Not laying

[ga_goat]

I just got 5 silkie hens that I was told were laying , when they got to my house they were in (for lack of a better description ) foul shape , seemed to be under fed, dirty , and I had to assume under medicated , and now 8 days later , clean , being free fed laying mash , and recieving wormer in their water , they are firming up looking much better , but still no eggs , is there anything to do but waite ??
They are now very active , and seem to be more noisy than the RIR's in the next pen over , and very friendly .

 

[emys]

Well, if they were in rough shape, I'd recommend high protein feed with vitamins and electrolytes in their water (now that you've wormed them) and oyster shell on the side.

This will give you something else to do while you wait...because in a new environment, it can take a week or more for a hen to decide she's ready to lay again.

 

[ga_goat]

saw 1 of them in the nest box yesterday but still ,,, no egg /

 

[Ridgerunner]

What did you use to worm them with? Usually there is a withdrawal period where it is not safe to eat the eggs. The wormer does not have anything to do with them stopping to lay eggs. Its just that it may not be safe for you to eat them, depending on what you used.

Moving them like that can stop them laying. They usually don't like change and it can throw them off their normal routine. You moved them to a new location, probably changed their feed, and if you only got a part of the flock, changed the pecking order. If that is the cause, then all you can do is wait. If they were actually laying at the other location when you got them, I'm a little surprised you did not get at least one or two eggs. They often lay the egg that is already started through their internal egg laying factory when you pick them up, then stop until they adjust to the new surroundings. Not always, but often.

It is probably that they have just stopped due to the change. There are some other possiblities.

Regardless of what the people you got them from said, they may have not been laying. Many possible reasons for this. They may be too young which would be good. They'll probably start soon and you'll get them through their prime period. They may be too old, but even if they are old, an old hen usually lays an egg every now and then. Another possiblility is that they are going through a molt. A molt can be triggered by a lot of different things, not just the days getting shorter. Thye normally stop laying while molting. I don't know about silkies, but other chickens can look pretty rough when molting, maybe like they are underfed or not healthy?

They may be hiding a nest from you. I don't know your set-up, but this one would not surprise me at all with them in a new location.

You may have an egg eater, whether a chicken or a predator. Maybe even a human egg thief.

It is probably because they have been moved, although I do think them hiding a nest is a real possibility. I'm just throwing out a few other things for you to be on the lookout for. Hope I did not make you paranoid. Good luck!

 

[fivestring]

My experience is any changes in their environment or schedule will result in loss of egg production. Even a small thing like adding or reducing their run area will affect egg numbers. Geesh, girls are sooo overly dramatic.....

On a lighter note, here is the real reason they aren't laying......

 

[blueseal]

i got 10 new laying hens sunday they just turned a year old. they are rhode island reds and sex link crosses. the guy had 250 forsale and was down to 50 when i got mine . he said they are laying big eggs . they were all cooped up in a small building with no run . i got 3 eggs monday and 1 egg tuesday not sure if they layed today. they have a big run now to roam and a nice coop. im sure it will take them time to ajust to the new home. i got 11/25 eggs today . i think my original flock of 15 layed them. once the pecking order gets settled eggs should pickup.