Keeping chickens on hard standing - also - no eggs yet??

[chozie]

Hi, I'm new to owning chickens - I have 4 - I had been keeping them on grass but due to bad weather have deicded to move them onto concrete for easy cleaning - I feed them a layers pellet mixed with layers meal but they just tip it all over the floor and tend to just nibble at it - any suggestions here? Also, should I be feeding them any supplements now they aren't on grass? I do let them run free for about 4 hours each day in the week and all weekend!

Also, when I got my chooks (3 warrens and 1 brahma) I was told they were about 16 weeks old - I have had them about 6 weeks (one of these weeks on anti biotics back where I got them from for colds) but I've had no eggs yet - should they be laying yet? am i doing something wrong?

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

What are you using as their feed container?

I'm not sure why your birds aren't laying other then maybe they are younger then you think. If you post pictures of them we may be able to give you an age guess. Is it possible that your birds are laying and are hiding the eggs somewhere?\

Welcome to BYC, by the way!

 

[chozie]

Thanks for getting back to me - I'm using a proper feeder - where you fill the cone type thing and then put the base on and flip it upside down (please see my pics) hehehe

I've searched the garden but can't see any eggs anywhere - my current pic is the Brahma and I'll put some more on of the warrens.

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

I just saw your pictures. If you raise the feeder to the height of the smallest chicken in your flocks back then this should help with them wasting food. I have also found my birds waste a lot more food if I buy layer crumbles, so I stick to the layer pellets.

Your birds don't look like they are laying eggs yet. If they were then their comb and wattles would turn red and also get bigger. With that said, I think your birds may be younger then you think. If I had to make a guess I'd say your birds are about 12-14 weeks old. They definitaly do not look to be 22 weeks old to me.

 

[chozie]

thank you for your advice - I have been raising the feeder onto a breeze block but they are knocking it off of there too - I wondered if I should try a different kind of feeder?

Very naughty of White Post Farm then where I got the chooks from - they said they were around 16 weeks old

 

[chozie]

I've spoken to White Post Farm - they are adament that they were 16 weeks when I had them as they don't sell them before that - they said that there is no exact age when they get their red comb or start laying - I'm very confused - perhaps I'm just being inpatient?