Is it possible for a pullet to NEVER lay an egg?

[ccstar]

Thanks this thread gives me hope for my 10/11 month old EE who is my cuddle bug.

 

[LadyKotaDoria]

Eggs. I 8 pullets now 31 weeks old. I get 3 blue eggs, each different shade of blue - green blue - aqua blue - light blue, (3 EE), I gap have 2 brown eggs, different size, and shade of brown. That leaves 3 girls not laying. I know one brown is Lucy (RIR) she has a med-large egg. I am nit to concerned about the other brown Egger, but that I have 3 not laying.

My SLW is 2 years old, stopped laying 2 days after I got her. Layed one egg in transport. She had a 700 plus mile trip over 3 days, so I was not surprised and it was winter.

This leaves a Buff Orpinton, Black Sex Lenk, Blue mystery pullet (looked like an Orpinton but a cushion comb) she is big and beautiful. One is laying and 2 are not. What is up? All 3 are big girls. How much longer do big girls need to start lying.

I get 2 to 4 eggs a day from 5 pullets, that that sound right? I need at lest 6 eggs a day to take care of my family. I hust picked up 2 barred Rocks (1 is a parterige color) 5 wk, 1 Buff Orpington 8 wk and 1 Red Star 10 wks. I am hoping I will have winter layers out of my 12.

what can I do to encourage full laying production. I am giving them fermented mash, with added oyster shell. I buy Tilapia for them, they get extra treats daily. Greens from my garden, tomato's, assorted fruits, watermelon, squash, sweet potato, and assorted bugs, (form of left overs) meat, rice, potato, and vegetables no onion or garlic at any time.

Should I cook up beans for them? For the protein? There are a lot of foods that have to be cooked before giving to chickens or they are toxic.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Eggs. I 8 pullets now 31 weeks old. I get 3 blue eggs, each different shade of blue - green blue - aqua blue - light blue, (3 EE), I gap have 2 brown eggs, different size, and shade of brown. That leaves 3 girls not laying. I know one brown is Lucy (RIR) she has a med-large egg. I am nit to concerned about the other brown Egger, but that I have 3 not laying.

My SLW is 2 years old, stopped laying 2 days after I got her. Layed one egg in transport. She had a 700 plus mile trip over 3 days, so I was not surprised and it was winter.

This leaves a Buff Orpinton, Black Sex Lenk, Blue mystery pullet (looked like an Orpinton but a cushion comb) she is big and beautiful. One is laying and 2 are not. What is up? All 3 are big girls. How much longer do big girls need to start lying.

I get 2 to 4 eggs a day from 5 pullets, that that sound right? I need at lest 6 eggs a day to take care of my family. I hust picked up 2 barred Rocks (1 is a parterige color) 5 wk, 1 Buff Orpington 8 wk and 1 Red Star 10 wks. I am hoping I will have winter layers out of my 12.

what can I do to encourage full laying production. I am giving them fermented mash, with added oyster shell. I buy Tilapia for them, they get extra treats daily. Greens from my garden, tomato's, assorted fruits, watermelon, squash, sweet potato, and assorted bugs, (form of left overs) meat, rice, potato, and vegetables no onion or garlic at any time.

Should I cook up beans for them? For the protein? There are a lot of foods that have to be cooked before giving to chickens or they are toxic.

Are you saying they were laying and have stopped? Or that they have never laid an egg?

Were laying and stopped could be many things- environment, diet, molt, old age, and illness are a few reasons. Have ever laid and they are old means they are having a genetic issue of some kind.

My AC laid perfect eggs for a while and now for about a month her eggs have been thin shelled. She's older, molting, and having issues laying.

 

[A Chicken Owner]

Two main reasons why a pullet might never lay is because: 1. Egg tract issues or 2. Hips aren't wide enough to fit an egg thus the hen will never lay.

 

[ccstar]

Thank you "A chicken owner". Size could have been it. She was very petite/narrow. I took her back to the farm where I got her and there was a young boy living there now who was over the moon thrilled with having a chicken who liked to be held. Eggs were not an issue. That made me feel good. Now I will start my hunt for two to add to my flock as we need more eggs for our family.

 

[fantail]

My two leghorns are over 7 months old and have never laid an egg either. I wonder what ever did happen with you chicken as i see your post is a couple years old. I think there is something like infertility here..... Or I wonder if they caught something when they were young that prevented them from laying eggs? Hope you reply even though your post is so old!

 

[bobbieschicks]

My two leghorns are over 7 months old and have never laid an egg either. I wonder what ever did happen with you chicken as i see your post is a couple years old. I think there is something like infertility here..... Or I wonder if they caught something when they were young that prevented them from laying eggs? Hope you reply even though your post is so old!

