New chickens added, old ones not laying

[sarahbella]

I have 6 chickens. 2 of them have been with me for over a year and they are wonderful regular egg layers. I got one from a neighbor a few weeks ago and they were all 3 doing just fine. Laying regularly.

3 weeks ago I added 3 fifteen week old hens that aren't laying yet and now no one is laying!

One of the girls lays an egg every other day (aracauna) but not a peep out of the other two (silver laced wyandotte and black sex link).

The two older girls that aren't laying spend a lot of time just laying around in holes they've scratched for themselves but it doesn't seem like broodiness. No one is visibly sick. They are eating and drinking like crazy. Pecking order seems pretty well established, not a lot of squabbles.

What could it be?

 

[Judy]

If the two that aren't laying are over a year, they may be going into a molt. Some molts are a lot easier to see than others, and there's really not a set time.

You might want to look at this link:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/423023/why-arent-my-chickens-laying-here-are-your-answers

 

[animallover505]

molt, heat, could really be anything. Make sure there is plenty of shade, food, and water.

 

[tankerman]

We had a similar problem after adding some youngsters to the flock. After a bit of sleuth work, we found bits of broken shell under their straw. The younger birds were pecking the eggs to pieces.

We think it was happening because the younger birds weren't roosting yet, instead they were sleeping in the nesting boxes...and maybe just pecking the eggs because they were a target of convenience????

Once the young birds started roosting, it vanishing/broken egg problem stopped.