, so I have zero egg now.

I raised them from fertilized eggs thanks to a Silkie mother. I suspect I missed something in their diet. I gave them special first-age food for 4 weeks, then special 2nd-age until they reached 16 weeks, then layer-feed.

When they were around 3 month old, I made a mistake, giving them layer-feed for 10 days.

Outside of this, did I miss something ? Are vitamins absolutely necessary ?

Thanks for your help,

D.

My Blue Australorp didn't lay until 9 months old, which was in January!

 

[Momo17]

Hi I have 5 blue australope that I raised from eggs and they are about 11 mouths now and no eggs.. could it be cross breeding?

 

[FunClucks]

Hi I have 5 blue australope that I raised from eggs and they are about 11 mouths now and no eggs.. could it be cross breeding?

Not sure where you live in the world, but in the northern hemisphere in the USA we're heading into winter. If you are in a similar climate, since days are getting shorter, if they haven't laid yet, they may wait until spring. You can do the butt check (wider hips are laying) and look at their combs and wattles (large red is laying, small pale is not) to tell who should be laying. Also, they might be laying where you can't find the eggs. If you search this site for "how do I tell when my chicken is laying?" or similar, you may find some good Articles in the Learning Center or some threads that talk about common ways to tell. Don't be afraid to start your own thread. If you do, post pictures of your birds and many folks will have some good ideas for you.