New to the chicken community as I just adopted a flock of 5 hens and have some basic questions about them. One is that not all the hens are laying but all seem to like the new home pretty well as I give treats daily thing to figure out what they like the most. Is this normal as one is an easter egger an has laid only once and been have had them about 3 weeks. Also I would like to add about 5 more to my current flock is there a better age to get as I don't want to get chicks. Thanks for any advice.
Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help. How old are your hens? Age can effect laying. Young pullets sometime take breaks from laying. Also, remember that treats should only take up 10% of their daily diet. Make sure they have either oyster shell or eggshells on the side. Even if they seem to be happy they are probably still settling in so give them time. If you get started pullets you won't have to wait as long. But they won't be as tame and easy to control. You can also ask around here at our buy sell trade for adult hens. https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/67/buy-sell-trade Remember to quarantine the newbies and add them slowly. https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock Happy you joined!
I really have no clue the age of the hens but before I took them they said they were all laying pretty regularly. And now 2 are laying daily and 1 every other day making just a total of 3 laying. They all seem very happy and getting more and more comfortable with me. As far as treats I would say it less than 5% of their diet if that high. I feed them layer pellets and have just added oyster shells and scratch feed and long hours of free range time. Thanks for the reply and welcome!
Hello there and welcome to BYC! Mountain Peeps X2 It depends on their ages as each bird matures at a different rate. Newly moved birds can stop laying for several weeks to a couple months, or until they are comfortable in their new surroundings. Go easy on the treats as the goodies are low in protein and nutrients and egg layers need lots of protein and a balanced diet to lay regularly. So keep them on a good layer feed diet, oyster shell on the side. Keep fake eggs in the nest boxes so they are more inclined to lay there. And if you free range, watch that they are not laying out in the field somewhere. Give them time to adjust, keep the stress down around the coop, no loud noises, barking dogs, lawn mowers, etc...move slowly around them, talk quietly and hopefully they start laying soon. And definitely read the article that Mountain Peeps has linked for you on mixing new birds into a flock. It needs to be done slowly over several weeks time to prevent injury or death. Good luck and I hope they start laying soon!
Welcome to BYC! Glad you decided to join our flock. Mountain Peeps and TwoCrows have given you some good advice and a good link. Please feel free to ask any other questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck with your flock.