My 4 Barred Rocks are going on 26 weeks old now. I got them all together at the same time, they are from the same shipment from the hatchery....so they're all the same age. 3 of them lay consistently, mostly every day.... and have been for about 4 weeks. The 4th hasn't laid an egg yet, nor is she showing any signs of laying (no squatting as the others do). And, no... she is not a he. Any words of wisdom from you veterans? This is my first flock, so wondering if this is a "normal" occurrence..... where some birds just take longer to mature. Thanks for the insights.
some just take much longer. ... and believe it or not, some never lay. I suppose that's where the term 'stewing hen' came from... delicious from the crock pot.
You get dud once in a great while. Something about their hormonal system just never develops properly. Like you, I got a bunch of BRs this past March. One never did exhibit maturity or lay. She also was a bit ostracized by the group because of it, I believe. After giving her two extra months, I gave her to my neighbor in the scant hope that a new environment might have a positive effect. Pretty sure that failed too and after another month, he likely had a nice tender hen on his table.
