Hens not laying? Could be dirty coop or food?

[tiffrosef]

My friend and I started raising chickens at right around the same time. My oldest girls are just over four months old, and they're starting to show more and more interest in the nesting boxes. They go in there and sit, I have a few wooden eggs (got them from michaels for $1) they love to go sit on. Her girls are six months old, and still have no interest at all in the boxes or the coop in general. They go in at night but that's it, during the day they won't go in there at all. A few days ago I saw her clean the coop out (I hadn't seen her do that before) and the straw was disgusting! She had clearly let it get pretty bad before cleaning it out. Also she pulled out a big tub in there that actually had a few maggots in the bottom of it (at that point I just left, I don't fear any other bugs but maggots I cannot and will not do.) Will that affect the hens willingness to lay? Also she only has two boxes, and both of them sit on the ground. They don't seem to pay much attention to them, even with false eggs in them. My girls spend an awful lot of time inside the coop and testing out the boxes, I also don't use hay or straw but rather pine shavings (I've got an allergy to the hay and stuff)

Also, we feed entirely different diets, I feed organic fermented food and she feeds a basic layer diet.

I am just wondering what she might be doing that would make it so the hens aren't laying, but also don't seem interested in laying at all. Whereas mine are much younger but are already starting to display laying behavior.

 

[andreanar]

Her hens are probably laying outside somewhere.

 

[tiffrosef]

They're in a run, they don't free range their birds. Their run is about 10x10 maybe a little larger, but not large enough that they could be hiding their eggs.

 

[tiffrosef]

Or could it be something as simple as not enough calcium?

 

[aart]

Probably not a lack of calcium...could be a slow maturing breed, could be crowded space, very difficult comparison to make.