How long does it take to get over a move?

[dsegel]

Hi everyone,

We just got six leghorn chickens. The people we got them from said they are "about" six months old. They had about 25 chickens and said they had just started laying. They were confined to a coop there.

We put them in our barn where there is lots of room for them to roost and rest and plenty of shelter. We put up a nesting "condo" in the barn with about 12 nesting boxes which we put fresh hay in. I don't think they've discovered the nesting boxes yet. They are also free range and can leave the barn at will. They have started leaving the barn but are staying very near.

We haven't seen any eggs yet. Do you think they are still stressed from the move or maybe these six hadn't started laying yet? They also don't seem to be eating much of the scratch or vegetable clippings we've fed them so far. They seem much more interested in what they are finding in the ground.

Any ideas how we could encourage them laying?

Thanks

 

[jenichick]

Maybe I missed it but you didn't say exactly how long they've been in their new digs. If it's just a few day or a couple of weeks I'd give it time. Mine skip laying when they're stressed. If they're free ranging they could be hiding their eggs from you when they're out. Mine lay during the day when no one's around.

 

[dsegel]

Woops,

Sorry. I got them Sunday afternoon so I've had them 3 days. They haven't been outside enough or far enough from the barn to be laying them outside yet.

 

[Dawn419]

Instead of scratch, you should be giving them a good layer feed.

Dawn

 

[jenichick]

My guess is you'll be finding an egg or two within a few days! Check your nest box for compaction, they get in and get comfy right before they lay, sometimes a day or two. All my girls, right before they start laying, start talking and cackling, pacing, get in and out of the box a day or so, then bam, a new egg appears! I've got rocks, buffs, sex-links, dorking, pheonix, laying, they all do the same thing.

 

[dsegel]

Thank you Jenichick and Dawn,

Dawn, yes, I think you are right about the good laying feed. My husband told me to get scratch when I went to the feed store but I have already decided to go get some laying feed as well. Do you think it really promotes them laying?

 

[bluerose]

They need the nutrients in the layer feed to produce eggs without compromising their systems.

Hence why they make chick starter, grower, and layer feed...

 

[jenichick]

Well, layer feed is usually fed to all pullets of laying age. This is usually from 18-22 weeks from what I've read. Mine have been on layer feed since 18 weeks, and I had pullets laying at 18 weeks.

 

[Dawn419]

I had mine on layer feed at 18 weeks also. By 19 and a half weeks old, our Mottled Cochins began laying. A week after that we began getting Silky eggs. A week after that our EE's began laying. I also make sure that they have grit and oyster shell available at all times. Since they've been laying, I save all of their egg shells, bake them and crush them up beyond recognition (with a mortar and pestle) and feed them back to the girls as an extra source of calcium. The girls are all laying gorgeous, perfect little eggs on a regular basis.

Dawn

 

[silkiechicken]

Yeah, a compete feed will promote egg laying. Low protein, low calcium food wont make high protein eggs with calcium shells. Look at their combs, if they are big and red, they are their representative ages and will lays soon, if they have small pink ones, they are not going to lay yet.