Impatience!

[plucky]

My 12 pullets (can you believe I got 100% correctly sexed chicks), 4 buff orpingtons, 4 barred rocks, 2 rr reds, and 2 e eggers, are now exactly 6 months old today. No eggs yet and I'm getting impatient...I figured they'd be laying by now.

Yesterday one of the barred rocks let out a big "BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAK!" and I ran out expecting to maybe find an egg. Nothing except an egret that had landed close to the coop and upset some of the hens.

Am I too impatient? Could the extreme heat we've been having have an effect on egg laying?

 

[zatsdeb]

my pullets are 5 months old, and finally got 1 egg saturday, and 2 eggs sunday, they are laying in the barn, not in the chicken house. You might try searching around, maybe they are laying somewhere you haven't found the eggs yet??

 

[tomstephens]

I'm with you. I'm at 6 months this week and I'm sooo ready for an egg but nothing I can find. I've looked all over.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

I'm with you all, only my chicks are only 9 wks and I'm wanting the Sex links to lay at 16 weeks!
How's that for impatient?
I know the other breeds will take longer but my banty Cochins were laying at 19 weeks so I can always dream!

And yes, I wonder if the heat is keeping them from laying. Though my Cochins are going strong, I have heard from others that theirs have slowed down.

 

[mtnhomechick]

As soon as my Buff laid an egg unexpedetly at 16 weeks, I started the rest that age on layer feed. Within a week two more were laying. Now they are not quite 19 weeks and my brown lh and Auracana still have not laid.

 

[zatsdeb]

everyone is on layer feed here, except the babies.
It is pretty hot here, suppose to be in the 90's today again, we are still getting at least a dozen eggs a day from the 20 hens that have been laying.

 

[ashyannehand]

I have a variety of hens, 11 in all, Jersery giants, barred rock, buff orph, easter eggers. I am not sure which ones are laying but I am getting 2-4 eggs every day. Our temps are in the hight 90's with a heat index up to 110 due to the humidity. I have been told that the heat affects them. My father in law has the same breed hens as mine and got them the same day. He is getting up to 10 eggs a day with 14 hens. He lives in the same area. We are feeding them the same laying crumbles because I buy it for him since he is disabled.

Go figure!

Good luck!

 

[zatsdeb]

my girls are in alot of shade, by trees that shade the chicken house, it is well ventilated also, maybe we are just in a good spot? It seems there is always a breeze here too.
been getting 2 guinea eggs a day too.

 

[Wynette]

Oh, the age old "when will they lay?" question!

I've got two EEs that didn't lay until well after 8 months; however, these two are my only two that lay Jumbo-sized eggs! So, my theory is that the longer they wait, the larger eggs they will lay!

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

They should start any day. I would start them on a layer pellet with a small bowl of calcium chips/oyster shells.