How long after a pullet and rooster mate will the pullet lay?

[salemskies]

I ask this because my rooster has been in overdrive and I'm guessing my chickens must be getting sexually mature-they just haven't laid any eggs at all yet. I don't just mean fertile eggs-I mean eggs period? I've got quite a few squatting finally but I'm lucky to get maybe one egg every couple of days. I have around 24 pullets and I get 1 egg! It can't be the weather, it's been unseasonably warm for the past couple of weeks. Any ideas? I'm very impatient and I want to see some eggs!

 

[cw]

what about lighting? add artificial light and see if they lay more

 

[#1California Chick]

Welcome BYC!!!

First of all, Roos have NOTHING to do with when your hens lay!!! Actually, if the roo is causing STRESS in the hens -- it could DELAY laying!!!

How old are your hens??? Egg laying will vary greatly by the breed of hen.

Where do you live?? I am guessing Washington from your log-in name.

Do you have extra light in your coop??

Bottom line: cold weather and low light could have delayed laying, your hens may or may not be old enough to lay, the roo could have added stress!!!

Can you give us some more info???

I wouldn't worry just yet!!!

Welcome!!

Cindy

 

[Jena]

As California Chick has said,

Welcome,

No need to stress, it will depend on a lot of things and nothing is certain.

Although the 2 things are not really linked, My girls started to lay just a week or so after they started to squat, but squatting is more about anticipating the Roo than egg laying.

How old are these girls, How long have you had them?

So many things can be responsible for delaying laying.

If they have been moved recently, if they feel stressed, it will also depend on the breed, and if they are ready they will lay soon enough. The winter does affect them, and I am sure it is not all about temps but also about the length of the days.

I do not have a roo but I got my girls in September, and they started laying at the end of November. The last one finally started in the last week of December.

The one thing they will teach you is patience.

I am sure they will soon begin, but just take care that you have the right ratio of hens to Roos or he could be really stressing them out and delaying things.

You will be rewarded for a little patience.

Jena.

 

[salemskies]

Hi!
Let's see if I can answer all the questions

I live in Southern California so the weather has actually been great lately-we're having bouts of sprinkles here and there but nothing major. The temps have been in the 80s the past 2 weeks.

I've had the majority of my girls since this past summer-June/July. I have barred rocks, ee's, an old rir, australorp. I just got a few a week ago that included a barred rock supposedly laying, a couple of rir-laying, 2 leghorn/rir mixes-laying, and a silkie. Where are all my eggs? These girls should be mature enough to lay, shouldn't they? I get an egg here and there. I've gotten some brown eggs that I think are from the newer barred rock and one white egg that I think was from the leghorn I just gave to my friend.

I've only had the rooster for about almost a week. He's not aggressive but he's definitely getting familiar with the girls, wink wink.

They have access to food and water all day long and when I feel like chasing them down, I let the free range.

I have some chicks in a brooder in their coop-it's funny because I've caught a few of them warming their fuzzy butts up against the light bulb! Too cute!

Oh, I also give them plenty of oyster shell. What am I doing wrong? Any suggestions? I'll gladly try anything.

 

[digitS']

#1California Chick :

. . . Where do you live?? I am guessing Washington from your log-in name.

. . .

Quote:
There's a Salem, WA?

. . . a Salem in southern Cal???

Bewitching . . .

My BR's and BA's hatched the end of May and came into lay at the end of October and thru November. When daylight hours dropped to 11 in September, I turned on a light in the coop and increased the hours of light to 14+.

Steve​

 

[jvls1942]

from what I can glean from this thread is they're lacking in daylight

give them some supplemental light and after couple of days to a week things should start popping.

 

[luvmygirlsinAK]

I have also noticed a relationship in knowing when the girls are getting ready to lay by the fact that the roosters all of a sudden are very interested in them. It doesn't matter if they were molting and ready to lay again, or pullets getting closer and closer to their first egg. The roosters won't try to mount them unless they are at least getting close to laying. Which could even be two weeks away, as that is when I noticed my pullets starting to take interest in the nesting boxes, and at the same time, the roosters trying to mate them.

Recently I removed my roosters from the coop as I was getting fewer eggs, even from the girls that were terrific egg layers before we brought in the roosters. The roosters, although one was nothing but a sweetheart, were really mounting them too much, I felt, and causing too much stress. Well, a day and a half later (after reading some threads about removing the roosters for this very reason on BYC) We have an abundance of eggs!!! It had gotten to where we were only getting 3 eggs!! What a difference that made!!! We will still keep the roosters for breeding purposes, if we decide we ever want to, to keep purebreds, but we will definitely keep them separate unless they free range in a large enough area. Could be that your chickens are very stressed from the roosters.

I'm not thinking that it is a light issue being that you are in California. We've had other Californians mention that they get plenty of eggs without additional light in the winter, so am leaning more towards the roosters possibly causing too much stress.