Eggless Welsummer

[loveclucks]

Hello fellow chicken lovers and thanks for all the excellent advice. I started my first flock of 8 chicks last April 3 and everything has gone great except for my Welsummer who has not laid one egg . I have 8 different breeds and they are all laying except my Welsummer. She has never seemed stressed and she is in the middle of the pecking order. They are on quality layer feed, they have a huge coop and roost and free range my small yard every day. I search frequently for hidden nests but they all lay in their nesting boxes. I guess I will just keep being patient. I find lots of brown and blue eggs but no dark brown spotted eggs like I'm expecting.. Have any of you Welsummer owners had such a long wait for eggs.

 

[austrolover1]

Have you ever seen the Welsummer in the nest box?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Welsummer aren't always prolific egg layers, they are bred for egg color and some don't lay very well or much, odds are she will start in the next two months but will lay sporadically and quit a lot.

 

[aldarita]

Also there is a possibility that her eggs are not dark brown and lays lighter eggs so it will be better if you can watch and see if she lays in the nest

 

[Happy Chooks]

Yep, I've waited 11 months for one pullet to lay. She laid for a month and then went broody on me. (and Welsummers are not supposed to go broody)

Could she have gone through a minor molt? Mine (9 of them) started laying for a bit and then decided to molt at 8 months old. Only 1 has started back up right now. These 2 are a couple of the molters.

 

[loveclucks]

No, I have never seen her in a nest box. I guess I'll just be patient.

 

[aart]

I'd check her pelvic points and coop them all up for a few days to a week to make sure no one is laying out in range area.
Could well be she is laying, but not the coveted terra cotta speckled eggs we hope for.
My wellie has fair color on her eggs, but she is by no means prolific and despite being fertile, no viable hatching eggs (other than pullet egg friends broody hatched).

 

[PopoMyers]

I've read that Welsummers lay about 4 eggs per week, and are not known to be prolific layers like the hybrids. My 2 of 3 ladies are true to that, and one still not laying. Had them since July 29, 2020, so they are over 7.5 months old.