Chickens soooooooooo late to lay

[nuthatched]

I am wondering the same thing! I have three new ones from April.. my EE started laying(although very late as well) but the other two have yet to lay! They are almost nine months!! I have never had this issue I usually get eggs during the winter with my spring chicks. So I am stumped as to why these two have not started yet! They are Prairie Bluebell Eggers.

Egg laying is controlled by hormones manufactured by the pituitary gland, this gland needs at least 14 hours of daylight to release hormones. If daylight was receding around the time they reached p.o.l, they won't lay until the days are longer.

 

[BDutch]

Egg laying is controlled by hormones manufactured by the pituitary gland, this gland needs at least 14 hours of daylight to release hormones. If daylight was receding around the time they reached p.o.l, they won't lay until the days are longer.

In general. There are always exceptions. This info is from a Dutch chickenforum; if chickens are too fat (little exercise and feed like scratch available whole day) it can happen they don’t start laying. Some breeds like Barnevelders are getting too fat quite easily . If you hardly feel the keelbones your chickens are too fat.

 

[Yardmom]

Like the idea of testing feeds between coops. We do need to remember that the feed might not be the only difference. Breeds, light, space, age, chicks, etc. need to all be the same.
Last winter I fed Purina Flock Raiser to one coop. The other coop got Dumor layer pellets. Purina flock laid regularly. Dumor had very few eggs. This year all get Dumor with same results as last year except a few birds in the coop that didn't lay last year are laying.
Turns out my Silkies are great winter layers. The birds in the coop that didn't lay last year are half silkies that were moved to that coop. The birds that laid with Purina that are this year laying with Dumor are Silkies.
Other coop is barnyard mixed standards and their heritage breed mother/grandmothers.