Feeding mishaps

[bayou bird]

On Feb 11th I got 5 american, 4 cuckoo marans and 2 rhode island red chicks. I fed them starter grower for about the first 12 - 13 weeks. Then fed them layer pellets for about 4-5 more weeks. Then 100% free range when it got super hot from mid June to july. Since july, I've given them layer pellets.

My rhode island reds are laying, 1 cuckoo is laying and 1 americana is laying. They are about 29 weeks old now and I feel like they should ALL be laying. Did I mess them up by giving them layer too early and relying on free range for a few weeks? Are they not laying because of improper feeding?

 

[Pork Pie]

I would suggest that your feeding regime is unlikely to be the cause, although not providing proprietary feed when free ranging is not ideal for their development. Some pullets simply take longer to mature and lay than others - its that simple.

CT