How long

[Simpleman1]

How long does it take for fairly old pullets to readjust and start laying eggs after being bought?
Also currently they are kept in a battery cage.is it okay?

 

[HeavensHens88]

Congratulations on your new additions!

Well, one factor is perhaps they haven't begun laying yet at all. Check their vents. Are they moist, or dry and puckered? Next you can check for pigment loss by observing their legs. Are they a solid yellow, or are there pale scales beginning to show?
A starting layer has a moist vent, and paling legs. One other way to be sure is to put your fingers (perhaps you'd like to glove) against her vent; not inside at all, just lightly against it. With the gentlest of external pressure, you should be able to feel two jutting bones on either side. Are they spread apart at least the width of two of your fingers? If so, she's laying.
If they are laying birds, then as soon as they accommodate to their new surroundings, they'll restart production. Adjustment could take anywhere from a few days to a month and beyond.
Another possibility is that they may not even start up again until spring, if you're somewhere in Northern America. A lot of stressed hens take off for entire winters, and that may turn out to be the case here- unless you provide them with artificial lighting to "fool" their body into thinking it should still be producing.

A battery cage isn't the best choice for long-term housing, especially for backyard layers that aren't just numbers in an immense production flock. Uncommercial chickens need an arguable amount of 8-10 sqf per bird to exist comfortably inside a coop and its respective pen 24/7. In addition to overcrowding, there's the matter of drafts and no designated nesting space when using a crate. For the moment, be sure that they're under some sort of cove that gives them protection from the direct elements.
You can read more about proper domestic coops and the many options on one of the threads found here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/byc-coop-section-helpful-thread-index.206328/

 

[DobieLover]

Perhaps it's just semantics here but it seems impossible to have an old pullet, by definition. A pullet is always less than 1 year old.
I assume you are talking about older hens. Were they battery hens when you got them?
And to answer the question about it being okay to keep them in a battery cage, the answer is an unequivocal NO. It is most definitely NOT okay. Unless you want them to have about the poorest quality of life they can have and still survive to produce eggs for you.

 

[Simpleman1]

Perhaps it's just semantics here but it seems impossible to have an old pullet, by definition. A pullet is always less than 1 year old.
I assume you are talking about older hens. Were they battery hens when you got them?
And to answer the question about it being okay to keep them in a battery cage, the answer is an unequivocal NO. It is most definitely NOT okay. Unless you want them to have about the poorest quality of life they can have and still survive to produce eggs for you.

I noticed some sort scabes on thier comb and eyes and i think it is fowl pox so for the timebeing I thought a cage would be best instead of spreading it to my existing free-ranging flock... (well my dad bought the chickens and he didn't notice the lesions).
So are they not laying because of the infection?Or rehoming?
Is there anything i can do to cure the infection or will it heal over time?

 

[DobieLover]

Keeping them quarantined from your current flock is an absolute must. But they should be in an appropriate sized coop with run. Please post pictures of the scabs.
They are not laying because of stress for sure.

 

[Simpleman1]

Keeping them quarantined from your current flock is an absolute must. But they should be in an appropriate sized coop with run. Please post pictures of the scabs.
They are not laying because of stress for sure.

Some pics i managed.Black one is coughing..