New at this-almost 1 year and no eggs

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JohnsIslandChic

JohnsIslandChic

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WE have a mixed variety of chickens. We started with Americauna's last spring and they are still not laying, then we got some gold ones with furry feet, then some Bantams and now 2 black and white striped ones. The black and white(lets two e got in the fall) are the only ones laying and we get one per day. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

(Sorry, my husband knows all their breeds, but I cant seem to keep them straight)

We have 2 coups each with a run. the little bantams are all together and the rest are together. They roost fine but their roost is right on top of their laying boxes. Could that be the issue?
 
JohnsIslandChic said:
WE have a mixed variety of chickens. We started with Americauna's last spring and they are still not laying, then we got some gold ones with furry feet, then some Bantams and now 2 black and white striped ones. The black and white(lets two e got in the fall) are the only ones laying and we get one per day. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

(Sorry, my husband knows all their breeds, but I cant seem to keep them straight)

We have 2 coups each with a run. the little bantams are all together and the rest are together. They roost fine but their roost is right on top of their laying boxes. Could that be the issue?
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Are you feeding them a diet made for laying hens? Do you supply oyster shell on the side? Are you sure your girls are at least 24 weeks old? What is the climate in which you live? Are the nest boxes clean?
 
Thanks for the reply. We feed them a layer mix and add oyster shells. Give fresh water. I just went to get some pine shavings and will clean their coups this afternoon. We clean the coup weekly. We have been mixing pine and cedar shavings because we were told to but I have read on here not to do that so I went and got just pine today. WE added a heat lamp this weekend because its been cold here(in the 30's) We are in South Carolina so we are in a mild climate but 30 is cold for us.

I appreciate any and all info. This is all new for us:)
 
Welcome to BYC!
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We're glad to have you.

How old are your birds? Did you get the black and white ones as chicks, or adult birds? If they were adults, you may have accidentally ended up with old hens that won't lay very well. Alternatively, they may not be laying well because it is winter. The short daylight hours discourage laying, unless you have a light in the coop.
 
Thank you. We got all birds as chicks. The black and white ( I think they are barred rock (sp)) were young and we got them in the fall and they were laying 1 each per day, now only one is laying and none of the others that we got last March/April are laying and never have.
 
JohnsIslandChic said:
Thank you. We got all birds as chicks. The black and white ( I think they are barred rock (sp)) were young and we got them in the fall and they were laying 1 each per day, now only one is laying and none of the others that we got last March/April are laying and never have.
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Yes, cedar can be toxic to chickens if ingested. Sounds like your feed is ok except you didn't mention grit. Also, a heat lamp at temps of 30* may be heat stressing them. they acclimate to cold by growing extra down. they can restrict blood flow to their combs to prevent heat loss and will tuck their heads under their wings if they get cold. Also, they have a really cool heat exchange system in their feet that warms the cooler blood/cools the warmer blood plus when they roost their tummy and feathers cover their feet. Unless temps are below zero with bad wind chills, a heat lamp is just a waste of money and a fire hazard. Think about wild birds, they don't even get a coop! Remember, they are birds, not people.
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ETA: more info
 
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