eggs

[mandy12384]

Will a black Cornish red not produce eggs or do they have to be a certain age ?

 

[BYCforlife]

Will a black Cornish red not produce eggs or do they have to be a certain age ?

Of course they will produce eggs, or else they could not reproduce. Sometimes they will take up to 25 weeks to start laying eggs.

 

[mandy12384]

So if there bothered by my kids they won't stop laying I just got them a few weeks ago but he was feeding them rabbit food and I put them on laying pellets n my rooster is much older and has tried to with them but still nothing?

 

[Lady of McCamley]

All hens have to be of sexual maturity before they will lay eggs.

Usually that is somewhere between 4 months (16 to 18 weeks) for the fast developing commercial hybrids and 6 months, or even longer, for more "heritage" types that take longer to develop.

Cornish are not fast maturing, and most lines are not known for high egg production, being more of a meat bird.

So yes, Cornish hens will lay, but will take longer to come to laying maturity and won't lay prolifically (average of 180 eggs per year...or about 3 eggs per week)

 

[BYCforlife]

That shoudn't matter. Were they day olds when you got them?

When chickens are moved, they may stop laying for a while.

 

[mandy12384]

No more like a monthr or twowo

 

[BYCforlife]

No more like a monthr or twowo

Oh. They would only be like 9 weeks old. You will not have eggs for a while.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

So if there bothered by my kids they won't stop laying I just got them a few weeks ago but he was feeding them rabbit food and I put them on laying pellets n my rooster is much older and has tried to with them but still nothing?

Do you have any idea how old they are? That will be the utmost importance to determine if they should be laying. Too young, they won't lay, too old they won't lay.

If they are molting, they won't lay as they take time to rebuild their feathers (Usually birds molt at 1 1/2 years of age).

If they are of laying age and were not on layer food, that will slow production and/or produce poor quality eggs (soft shells, etc.). On rabbit feed, they likely were not getting enough calcium to lay well.

Also, have you placed fake eggs in the nests and kept them in the coop for a few days to encourage laying in the nest boxes? They may be laying in areas around the yard, so you may need to check.

Stress will reduce laying. Unhappy birds are poor producers.

Sick birds are also poor producers. Does everyone look healthy? No rumpled appearance, lethargy, sniffling, nasal discharge, coughing, etc.? On particular virus is called Egg Drop Syndrome as its initial and often only symptom is sudden drop in egg production in what should be productive birds.

So, there are a lot of factors that can reduce egg production.

LofMc

 

[mandy12384]

My hens

 

[Lady of McCamley]

No more like a monthr or twowo

So you are saying these birds are only about 8 to 9 weeks of age? Or you've had them a month or two, and they are mature (full grown) birds?

As to the rooster, hens do not need a rooster to lay eggs. They lay eggs with or without a rooster. Their eggs simply won't be fertile, ie, won't hatch chicks if a rooster isn't around.

LofMc