new birds aren't laying

[1 lucky dad]

Bought 3 hens from one farm and one hen from another, two weeks ago. I am getting one egg every other day from the N.H.R. nothing from the R.I.R or the black ost or barred rock. I dont think they are stressed and they get a lot of treats and now Im letting them free range for a couple hours every evening. Is it neccesary to clip there wings?


Husband of a great wife>father of two wonderful girls>two female mastiff's>4 hens > 1 female new holland lop

 

[Wildflower_VA]

Quote:

Husband of a great wife>father of two wonderful girls>two female mastiff's>4 hens > 1 female new holland lop

I don't understand the question. Wings, clipped or not, have nothing to do with laying eggs. The only reason to clip a wing is if they are flying over a fence or into somewhere you don't want them to be.

The egg laying concern: Do you know how old they are? Maybe they are too young to lay or possibly too old if over three years old. Too many treats can stop laying, too, if they are not very nutritious treats. A good quality feed and free-ranging for bugs, worms, greens, etc. are the combinations for good egg production.

 

[pinkwindsong]

Quote:

Husband of a great wife>father of two wonderful girls>two female mastiff's>4 hens > 1 female new holland lop

what is the weather where you are.. my young girls are not laying yet and the only reason we can figure is the heat is causing a delay in them starting to lay .. my girls hatched march 16th dark brahma,barred rock, leg horn.. the breed doesnt sema to make a difference either,

good luck
Pink

 

[mystang89]

I bought mine a little over 2 weeks ago as well. Out of the 5 eight month old chickens 1 bought only 1 has been laying. From everything I've read it takes a long time for them to get used to where they are. Hopefully not too much longer though.

 

[Rwill26615]

We have RIR and it took them a whole year before they started laying eggs. I raised them since they were day old chicks. We gave them plenty of food, water, shelter, free range etc.. I think it just depends on when your girls are ready they will lay eggs. Now, 1.5 years later, I have baby chickens and eggs all over the place. good Luck!

 

[Wildflower_VA]

Quote:
I would be very unhappy waiting a year to get eggs from any hen. I feed Countryside Organic feed and scratch, and I was impatient for my 21 week old Australorps to start paying for their expensive grub. Only three of six are laying, and not every day, but it's something. If they took a year, I'd be going to TSC and buying the cheapest feed I could find.

 

[hcppam]

Age excluded. They need time to settle in.

 

[1 lucky dad]

Thanks to all. I am feeding purina layena 16%, and treats are mostly grapes, cheerios,worms. If to many treats will slow egg production than how many and how often is ok? The birds are a year old. I was woried about letting them free range without clipped wings in fear of them leaving the property. So I clipped there wings to be safe and they haven't gone more than 50 yards from there coop and run.

 

[gaillardia]

1 Lucky Dad,

I have 5 acres and my freeranging girls never stray more than 50 feet from the house. They like to be under the shelter of the trees surrounding the house. They won't fly away, so no need to clip their wings. The stress of moving to a new home can cause them to stop laying for a few weeks or so. Just moving in a few new hens caused one of my girls to go on strike for a month.