Chickens not laying - they never have!

[jackiehershfeld]

So I have three Silver Laced Wyndotte hens and one silkie hen and one silkie roo.
Not one of my hens has laid an egg (that I am aware of). I have raised all of these chickens from chicks, and I got them back in May. They eat well, get plenty of sunshine/outdoor time but are not laying. My local feed store suggested that they might be eating them and to look for yolks on their beaks, and I go down to their coop multiple times through out the day to see if I could catch them in the act of eating the eggs or something - but nothing.
I have put golf balls in their nesting boxes to encourage them to lay.
I have been keeping the chickens enclosed in their run - we have had horrible luck with predators of all kinds, and it has helped to keep this flock alive as long as I have thanks to keeping them in the run, so its not like they could be hiding their eggs.
Im not quite sure what to do. I enjoy my birds, but I really, really want to get eggs.

 

[Quailsong]

Assuming the first of May they're only around 25 weeks old. That's barely into the -average- range of egg laying. Some people have to wait much longer! You might get laying in the end of this month or even mid-December. Considering you live in a climate where the days are now getting shorter, your birds may not even lay till Spring. So please don't be impatient. Let the chickens be chickens & lay when the time is right for them.

 

[jackiehershfeld]

@Quailsong thank you for this response! When I was talking to the ladies at my feed store they acted shocked and made it seem like they should have been laying weeks, if not over a month ago! I figure with my Silkie I will be waiting as I have heard they are late layers, but now I feel better about all of my hens taking their time

 

[Blooie]

Adding to the encouragement that Quailsong gave you, I just want to say that the golf balls won't really encourage them to lay - the purpose for them is to show them where to lay. Chickens feel more secure laying in a spot that they think another hen already found safe and secure, so they'll use the same spot. The golf balls serve this purpose nicely. I use wooden eggs for the same purpose. Patience - that first egg might be a while in coming but you'll get so excited when it happens we'll hear you shouting from the rooftops!

 

[Branch Chickens]

I sometimes feel like chicken people can forget what it is like to raise chicks from spring to fall, just as older people can sometimes forget what it is like to raise small children.

I get a lot of "they should do this" comments.
I have had several people question why my girls aren't all laying yet (only 3 out of 10 at 28 weeks, and one of those 3 seems to have stopped for the winter), but I trust that I am doing things right, and they will come around eventually.
Best of luck to you! I hope you get eggs soon.

 

[jackiehershfeld]

Update: We just started getting eggs from our little silkie hen! So that is very exciting. About every other day she is laying. Hopefully our three Wyndottes will start following her lead here shortly. Thank you everyone for your advice and helpful words - I really appreciate it.