Is there a magic formula to get hens to lay?

[Sjisty]

I have raised my flock from eggs and have never had any problems with my hens laying. About 3-4 weeks ago I bought 3 adult partridge brahma hens from a woman who I trust to have good birds. They are adult hens and look healthy. I have had them in quarantine (thank you BCYers for teaching me that). In the 3 weeks since getting these girls, I have very sporadically gotten eggs. They don't roost or go in the laying boxes. The eggs that I find are on the ground. I am getting a total of 1 egg every 2-3 days. In the weeks I have had these girls I have gotten approximately 6-7 eggs total!

I feed flock raiser, a little scratch, BOSS, table scraps, fruits, veggies, etc. I have an open bowl of oyster shell and grit for them and they get plenty of fresh water.

Any suggestions? Is there any way to tell if these girls are too old, or does it just take time to get them acclimated to their new surroundings?

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Chickens often stop laying after being moved to a new home. They have to get used to a new owner, coop, environment, food, schedule and often new chickens or animals in their area, too. It's really stressful. I would just be as gentle as you can with them, for now. The sooner they feel more comfortable, the sooner they will start to lay.

 

[wjallen05]

give them Cayenne pepper!! I read that on here, so I tried it, and holy cow does it work!! Every one of my hens started laying every single day. I gave it to them a few months back to jump-start their spring laying. I don't give it to them anymore but they are all laying almost daily so I didn't think they needed it. GL!

 

[cubalaya]

mix some laying mash crumbles, scratch feed, and some oyster shell and mix it with warm water until its like a paste. feed it to your hens and you should get some eggs.

 

[Taylor]

an old timey remedy that really works is get yelow cornmeal and mix it with milk as if you were going to make cornbread, but make it kinda thick and add tons of hot peppers, cut it finely and let it sit in the refridgerator over night an the next morning set it out in a container in the coop and let e'm eat it up. i give it to them in the winter to get their blood warmed up and it makes their combs blood red and makes them lay lots of eggs!! if the rooster eat any of it he'll shakehis head and boy is it funny to watch him.

also make sure you feed them their layer feed ad scratch, feed them any scraps from the kitchen, and feed them fresh grass and bugs, and fresh vegetables from the garden, and crushed up egg shell for maximum egg strength, I have found herbs makes the bird healthier and makes her lay more eggs

follow these guidlines and you should et the maximum amount of eggs from your hens.

 

[Wynette]

I suspect they may be older hens than what the woman told you, but I sure hate to say that of someone you trust. From how you describe their laying, though, it sounds like they are 4-6 year old hens.

They really should be fed layer feed rather than flock raiser, and I'd minimize the scratch; that's just to be fed as a treat. By now, they should be used to their new home...