New to chickens

[williez]

Laying hens are new to me, I purchased 5 hens they are buf orpingtons,and are right at a year old. Their sole purpose is to lay eggs , unfortunatly a had to keep them in a 8by8 coop I use for meat chickens until I got the run built ,they were in there for about 4weeks , and I was getting about 1-2 eggs a day from just 2 of the hens . Now that the run is built and they can come and go from the coop and pen as they please and seem a lot happier , how long should it take for them to settle down and go back to laying good? Before I got them they were laying about a egg a day

 

[broilergirl]

it can take up to a week to a month I had to move my pen once and it toke about a week or two

 

[Wyandottes7]

Welcome to BYC!

We're glad to have you.

It may take at least a couple of weeks, and possibly more than a month, before they start to lay regularly again. One thing that may slow them down (that isn't related to the move) is decreasing daylight hours. They may not go back to normal production until spring.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

X2 it can take up to two months or it can only take a few days. Make sure they are comfortable and otherwise not stressed. Make sure the nests are easy to access and have fake eggs in them. Make sure the hens have calcium, food and water. They should start up soon.

 

[williez]

That's what I was thinking I just didn't know if keeping them inside for that long would have a really bad effect on them

 

[BantamLover21]

Glad you joined us!

Your hens may begin laying in a few days, or a few weeks--it will vary with each bird.

Good luck with them!

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! If there are any hiding places, you might want to see if they have made a nest outside/ in the run somewhere also.

 

[Michael OShay]

Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. I've raised Buff Orpingtons for years and they are a wonderful breed; hardy, friendly and gentle (my children, and now my granddaughter, made lap pets of them), and good layers of large, brown eggs. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck with your hens laying again.

 

[chad e]

Welcome to BYC!

 

[drumstick diva]

I'm surprised the meaties didn't eat any eggs that were laid, they will eat anything that they can reach. Good thing they didn't know what eggs were.