chickens not laying eggs?!? help

[chickin huntin]

My chickens should have started laying weeks ago...tried golf balls in nesting boxes...still no eggs....help please

 

[Wyandottes7]

First, how old are they? Many people think that chickens start laying at 20 weeks old, but in reality, it can vary from 5-7 months. Anything within that time frame, and even outside of it, is still a normal age for egg laying.

Is there any place that they could be hiding eggs? Do they free range? Sometimes, it will look like birds aren't laying, but one day, you'll find a stash of eggs in a random place.

Because daylight hours (at least in the United States) are decreasing, it is possible that yours won't start laying until spring. Ideally, chickens need at least 14 hours of daylight for maxiumum production. But, if yours are pullets that haven't laid before, they'll likely lay through the winter despite the short hours.

Lastly, are you sure that they are all hens?

 

[TSW99]

What is the breed of your hens? and what is the age? some breeds take longer than others and generally it takes five to seven months for them to start laying but that is just an average

 

[chickin huntin]

Mine are a mix of americana and rhode island red and black sex link i think....they are in a coop...i have 8 hens and one rooster...all about 6 1/2 months old

 

[chickin huntin]

Is there anything i can do to help them? Any tricks?

 

[chickin huntin]

I got them from my cousins brood. She incubated them for me...she has browns, rhode island red, black sex link and americana

 

[TSW99]

They will lay when their ready there nothing you can really do right now I have a six month old hen that isn't laying so its un not uncommon
What type of feed do you feed them? This can also effect egg production

 

[chickin huntin]

Thats where im at...patients is a virtue!!! Im feeding layer crumbles...my cousin(who the chicks came from)said it my take longer this late in the year...we will see...thanks for the helo everyone

 

[Ashley3]

I'm hoping that someone will be able to help me. A month ago i got 2 Black Star Chickens. about a yr and a half old. they havent laid a single egg yet. The man i got them from said they where his best layers and laid 2-3 eggs a day each. but yet i have not one egg. so......How long do they need after moving before they lay eggs?

 

[sbhkma]

2 to 3 eggs a day EACH? Not possible. Either you misunderstood or he misrepresented. If they really are a year and half old, it's possible they're going through molt and also not laying because it's heading into short daylight hours. Combine that with the stress of a move and they'll probably start laying in the spring. Of course, if this person you got them from lied about their egg production, it's also likely he lied about their age and they're past laying regularly.