I bought 13 buff orphington hens and 2 roosters on Thursday. They are supposed to be around a year old. I got 1 egg Sat, 2 on Sun, 1 Mon, and o on Tuesday. I am feeding them laying pellets. What else do I need to do to get them to laying better? Thanks, Dwayne
You need to give them a little time. The stress from moving will temporarily slow down egg production. Make sure they have adequate food and water. May give them a little black oil sunflower seed as a boost. They will start laying when they get settled in.
I have personally had birds who will stop laying completely when moved and they don't really start again until their next normal cycle would have started. I guess a lot of it depends on how far along they are in the laying cycle when moved as I try not to disturb mine until I know they are almost done. Also if whoever you bought them from had them under light to artificially induce laying they will totally stop unless you put a light on them too.
make sure hey have enough heat & light!! If the temps are consistantly below 50f (?) and they get less than 10 hours of 'sun" (or artificial light) a day, they slow or stop... was it a reputable seller? Some folks round my area have gotten "horn-swaggled" by people selling "pullets" that are 3-4 years old!
