Nine-Month-Old Pullets Still Not Laying

[Keileigh]

Just updating to say that a few days after switching feeds, we started getting an egg a day for a couple of days, then three eggs, and this morning there was an olive green one, which means it definitely came from one of the newer pullets! Hopefully production will keep increasing. Wish I hadn't kept them on the other feed for so long -- just chalking it up to pregnancy brain and toddler-induced sleep deprivation. Those are real medical conditions, right?

 

[DaveOmak]

Great news !!!!!! What feed did you change to..... that's a remarkable recovery......

 

[aart]

But this is your first year iwiw60 and first year layers can often lay thru the dark season without supplemental light.....first year layers is an important point to include.


Older layers need 14-16 hours of light to lay regularly thru winter. Last winter I used a 40 watt incandescent light(this year I am using a CFL) that comes on early in the morning to provide 14-15 hours of light and they go to roost with the natural sundown. Last year I started the lighting increase a bit late(mid October), the light should be increased slowly, and the pullets didn't start laying until late December. Here's a pretty good article on supplemental lighting. Some folks think that using lighting shortens the years a hen will lay, I don't agree with that theory but I also plan to cull my older hens for soup at about 3 years old.

 

[Keileigh]

Great news !!!!!!   What feed did you change to.....    that's a remarkable recovery......

Right now I've switched from Nutrena to Dumor. I know Dumor isn't the most consistent brand since TSC supposedly buys from various milling companies, so I'm planning to look into a local mill that has a good reputation among area chicken keepers. But right now, it's just nice to be getting a few eggs a day!

 

[vintagegem]

two of my 9 month old pullets finally started laying a couple of days ago!!....yippee!...I'm just so excited

 

[LesGus5]

I am so very glad that I am not alone with my 4, non-laying 9 month old gals that I bought at TSC last April. I was especially shocked that the 2 RIRs were not laying. The other 2 are Cochins. Today Blondie the RIR laid her first egg!!!. The chicks I bought at a diffent feed store last may began laying in Nov/Dec; once I fianally switched their feed. I had them on organic layer pellets and they hated them. They do free range a lot, so I thought maybe they just didn't eat very much feed. I switched to Organic "Scratch & Peck" brand feed. It is actual grains and not pelltes or crumbles, no corn or soy. (pricey to order from the website, but my local feed store can get it for a price about comprable to the organic pellets). They gobble it up. When I was mixing 50/50 with the old pellets, they would literally toss them out of the feeder. Spolied gals!
I do not supplement light in their coop, so I know the very short days had an effect as well, but I really believe that finding a feed (whatever type/brand) that the chickens like has helped. Just gotta add a few pics after such a long wait!

Blondie... the winner of the "Late Late Layers"
Excited egg collector

Blondie's egg on the left, store-bought in the middle and an oddly large, white one from one of our mottled houdans