New at Raising Chickens - please help

[Iamgrateful]

Hi everyone. I am new at raising chickens and have a small flock of 4 chickens (2 white leghorns and 2 Isabrowns) - I have raised them from small chicks and they are now about 21 weeks old.

3 of the chickens have been laying eggs for about 4 weeks now. One of my Isa Brown chickens has never laid an egg yet. I am getting concerned for her health and have recently read about egg-bound chickens. When I pet her back she squats down and speads out her wings a little just like the other chickens. She seems to be healthy.

Is it normal that at 21 weeks she has not yet laid an egg or is there something wrong?

Thanks in advance for any help/advice! Very much appreciated.

 

[chicks4kids]

She sounds fine. It just takes some birds longer to lay. My FBCM's didn't start laying until after 32 weeks old

Hang in there-she'll get to it sooner or later

 

[Katy]

They all mature at different rates.....she's more than likely just a late bloomer.

 

[Iamgrateful]

Wow fast replies! Thank you so much!

That is very reassuring to hear. They were all the same age when I got them (just a couple days old) so I was getting really concerned that the other 3 have been laying for a month and no eggs yet from her.

I really hope that she is just a late bloomer. If she is squating when I pet her back, does that mean she is probably close to laying?

 

[Uniontown Poultry]

It may not be anything to worry about just yet. Like people, there is a great variation in chickens, and sometimes an individual just won't follow the general rules. One of our members had some beautiful Delaware pullets that started laying right on time, but they only laid a few soft-shelled eggs & then stopped. She was disappointed and passed them to a new owner, who reported that the girls started cranking out big brown eggs after a few weeks in their new home. Your girl could just be a "late bloomer." It's doubtful that she'd be egg-bound so young - it is usually a problem with older hens - you see them straining, standing in a more penguin-like way, and their discomfort is fairly obvious. If your pullet is happily running around with the rest of them & has access to the nest (so she's not laying eggs elsewhere b/c she's being bullied away from the nest box), then she's probably just a little late getting started. You can always check her bottom against her flockmates - see if her vent is stretched like theirs. With new pullets, this is a good way to see who's laying and who isn't. Hope this helps!