My young'ins are still not growing up

[DangerChickenHouse]

My BO chicks are now four months old. No crows. No eggs. Spoiled. Free ranged. Good diet. When can I expect them to crow or lay?

 

[chickbea]

The waiting is sooooooooooooooooooo hard...

I try not to expect anything until 18 weeks or so.

 

[Fred's Hens]

16 weeks is too young for a full bodied, heavier bird like the BO. We raised some traditional, heavy framed BR this year and they did not lay until 22-24 weeks. It is simply the nature of these heavier, more traditional breeds. They aren't 3.5 lb Leghorns or sex links.

 

[mstricer]

OMGosh talking about spoiled. My very first chickens were BO's I got them on the first January, they were delivered to me order 15 got 17. These little buggers lived in our basement for 17+ weeks, living high on my exhausted efforts to make friends and love them to death. I cleaned their pen daily and they got yogurt and oatmeal daily, had bananas, mealworms and all kinds of treats, it was the biggest joy to have their coop done, they loved it and so did I. I learned my lesson about chicks in the basement for that long and never will or done it again, still can't get rid of all the dust since then, that was over 2 years ago.

 

[donrae]

Post pics if you want and we can help sex them, if you're concerned. But they're too young to lay, and might not lay now until spring. Any full, red combs? That's an indicator of a hen reaching maturity and getting ready to lay. Oh, and free rangers don't know they're supposed to lay in a nest box, so be prepared for egg hunts!

 

[DangerChickenHouse]

Ok. Here are some pics. What do you think?

 

[Fred's Hens]

The last pic looks like a red sex link, but anyhow, your BO is pretty and healthy looking. She's got a ways to go. She needs to fill out. Early onset of lay sort of freezes their body growth. You want her to be as big as she should be.

 

[chickbea]

I love the middle picture. She looks like an opinionated girl!

 

[DangerChickenHouse]

Thanks! We love our girls!