Do some hens never lay ??

[poultrykeeper08]

I got a light brahma chick last year on easter along with a few other chicks that turned out to be roos .

Any way i had had her this whole time in my goose barn and i have never gotten an egg from her .

Ya know how people cay you can tell if a hen is laying by feeling thw 2 bones under her vent . If you can fit 2 fingers inbetween the bones then she is laying . Well i did that the other day and i can only fit one finger / Is she a DUD

 

[Smartie_Pants]

Are you SURE she's a she?

 

[farmgirlie1031]

I don't know. I rescued a Silkie hen last year and have never gotten an egg from her. But I'm not sure how old she really is either. She looks older than I was told and I know old hens can quit laying altogether. I've never heard of a young hen never laying.

 

[farmerlor]

Well, one of my poultry books (is it Storey's?) says you're supposed to check around 30 weeks to see if the girls are laying and cull the ones that aren't if they don't start in the next six weeks. I'm guessing, and this is just a guess because I've never had a hen that didn't start to lay, that they must've put that in there because indeed there ARE hens that never lay.

 

[chilisweet]

From what I know about brahmas in general is that they are slow to mature. so they may not lay until they are about a year old. YOu might give her a couple more months before you decide what to do with her.

Also, can you show pictures of her comb and wattles? Are they red or a light color?

~Caran

 

[poultrykeeper08]

Oh yeah i am sure shes a she . the other brahma chick i had turned out to be a rooster . i can get a pic of her comb . They say if its drak red then she should lay soon if its light not yet right ?

 

[chilisweet]

yup you are correct. Bright red means ready to go! light pale red means not quite ready.

 

[ams3651]

Ive got a 9 month old RIR who just started laying and an EE that started at maybe 7 months.

 

[crazychicken]

I gave a friend of ours three chickens two hens and a roo and you know what they are going on 40 weeks and still have not laid a single egg between the two of them. yet younger sister who is at 31 weeks has been laying every day for the past week or two. go figure

 

[farmerlor]

We ordered chicks from MacMurray last year and I sold a few of my girlies to a friend. He got three different breeds and I have 12 different breeds out there. ALL of mine were laying by 30 weeks and NONE of his were laying still at 40 weeks. Weird.