My hen is not laying eggs

[ltlbg731]

I have 3 hen all bought on the same day in April as chicks. 2 of the hens started laying eggs 6-8 weeks ago however my white leghorn who is now over 6 months old has not laid anything. Is this normal? I feed all the hens lay mash and they live in a coop with a 8 foot run. They used to run my yard however they started flying up to the fence and getting out of the yard. My white leghorn has done it twice so now they are stuck in the run. I am thinking about clipping their wings so they can roam my yard but I'm not sure about that either. If anyone has any ideas on either thing please let me know. This is my first go around with hens so I really have no idea what I'm doing. Here are some pictures of the hen I'm questioning. Thank you for your help.

 

[chick2flick]

I've only had small flocks of chickens for the last 4 or 5 years now. In that time, I've had about 4 different flocks of 2 to 12 chickens. So I'm not an expert but do have some experience.
With each group there has always been atleast 1 holdout looking for a free ride and it's usually the lowest in the pecking order so I think you're doing fine. If you want more eggs, you may need to get more chickens.

 

[CherishHolland]

Also remember that the pullet will lay when her body says it is time you may never know she may have a hidden nest somewhere.

 

[ltlbg731]

Thanks for the replies. I will just wait patiently for her to be ready. Can you guys tell me what you think or pros and cobs to clipping the hens wings. I want to put my hens in my yard and they are going nuts in their run all day. I'm not sure what to do.

 

[CherishHolland]

Thanks for the replies. I will just wait patiently for her to be ready. Can you guys tell me what you think or pros and cobs to clipping the hens wings. I want to put my hens in my yard and they are going nuts in their run all day. I'm not sure what to do.

I haven't clipped any of my birds but it isn't uncommon and I would personally clip one side that way the bird will be off balance when s/he attempts to fly. I wish I could free range my flock but I have a neighbor who doesn't believe in keeping his dog in his yard and so she is often over sniffing around the coops I have pegged her several times with my son's BB gun and have even called the sheriff out because she bit my 5 yr old son. I told my neighbor next time I have to peg her with something it is not going to be the BB gun.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

That bird is laying eggs somewhere. Look at that comb--she's way past point of lay. Pullets are notoriously good at hiding nests.

As far as clipping, every one of our birds has their wings clipped. We clip both sides, especially for light-bodied birds like Leghorns. They can still fly over a 5' fence if you only clip one side. One BYC member (wish I could remember who) did a long project where she clipped some on only one side and some on both sides and took notes, nad the ones clipped on one side were still able to fly. Look in the BYC Learning Center for diagrams on how to clip. It's as easy as clipping your fingernails.

Don't forget that you have to reclip twice year, after each moult.