One egg then nothing

[chickengirlliz]

I have three chicks, one is slightly older than the others. She laid for the first time four days ago and not since. Is this usual?
They all spend all day outdoors and love to hide under the hedge so we are looking for eggs laid outside of the coop but haven't found any yet. Any advice from more experienced chicken keepers?

 

[aart]

Sometimes they are slow to start laying regularly, so no, not necessarily unusual.

But..... if you are free ranging she may well have found another place to lay out in her range area.
Was the first egg laid in a nest in the coop?
You could keep them cooped up for a few days, all day or at least until mid to late afternoon, so they 'home' to laying in the coop nests.

 

[chickengirlliz]

the first was in the coop. I am thinking about keeping them in for a few days just to see if she lays another.

 

[gardengirl4288]

I have had a similar issue lately... my girls have laid me 6 good eggs and one soft shell. The good ones are from at least 3 different pullets based on color. 3 eggs came one per day and all the same shade of medium brown so I assumed they were the same girl and I have 2 green and one very light creamy brown. Now: nothin'! It has been over the course of a week and I know they can be irregular to start but I hate having to keep them in the run and coop and not go out in the yard. I already found one of the 6 in the run and the soft one was in the yard just outside the run.

 

[gardengirl4288]

Did yours pick back up again? My girls have since laid me another 5. No new layers though =/