Easter Eggers at 36 weeks and still no eggs?!

[Jnet]

I have 9 girls in my flock and 7 of them lay eggs, getting about 5 brown eggs per day. However, my 2 Easter Eggs still haven't begun to lay.
I know we all have to play the "wait patiently" game, but isn't 36 weeks a little long? Are EE known for being slower to mature? Now with the Georgia winter setting in, will I most likely have to wait until spring?

Tiger, the one with the grey beard, has a little more color in her face and some showing of a comb but has looked like this for a while.


Charlie (below) really doesn't have a comb to speak of...

 

[aoxa]

In my limited experience with EEs, they do not lay when they don't have 14 hours of light a day. They can be late to mature from what I've heard, though mine started between 22-26 weeks.

They have stopped since the days have become so short. Even though they were born in March this year

 

[themenagerie]

I have two at 32 weeks, one just started to lay this week and she's looked ready for about a month, the other one looks just like yours. . I have another 5 that are 26 weeks or so and only one has a red comb, the others are still flat and pink. So...of my 7 spring hatch EE's, only 2 are laying right now.

 

[tabithas]

This makes me feel a little better! I have seven chickens of various breeds (3EE's, 1 buff orpington, 1 red sexlink, 1 black australorp, 1 dark cornish) ranging in age from 21 to 26 weeks and not a one of them has started laying yet! I was starting to think that I'm doing something wrong, but perhaps I just have chickens that are not quite ready to lay? I had wondered about the light cycles. Is it possible that I won't see any eggs from any of them until spring? That would be a big bummer! We have been so excited to "grow" our own eggs!I'm really hoping at least a couple start laying soon!

 

[donrae]

That first bird may lay a shade of brown egg. Her comb looks like it's not really a pea comb, and pea combs are strongly linked to green eggs. She looks mature enough to be laying. You might try isolating her for a few days and see if she's laying. I can't see the other bird's comb in the shot.

Do you free range at all?

 

[Cindy in PA]

I have 9 girls in my flock and 7 of them lay eggs, getting about 5 brown eggs per day. However, my 2 Easter Eggs still haven't begun to lay.
I know we all have to play the "wait patiently" game, but isn't 36 weeks a little long? Are EE known for being slower to mature? Now with the Georgia winter setting in, will I most likely have to wait until spring?

Tiger, the one with the grey beard, has a little more color in her face and some showing of a comb but has looked like this for a while.


Charlie (below) really doesn't have a comb to speak of...

Curious how you know only 7 of 9 are laying? Are you assuming this because you are not getting green or blue eggs? Unfortunately they all may be laying brown eggs. It's possible all 9 are laying and just not laying everyday since it's winter. JMHO

 

[aoxa]

I have 9 girls in my flock and 7 of them lay eggs, getting about 5 brown eggs per day.  However, my 2 Easter Eggs still haven't begun to lay.
I know we all have to play the "wait patiently" game, but isn't 36 weeks a little long? Are EE known for being slower to mature? Now with the Georgia winter setting in, will I most likely have to wait until spring?

Tiger, the one with the grey beard, has a little more color in her face and some showing of a comb but has looked like this for a while.


Charlie (below) really doesn't have a comb to speak of...

Curious how you know only 7 of 9 are laying?  Are you assuming this because you are not getting green or blue eggs?  Unfortunately they all may be laying brown eggs.  It's possible all 9 are laying and just not laying everyday since it's winter.  JMHO

Pea comb in EEs throws a 95% chance of either blue or green eggs.

That would be some serious bad luck!

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

This makes me feel a little better! I have seven chickens of various breeds (3EE's, 1 buff orpington, 1 red sexlink, 1 black australorp, 1 dark cornish) ranging in age from 21 to 26 weeks and not a one of them has started laying yet! I was starting to think that I'm doing something wrong, but perhaps I just have chickens that are not quite ready to lay? I had wondered about the light cycles. Is it possible that I won't see any eggs from any of them until spring? That would be a big bummer! We have been so excited to "grow" our own eggs!I'm really hoping at least a couple start laying soon!

If you supplement light so that your pullets have 14 hours of light a day, you have a very good chance of getting some eggs from them this year yet. Put a light bulb on a timer to come on around 4am and off around 8am or so, and keep it going all winter.

I have 10 EEs (hatched late April) and before the light started to change this fall, two were laying. We didn't put a light in the coop until about a month after we should have (should have done it in October) and both EEs stopped laying. Finally got around to putting a new lightbulb in the coop, and now we have at least four and possibly five EEs laying. There is hope!

If you don't choose to supplement light, however, you are correct that you might not see eggs from those ladies until spring.

 

[aoxa]

This makes me feel a little better! I have seven chickens of various breeds (3EE's, 1 buff orpington, 1 red sexlink, 1 black australorp, 1 dark cornish) ranging in age from 21 to 26 weeks and not a one of them has started laying yet! I was starting to think that I'm doing something wrong, but perhaps I just have chickens that are not quite ready to lay? I had wondered about the light cycles. Is it possible that I won't see any eggs from any of them until spring? That would be a big bummer! We have been so excited to "grow" our own eggs!I'm really hoping at least a couple start laying soon!

If you supplement light so that your pullets have 14 hours of light a day, you have a very good chance of getting some eggs from them this year yet. Put a light bulb on a timer to come on around 4am and off around 8am or so, and keep it going all winter. I have 10 EEs (hatched late April) and before the light started to change this fall, two were laying. We didn't put a light in the coop until about a month after we should have (should have done it in October) and both EEs stopped laying. Finally got around to putting a new lightbulb in the coop, and now we have at least four and possibly five EEs laying. There is hope! If you don't choose to supplement light, however, you are correct that you might not see eggs from those ladies until spring.

Exactly my thoughts! These girls are highly affected by light. Where a barred rock would lay with 8 hours, an EE won't. At least mine won't. They are also molting in their first year as well!

But it's nice to see them have such pristine white feathers again. They were so dirty!

 

[Jnet]

We free range as much as possible. However, there are hawks in the woods behind us, so I can't let them out all the time. Now that winter has hit, probably 2-3 hours a few times a week. In the summer when we were outdoors more often they were out all the time.
Free ranging wouldn't have any effect on the color of the shells, would it?