orpingtons

[amanda524]

hi, im amanda im new to this site.ive got 3 orpington hens with 1 cockeral,my hens are 8 month old,but they are not laying yet.plz can anyone help.thanks amanda

 

[debilorrah]

Amanda!!!! 8 months old??? That is a late start for sure. Are you feeding them lay mash and oyster shell?

 

[DawnSuiter]

Hi Amanda,
Yes it would help us to know more about your chickens. What are you feeding your ladies? Have you had any illness in your flock now or in the past? Are they under any stress perhaps?

Maybe they are just late starters... is it possible they are laying somewhere and you haven't found the eggs yet?

Hope we can help!

from East Tennessee

 

[joebryant]

Hi, Amanda, hang on; it WILL happen. My hens and rooster were hatched on May 14, 2008.
Here are my MS Word notes from 2009:

HENS BEGAN LAYING JANUARY 20, 2009

January 27, 2009
It's finally happening. Of my three Orpingtons, two black and one blue with a blue rooster, one of the black hens have laid seven eggs and the blue hen began laying yesterday. The blue one laid her egg under the deck yesterday, but today while she was stuck in the coop because of the cold and snow, she laid her second egg in the nest today. I've been getting an egg a day from the silkie for a long time, but now I'm going to be getting at least a dozen a week from the blue/black Orpingtons. Sure wish that rooster would learn how to do "it" so I could have fertilized eggs. He's trying to learn as fast as he can though, so I have to give him a wide berth. He'll get it sooner or later.

EDIT: BTW, these hens and rooster will all be 37 weeks old tomorrow.

March 20, 2009 The other black hen, Leontyne, began laying about two weeks ago, but so far she’s only laid very large softshell eggs.