please help my 8mo buff hens are laying terribly

[floridachickhatcher]

i ordered my 8mo now buff hens back in July 2011 they came here July 14 so they turned 8mos march 14 roughly and they are well over the age of when they should start laying and i love the buffs cause they are pretty and calm but we are only getting 8-10 eggs a day and i have 25 hens and 2 roos and 15-17 of those hens are not laying i mean i thought buffs were suppose to be good egg layers? does anyone have some suggestions as to why they are not laying? and my mom says they don't eat alot almost like they don't like the layer mash they are picky eaters i mean i told mom maybe they don't like the way the layer taste? lol she just looked at me

 

[kaankboom]

you should serch the coop every where becasue they might hide there eggs

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Lock them in the coop/run for a couple of days and that will tell you if they are laying somewhere else

 

[BuffOrpington88]

I agree. If they free range, they are probably laying their eggs outside where you can't find them.

 

[ChickenJerk]

Why don't you examine each hen to determine if she is laying, laying poorly or at all.

 

[tinzman8]

Are they getting enough light? I was only getting 4 or 5 eggs a day from my hens, then i put a light in their coop on a timer that comes on at 3 am...Now i get 12-15 from my 16 hens.

 

[Kaeta44]

Don't know what winters are like in Florida, but if the days are short then they may well stop laying until there are more hours of daylight. Some hens (mine included) don't lay at all during the winter months and only come into lay around now.

 

[Den in Penn]

I''l add that at eight months they should be laying, but if for any reason their maturation slowed they may only now really starting to lay. Add to that the winter has just ended even in Florida.