No eggs...

[Saladochickens]

I got 4 baby chicks from feed store in March: Wyandotte, Rhode Island Red, black sex- link and red sex-link. The black and red started laying at 5&6 months and died quickly from egg binding, according to feed store girl. The other two beautiful, healthy looking hens still have not laid one egg! Do they “grieve”? It’s been 6-8 weeks since the funeral.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It may have initially been the stress of the change in flock dynamics. Then the declining day length further limited the process leading to ovulation.
If you don't want to wait till after winter solstice, add a light to the coop coming on early enough in the morning to bring the day length to about 13 hours or so. Do so incrementally by adding about a half hour every several days.

 

[fawndane]

Death of other flock members will cause stress in chickens.. Which causes them to stop laying..

They will most likely start laying in March if they aren’t laying already. Currently, there is less light during the day and the weather is cooling off a lot.

 

[Folly's place]

Sorry for your losses. It's terribly bad luck to loose two out of four pullets so early! Could you describe your feeding program, housing, and did they have mites or lice? Maybe there were other issues that the 'feed store girl' wasn't thinking about.
Mary

 

[Saladochickens]

Well, I hope that’s the answer, however I’m in Central Texas where there’s really plenty of daylight and the best weather temps of the year. They look really healthy and happy although they don’t eat much of the laying pellets. I give them snacks (small amounts of leftover fruits and veggies) maybe once a week.

 

[Saladochickens]

Sorry for your losses. It's terribly bad luck to loose two out of four pullets so early! Could you describe your feeding program, housing, and did they have mites or lice? Maybe there were other issues that the 'feed store girl' wasn't thinking about.
Mary

Gladly! They have a nice 2 nest coop with attached aviary - roosts at 3 ft, 4 ft and the one they like is about 5 feet. They also have an attached run that’s 6x7feet. They have pvc feeder that’s constantly filled with laying pellets and self watered bucket with cup drinking plus a water pan that’s refilled w fresh water daily. They don’t eat much unless it’s the leftover fruits and veggies I give them occasionally - less than once a week. They also have 2 roosts in the coop area.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Sorry for your losses. It's terribly bad luck to loose two out of four pullets so early! Could you describe your feeding program, housing, and did they have mites or lice? Maybe there were other issues that the 'feed store girl' wasn't thinking about.
Mary

I wouldn't seek out health/medical advice from feed store employees, even if they have raised poultry. I doubt they ever attended a veterinary college.

Well, I hope that’s the answer, however I’m in Central Texas where there’s really plenty of daylight and the best weather temps of the year. They look really healthy and happy although they don’t eat much of the laying pellets. I give them snacks (small amounts of leftover fruits and veggies) maybe once a week.

You're at 10 hours and 20 minutes of day length now. It has been decreasing and is dramatically less than the 14 hours 20 minutes you were getting at summer solstice. The primary determinant for healthy birds to ovulate is whether day length is increasing or decreasing.
Chicken feed should make up at least 90% of their intake.
Until they start laying, I'd switch to a grower feed. Higher protein will also help induce ovulation and they don't need the extra calcium till they do lay.

ETA
Your setup sounds good. Do you know the manufacture date of the feed you're using?
Sometimes they'll eat less if it is stale.

 

[Saladochickens]

The feed bag says since 1896. Just kidding. I don’t see a date but it is manufactured here in town. And of course I didn’t seek advice from the feed store kid - I just mentioned it when I went to buy a new bag of feed a couple of weeks ago since its where I bought the chicks. That’s why I’m seeking answers from the experts at BYC. I’ll go get the grower feed like you said. Thank you very much.
Another question- I have a friend who has dozens of Buff laying hens. If she’ll sell me a couple, could that be encouraging to my girls?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Depending on the manufacturer, the mfg. date will either be on the guaranteed analysis tag or the seal strip on the end of the bag (usually at the end opposite the tag).
Sometimes it is a Julian date. The store should be able to decipher it for you.
If you bring new birds home, they'll need to be quarantined in quarters as far from your birds as possible.
Bringing in hens won't jump start your birds. There was a study years ago in Belgium or the Netherlands that showed pullets would start laying sooner if there was a rooster present. They didn't have to be in the same quarters, they just needed to be able to see the rooster.
Adequate nutrition and day length are the best means to get them going.
You can add light in the morning on a timer to simulate increasing day length will kick start healthy pullets. Start by adding a half hour of light and add a half hour each week till you get up around 13 hours total.
That should take you 5 weeks and they all should be laying and some sooner.
Check the space between their pointy pelvic bones. If it is over 2 finger width, they are ready.