I bought chicks last spring and only a few are laying now.

[Chickensallday1]

How come more are not laying? I have about 30 and only get 2-6 eggs a week.

 

[Dragonsfly2]

Where abouts do you live?
The birds should be old enough, but might not be getting enough 'daylight hours' of light because it's still pretty early in the winter, and longest nights etc for North America.
Other factors could be quality of food, age of birds (although you said spring last year so they should be about old enough or soon?)
I live in Eastern Ontario, and its cold and long nights, short days here still now.
I'd never have looked for much egg production here until closer to February, maybe mid Feb at the earliest.
I do believe in letting the hens rest for a few months in the depths of winter, but this only applies once you've had the birds laying in the previous season.

Keep us posted.
maybe lighting is the solution? could get a timer to come on and extend thier 'day' until you get enough hours for them to think it's spring?

 

[Chickensallday1]

I live in southern california so I do not think that is an issue. I feed them laying mesh, greens, and scratch. But I have noticed that a few of them are sneezing. Did they get a cold this winter that is affecting their laying?

 

[donrae]

What breed do you have?

 

[Chickensallday1]

Orpington, barred rocks, reds, australorp, brahma, and ameraucana

 

[Happy Chooks]

Chickens don't get colds. Any other symptoms besides sneezing? Bubbly eyes? Nasal discharge?

There are a lot of reasons that egg production can be affected.
The shorter daylight hours will affect their laying. They need 14-15 hours of light for peak production.
Have you checked them for lice/mites?
Are any of them molting? Do you see pin feathers? Missing tail feathers?
Are they looking skinny? Have you wormed them?

 

[Chickensallday1]

only one or two have bubbly eyes and nasal discharge, and a few are missing tail feathers.
I bought them all around the same time but some of them are a lot smaller then the others, why is that?
No lice, and none are molting and I have not wormed them. How do I do that?

 

[Happy Chooks]

Sounds like you have a respiratory illness in your flock. Sneezing, bubbly eyes and discharge is really bad. You need to have your flock tested. MG or coryza have those symptoms. MG can pass through the egg to offspring. Either way, the birds will be carriers for life and will infect healthy birds.

Testing will tell you what you are dealing with.

 

[Chickensallday1]

IS this treatable? Whats the next step after having them tested?