New hens, when they begin to lay?

[Rick&chickTampa]

I bought 5 Red Sex Link Hens last week. This is the only chickens in our new coop. The Craigslist ad said "laying hens" and they appear to be grown chickens. I was expecting them to not lay for a few days because of the stress associated with moving them but tomorrow it will be a week. Is that normal? How long can I expect to wait. These girls need to be paying for their food!

 

[chicmom]

Hello! Are you in Tampa FL? Have you had bad weather? You're right, they do need time to feel "at home". Do you know the age of your hens? RSL hens are good production layers and can begin laying as early as 17 weeks of age. An average laying age for them would be about 20 weeks. What's your coop and run setup like?

 

[Rickba]

I love my RSL's. I'd like to see a pic of their combs so I can gauge their age's. RSL's usually start laying 17 to 20 weeks. This springs batch, to my surprise, started at 15 weeks. If their heads aren't as bright red as these, they're not ready to lay.

 

[sourland]

Are they pullets or mature hens ? If they are mature hens the change of environment coupled with the time of year may throw them into a molt. If they are pullets they may not have started laying. Chickens hate change and it can impact egg laying from weeks to months.

 

[Rick&chickTampa]

Yes we are in Tampa and I bought them a couple of days after the hurricane. I don't have a picture but my wife does (her and her phone are smarter than me) She will post them. They appear to be mature hens/

 

[Rick&chickTampa]

This is about the best picture I have

 

[Rick&chickTampa]

What's your coop and run setup like?

 

[Rick&chickTampa]

If their heads aren't as bright red as these, they're not ready to lay.

Mine don't seem to be quite as bright as yours.

 

[Rickba]

Diggers are going to get into your coop and get to your chickens. Also, The color of the waddles is not normal. it's too pale. Usually pink waddles is a sign of anemia brought on by worms. Take a poop sample to the vet. or at least get some DE and mix with their food. The DE will help with worms. Now, It could also be a sign of other things. I would give the chickens vitamins, especially calcium. Lack of calcium could be the reason they're not laying eggs. They may be laying shelless eggs. Looking at the pic, that's not a good chicken diet. It's a good treat, but that's all. Look at their feathers, they look horrible and lackluster. The waddles and feathers are a definite sign something is wrong. I'll bet their poop is not a firm ball but a stinky brown puddle. If you don't fix this they'll be dead in a couple weeks. Look at my pic's. That's what a healthy RSL looks like.

 

[Rick&chickTampa]

Diggers are going to get into your coop and get to your chickens. Also, The color of the waddles is not normal. it's too pale. Usually pink waddles is a sign of anemia brought on by worms. Take a poop sample to the vet. or at least get some DE and mix with their food. The DE will help with worms. Now, It could also be a sign of other things. I would give the chickens vitamins, especially calcium. Lack of calcium could be the reason they're not laying eggs. They may be laying shelless eggs. Looking at the pic, that's not a good chicken diet. It's a good treat, but that's all. Look at their feathers, they look horrible and lackluster. The waddles and feathers are a definite sign something is wrong. I'll bet their poop is not a firm ball but a stinky brown puddle. If you don't fix this they'll be dead in a couple weeks. Look at my pic's. That's what a healthy RSL looks like.

I'm not too worried about the coop because we do live in a city sub division and I have my own large dog that protects the back yard. Their poop is solid balls. That was a treat my wife gave them, we are feeding them "poultry feed" but that's about all I know about it, that's about all it said on the bag. I was reading about Purina Omega with oyster shell today and was planning to give that a try. I don't know much about DE except what I have read on here but I will give it a try. Can you tell me about how much percentage wise I should mix with the food? Thanks for your replies.