- Dec 4, 2010
- 2
- 0
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Hello,
I want to start by thanking you for the incredible resources you provide online for a beginner chicken family! My family bought chickens the first and second week of May this year. We bought 3 barred rocks and 3 easter eggers. We had a 50% death rate and ultimately ended up with 2 very healthy barred rocks and 1 easter egger that is now healthy but at one point was hurt by a stray neighborhood animal rather badly. In any event I am writing with a question about egg laying. The easter egger is 30 weeks old and the barred rocks are 31 weeks old. we have never had an egg laid by any of the birds. The birds were on high quality grower feed until about 6 and a half months of age and then we switched to a similar quality layer feed. The birds have 2 types of nesting boxes and four boxes in total. Three of the boxes are 5 gallon buckets and one of them is a cardboard box that is very sturdy and looks like a traditional wooden nesting box. The birds have a fully enclosed living space that includes 64sq ft of free ranging space and an attached coop area that is 16sq ft each of which have roosting bars. We are careful with loose yard free ranging because of the animal attacks we have encountered and tend to only let them loose in the back yard (about a half acre) when we can watch them. I feel like I have done everything right but am still not getting eggs. I thought that perhaps I am getting a critter who is stealing my eggs. I put golf balls and ceramic eggs in the nesting boxes to see if those would be stolen, but those have never been taken. Also I feel it is unlikely that some critter has stolen every single egg laid before I have even had the opportunity to see one. The only thing I can think of now is that my chicken tractor is placed in front of my dog run. When people like the meter man or mail man go by the dogs get worked up and bark. Perhaps this could be stressing the birds out? I have read many reasons that a hen may not lay, but it seems unlikely that all of my hens would fall into these exceptions. It is also important to note that none of them look like roosters nor do they crow. In fact, my birds are very quiet unless I am working in their space or I am out in the dog run at which point they just make subtle squawking noises. I am almost ready to quit and sell my tractor and set up, but don't want to give up. Is there any help you can give or any suggestions about what I may be doing wrong?
Thank you in advance for your help.
George
I want to start by thanking you for the incredible resources you provide online for a beginner chicken family! My family bought chickens the first and second week of May this year. We bought 3 barred rocks and 3 easter eggers. We had a 50% death rate and ultimately ended up with 2 very healthy barred rocks and 1 easter egger that is now healthy but at one point was hurt by a stray neighborhood animal rather badly. In any event I am writing with a question about egg laying. The easter egger is 30 weeks old and the barred rocks are 31 weeks old. we have never had an egg laid by any of the birds. The birds were on high quality grower feed until about 6 and a half months of age and then we switched to a similar quality layer feed. The birds have 2 types of nesting boxes and four boxes in total. Three of the boxes are 5 gallon buckets and one of them is a cardboard box that is very sturdy and looks like a traditional wooden nesting box. The birds have a fully enclosed living space that includes 64sq ft of free ranging space and an attached coop area that is 16sq ft each of which have roosting bars. We are careful with loose yard free ranging because of the animal attacks we have encountered and tend to only let them loose in the back yard (about a half acre) when we can watch them. I feel like I have done everything right but am still not getting eggs. I thought that perhaps I am getting a critter who is stealing my eggs. I put golf balls and ceramic eggs in the nesting boxes to see if those would be stolen, but those have never been taken. Also I feel it is unlikely that some critter has stolen every single egg laid before I have even had the opportunity to see one. The only thing I can think of now is that my chicken tractor is placed in front of my dog run. When people like the meter man or mail man go by the dogs get worked up and bark. Perhaps this could be stressing the birds out? I have read many reasons that a hen may not lay, but it seems unlikely that all of my hens would fall into these exceptions. It is also important to note that none of them look like roosters nor do they crow. In fact, my birds are very quiet unless I am working in their space or I am out in the dog run at which point they just make subtle squawking noises. I am almost ready to quit and sell my tractor and set up, but don't want to give up. Is there any help you can give or any suggestions about what I may be doing wrong?
Thank you in advance for your help.
George
