Hens not all starting to lay at the same time

[greenriver]

Hello BYC. Been a while since I had chickens and quite a while since I have posted here. I have 15 Ideal RR hens hatched March 24th. I got my first little egg July 31st at 18 weeks and a few days. The next week I got 6 eggs then none for 4 days. Since then they have laid anywhere from 2 to 5 eggs a day skipping a day or too a week with none. These eggs are small but perfect with solid shells. I expected they would all start laying around the same time and after four weeks or so they would be laying normal size eggs. I feed them laying pellets free choice and they have access to 2 acres of pasture during the day. With the hens are four good looking roosters as I am looking to hatch my own to increase numbers. Is this normal? How long does it take for the eggs to get normal size? I am at week 24 now and obviously only a few of the hens are laying. Has anyone else seen this where a group of hens have such a difference in starting to lay?

 

[MrFluffyandGirls]

My leghorns are developing at different rates and laying eradicate. But i'm not thinking it a issue because they are young and just getting their systems cranked up not to mention the sun has started to set earlier which signal chickens to slow it down. So I would not stress to hard about it just yet.

 

[aart]

Hello BYC. Been a while since I had chickens and quite a while since I have posted here. I have 15 Ideal RR hens hatched March 24th. I got my first little egg July 31st at 18 weeks and a few days. The next week I got 6 eggs then none for 4 days. Since then they have laid anywhere from 2 to 5 eggs a day skipping a day or too a week with none. These eggs are small but perfect with solid shells. I expected they would all start laying around the same time and after four weeks or so they would be laying normal size eggs. I feed them laying pellets free choice and they have access to 2 acres of pasture during the day. With the hens are four good looking roosters as I am looking to hatch my own to increase numbers. Is this normal? How long does it take for the eggs to get normal size? I am at week 24 now and obviously only a few of the hens are laying. Has anyone else seen this where a group of hens have such a difference in starting to lay?

Rhode Island Reds...got pics?
Do you free range?
Wonders if the males are stressing the females, that can certainly delay onset of lay.

 

[nao57]

It probably doesn't help that much of the US is having massive temperature fluctuations right now.

Is it also weird that they all lay at different times of the day?

 

[aart]

Is it also weird that they all lay at different times of the day?

New layers are often not on a 'schedule' at first.

 

[NatJ]

I have 15 Ideal RR hens... anywhere from 2 to 5 eggs a day skipping a day or too a week with none....they have access to 2 acres of pasture during the day.

I quoted just the bits that stand out to me here. I think at least some of your birds may be hiding nests. Try keeping them confined to the coop, or coop + run, for a few days to a week, and see if you get more eggs. (Or go search the whole pasture for nests, but chickens are really good at hiding nests. Or keep them confined for just the first half of the day, because more than half of eggs get laid in the first half of the day.)

And yes, it is pretty normal to have some start laying well before others, even if they are the same breed and age. (But if early egglaying is important to you, you could identify the ones that DID start laying soonest, and deliberately hatch eggs from them. Putting a legband on each one who is currently laying would be a fairly easy way to recognize them later.)

If you are willing to catch each hen to look, you can get a fairly good idea of who is laying. Look at a rooster first: vent is small and puckered, and you can feel the tip of a bone just below the vent on each side. Those bones are close together--you can probably put one finger between them. Now grab a hen. If she's laying, the vent is larger and looks stretchy (because it gets stretched every day to let the egg out.) Feel for those bone tips, too. In a laying hen, they are much farther apart, so the egg can come through. You can probably put 2-3 fingers between them, or maybe even more (depends on the size of the fingers and the size of the hen.)

The bones move apart, and the vent may get larger, before the first egg. But any hen whose vent and bones match the rooster's is definitely NOT laying.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

...you may also note a wet vent when you do the pelvic spacing check, which is a great indicator of which of your "ready" birds might have dropped the egg you just found.

and I'll not repeat what I just wrote in the 17 weeks not laying yet thread, but short form, none of my birds are laying "on schedule"or as groups based on breed.

 

[greenriver]

I quoted just the bits that stand out to me here. I think at least some of your birds may be hiding nests. Try keeping them confined to the coop, or coop + run, for a few days to a week, and see if you get more eggs. (Or go search the whole pasture for nests, but chickens are really good at hiding nests. Or keep them confined for just the first half of the day, because more than half of eggs get laid in the first half of the day.)

And yes, it is pretty normal to have some start laying well before others, even if they are the same breed and age. (But if early egglaying is important to you, you could identify the ones that DID start laying soonest, and deliberately hatch eggs from them. Putting a legband on each one who is currently laying would be a fairly easy way to recognize them later.)

If you are willing to catch each hen to look, you can get a fairly good idea of who is laying. Look at a rooster first: vent is small and puckered, and you can feel the tip of a bone just below the vent on each side. Those bones are close together--you can probably put one finger between them. Now grab a hen. If she's laying, the vent is larger and looks stretchy (because it gets stretched every day to let the egg out.) Feel for those bone tips, too. In a laying hen, they are much farther apart, so the egg can come through. You can probably put 2-3 fingers between them, or maybe even more (depends on the size of the fingers and the size of the hen.)

The bones move apart, and the vent may get larger, before the first egg. But any hen whose vent and bones match the rooster's is definitely NOT laying.

They have been confined to the coop and small run until just a week ago. As you suggest I will close the gate for a few days.

Early egg laying is not a big deal for me, I just was wondering if a 6 week difference was normal. I didn't expect them to lay all at once but I have yet to get a normal size egg even though some have been laying for 6 weeks now. That was unexpected.

For now I won't catch the hens, most are pretty calm around me and not too skittish.

Thanks for your comments.

 

[greenriver]

Rhode Island Reds...got pics?
Do you free range?
Wonders if the males are stressing the females, that can certainly delay onset of lay.
[/QUOTE

I have had the outdoor run gate open for a week now but only a few venture out and those that do stay close by. I have about two acres fenced for them to roam.

If 4 roosters to 15 hens could be stressful, how many roosters would you recommend to still get a good percentage of fertilized eggs?

Pic attached

 

[aart]

I have had the outdoor run gate open for a week now but only a few venture out and those that do stay close by. I have about two acres fenced for them to roam.

If 4 roosters to 15 hens could be stressful, how many roosters would you recommend to still get a good percentage of fertilized eggs?

Pic attached

One male should do fine.

Here's how to tell....
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/

Free range birds sometimes need to be 'trained'(or re-trained) to lay in the coop nests, especially new layers. Leaving them locked in the coop for a week or so can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. Fake eggs/golf balls in the nests can help 'show' them were to lay. They can be confined to coop and maybe run 24/7 for a few days to a week, provided you have adequate space and ventilation, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it. ..at least for a good while, then repeat as necessary.