hens not laying ,,,,

[mettymet]

howdy ,,
i have 3 hens ,2 buffs and a barred rock ,,they are 9 months old .. none of they have ever layed an egg ,,,i feed them fed "layer crumbles" 16 % protein ,,,anything a can do to get them to start laying..
any help would be great

thanks
paul in fla

 

[krista74]

Hi there!

I have to ask the obvious question first - and please don't be offended - but are you 100% sure they are in fact pullets, and not cockerels? You would be surprised the number of people who have waited for the longest time only to discover "It's a boy!"

Assuming that yes, they are indeed pullets, is it Winter where you are? If so, the shortening daylight hours could be what's stalling their egg production. Perhaps some supplemental lighting may help?

Another little suggestion is that you could switch them back to Grower's Feed. I normally don't give pullets Layers Pellets until such time that they have actually started laying. That's just me though, and I'm sure others might not agree.

Finally, do your girls free range at all? If so, is there any chance there could be secret stash of eggs somewhere? I would do a thorough search of your property for secret nests in tricky hiding places - the inside of old car tyres, under the porch, under bushes etc.

Good luck!

- Krista

 

[mettymet]

hi krista ,,,

first off i' in in florida and yes i'm sure there hens ,,i do have rooster with them ,,they are in pens so there's no secret hiding spot ,,,i will try changing the fed ,,maybe that will give them a boost ,,,
thank you very much !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

paul......................