Possible solution for late laying pullets

[mithious]

Just wanted to share this incase others find it helpful!

My pullets weren't laying. 31-32 weeks, no eggs. Long story short, I caught my cockerel violently trying to mate with one of the pullets a few days ago and shoved him off her.

The girls, the next day or so, took matter into their own claws, and beaks, and beat the living snot out of the cockerel. The next day, maybe two days later, I had my first egg and in the past 48 hours, I have two, but very different sized and shades, of nice little pullet eggs and one soft shell frozen solid to the poop board this morning.

I believe I have at least two, if not three, pullets now laying, as the girls not only taught Mr Roo a very valuable lesson, and although it looked like a blood bath in the coop, Mr Roo is doing fine albeit a bit worse for the ware. Also, when that first pullet layed the first egg, she had 4 sisters pullets surrounding Mr Roo, right under the nest box, his head buried in the corner, so she could lay that first egg.

He is now leaving them alone when in the nests!!!!

Must admit, I have NEVER seen chickens do something like that, and if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, would've been skeptical of a story such as I have just described!!!

Soooo, if you have pullets that aren't laying yet and they are wayyy past when they "should" be laying and you have a cockerel or two with your layers, you might want to sneakily check out what your cockerel is doing and if he is being violent or just harassing them and stressing them out!!!

Just some food for thought here and hope my experience can help others!!!

In my case, it was my cockerel, keeping them from laying!!!! Now they seem to be doing just fine and starting to lay on a regular basis!!!

Who would've thought, aye???? I should be filling egg cartons soon now!

 

[mithious]

Here are the eggs I have gotten in the past 45 hours since the two days the girls spent teaching Mr Roo to leave them alone. Top right was the first egg ( the one where the sister pullets had Mr Roo surrounded ) and was laid the day before yesturday, one in bowl was laid last night and frozen solid to the poop board which I found this morning, bottom right was laid around 11 am'ish this morning...so just goes to show, that a cockerel CAN, stress the pullets enough to keep them from laying. Mine was so violent also, that they were not feeling safe, even in the nest boxes, to lay.

So glad the girls took care of him. I would've continued to wonder why I was not getting any eggs, had they not! Even had I figured it all out, all I could've done was separate him from them...and I doubt that would've stopped him being violent when mating with the girls. Maybe, but their way worked MUCH more quickly and affectively!!!

I went back and figured out the timeline of events and the girls started laying, the next day, after they beat Mr Roo up and took control of the situation and these three eggs were laid in the last 45 hours, so there are two for sure laying, possibly 3!