My hens have not started laying.....what the heck am I doing wrong.

[1of5wives]

Hi,
I have 3 Amerucana hens and 3 speckled Sussex hens. They are all 21 weeks old and none of them are laying. Am I doing something wrong? I switched them from a growth mix to a lay mash at 18 wks. Am I just being impatient???

Any advice would be appeciated.

Katie- Barrie, Ontario, Canada.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Hi,
I have 3 Amerucana hens and 3 speckled Sussex hens. They are all 21 weeks old and none of them are laying. Am I doing something wrong? I switched them from a growth mix to a lay mash at 18 wks. Am I just being impatient???

Any advice would be appeciated.

Katie- Barrie, Ontario, Canada.

There are a LOT of factors about when they start. Breed, environmental stress, stress from other birds, etc. Be patient. From what I have read most laying breeds start 18-28 weeks.

 

[Fred's Hens]

BTW, layer feed has no magic, it is just regular feed with calcium ground into it. One can accomplish the same thing by feeding Grower and providing calcium sources on the side. You're not doing anything wrong, most likely. A pullet will lay when her body is ready and not a moment sooner. Patience is a virtue, and it is also tough to maintain. LOL

 

[1of5wives]

ok.... I'll try to be patient.... It's so hard. My kids go out every evening to search the boxes for eggs. As they say patience is a virtue.
LOL