help 8 hens and have only ever gotten 3 eggs

[frmgrl1968]

I finally got my first egg 3 in fact. Three different looking eggs but its been 3 day since and no eggs. I have 8 hens total what is wrong. I know the cold and short day light time affects them but I've only gotten 3 eggs total.

 

[Ariel301]

If they are just starting out, they can be slow, especially with short days and cold weather. Give them a little while and they will speed up. Also, not all chickens lay an egg every day.

 

[mjlabs]

Depends what kind of hens you have....some breeds lay an egg a day and some once a week. If you dont have a production-heavy breed hen then you probably wont get 'alot' of eggs.

 

[frmgrl1968]

I have golden buff and barred rock both are suppose to be excellent producers

 

[allpeepedout]

Maybe only three have started laying? It is individual, and may take many days or even weeks for some of the others to start.

 

[SassyKat6181]

Quote:
I agree here. Maybe not all have started to lay yet. They also don't lay everyday when they are just beginning.

 

[TrystInn]

This is also a tough time of year, optimally 16 hours of daylight is recommended for ladies best laying.

 

[BoltonChicken]

This is also a tough time of year, optimally 16 hours of daylight is recommended for ladies best laying.

This is absolutely true. My 5 BO's were laying as many as five eggs per day back in September, but the production has dropped to two or three daily since December. I look forward to seeing what happens come Spring.

 

[Blue Ninja]

Check out the "feeding chickens black pepper" thread. I tried it after getting 3 eggs (at most) a day with 12 pullets. Now I regularly get 6-8 eggs a day. None of my chickens are "production" hens.

I fed them black pepper for 4 consecutive days, then stopped once I got them jump started.

 

[frmgrl1968]

Is there a certain kind of black pepper?