Hi, sorry you are having delays with your Leghorns. My WL started laying when she was a few days shy of 19 weeks old. But my Ancona known as AC didn't lay until she was over a year old. They are supposed to be similar in characteristics because they are both Mediterranean breeds. The WL laid like 48 eggs in a row before taking a break of a day and then starting a pattern of laying most days. She had issues with soft shelled eggs at the start but that straightened out pretty fast. She's only taken one long break of a couple of months when she finally molted at the age of 1 1/2yrs old.

The AC whom I started this thread about began laying after the year mark and laid fairly regularly for some time. She has been molting for several months and her eggs are now either dropped soft shelled into the manure box or laid thin shelled in the nest box which makes a huge mess. Once she finishes molting and returns to laying I will decide whether to cull her or not based on whether her egg quality returns to normal.

I started keeping chickens like they were pets and have since moved to more of a chicken farmer perspective, but the curious side of me still likes to wait and see what might happen if...

Hope this helps you. I've had plenty of early layers and some late layers, but AC has been the one who held out the longest.

 

[fantail]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. I never dreamed you would say that she began laying! I have been thinking that I may consider culling these two and starting again-- which is hard because I started my flock of 6 together as pets and urban farming. However, I am not that happy to be limited to 6 (by city council) and not be able to get 2 chickens worth of eggs! I have a silkie to be the one that "doesn't lay" and is a fun pet. However the Silkie has a better track record! I will give until spring to decide what to do. It is just past the winter solstice here in New Zealand so I may give the benefit of the doubt that something may change with longer days. Otherwise, your AC story gives me some background that a late layer doesn't necessarily make a great layer.... by the way, my leghorns are one brown and one white-but yes, all mediterranean.

Thank you again for taking the time to let me know what has eventuated for you.
Kirsten

 

[bobbieschicks]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. I never dreamed you would say that she began laying! I have been thinking that I may consider culling these two and starting again-- which is hard because I started my flock of 6 together as pets and urban farming. However, I am not that happy to be limited to 6 (by city council) and not be able to get 2 chickens worth of eggs! I have a silkie to be the one that "doesn't lay" and is a fun pet. However the Silkie has a better track record! I will give until spring to decide what to do. It is just past the winter solstice here in New Zealand so I may give the benefit of the doubt that something may change with longer days. Otherwise, your AC story gives me some background that a late layer doesn't necessarily make a great layer.... by the way, my leghorns are one brown and one white-but yes, all mediterranean.

Thank you again for taking the time to let me know what has eventuated for you.
Kirsten

oh I forgot about weather influencing output - if it is cold winter where you are then production will slow down in current layers due to less sunlight. And the less sunlight right now can cause the new layers to not start until sunlight increases. I'm thinking you will start getting better production when your daylight hours increase in the spring.

You can put lights up in your coop to mimic sunlight if the winter has just begun. I used to string Christmas rope lights up on a timer and run a bunch of extension cords to my coop - this past year I gave everyone a break and didn't do it. My production dropped but I have enough producers that we still had eggs to eat and sell.

I love my Silkies - I only have one full breed and one mixed breed right now - but they are beautiful girls. They lay for almost a month & half then go broody. lol. My Partridge Silky Shirley Jones cobroodied with my mixed WL/EE/Silky Vanilla Ice and they hatched one egg 5 weeks ago. It's so cute to watch them walking around with the one little chick following. Shirley Jones has resumed laying as of two days ago. I think Vanilla Ice will hold out a little longer.

 

[LadyKotaDoria]

The Wyandotte is over 2, retired 1 - 2 eggs a month (had a difficult life), the EE 's are 41 wks & 5 eggs wk each, Rhode Island Red is 40 & 5 - 6 eggs a wk, the reast are all big girls, Buff Orpington mix, Black Sex Link, Blue Wyandotte Mex. no eggs ever. All will set in nesting box, but no egg, my Blue Wyandotte (Bon) even gives an egg song when she come off the nest 50% of the time. The seem healthy, they eat well, the EE's are at the bottom, of the picking order. Everyone is calm and friendly, they all get a long well. Bon is at the top, but knows better then to pick at my retiree Whinny. Whinny picks back with the leave me alone thing, she is also not fully part of the flock, she will fallow sometimes but dose her own thing. Ervyone hesitates or grabs on the run befor trying to take food away from her.

I have some youngsters are between 11 and 12 wks with the Red Sex Link 17 weeks, I do hope they will start to lay in or by October.