chickens not laying

[organic farmer]

our chickens are now 25 weeks old, and we are still not getting eggs. I have tried everything that I have read in books or Internet and nothing seems to be working. The ones that should be laying are 4 aracaunas and 1 cochin. 1 of the aracaunas finally started laying last week, when we locked them in their coop for a few days. The chickens free range all day ( with access to their coop at all times) and are closed in their coop at night. We have water available inside and out, as well as oyster shell inside. They are cd kitchen scraps daily. We have layer mash, but they do not seem to like it preferring to forage for bugs and such. Their coop is in our barn with roosts and built in nest boxes. The nest boxes all have fake eggs in them (golf balls) and the girls know where they are and have gone in them and made nests, but we are not getting any eggs. It is very frustrating!!!

 

[Chicabee19]

sorry to hear this! ...is it possible your range area is filled with well-hidden eggs?

 

[organic farmer]

I doubt it. We have looked pretty well, and we confined them to the coop for a full 5 days, not even letting them out in the evenings and still nothing. Actually that is when the first one started laying, and now that they have been released again she still lays in the nests. We did have one other that laid, but she only laid about 6 over a 3 week period and then stopped again. that was weeks ago, and she is no longer with our flock ( it was an accident, and none of the other chickens saw her demise. A dog got her.)

 

[silkiechicken]

They could be just a bit late in the laying department. Non production types might wait 6-8 months to lay.

 

[debilorrah]

When we bought our chicks this morning, they told us they will lay at 6 months old, which is 26 weeks. Maybe check with a local feed bin....