question re: checking to see if hen is laying

[yinepu]

Quote:
Just a guess... but I am going to say probably the look of the vent.. if it's closed up and dry.. the girls aren't laying.. open and moist .. they are

 

[Karen1958]

I checked 1 of my hens because she is not laying yet, although she is about 20 weeks and my Rhode Island is about the same or a week younger and my Americana has been laying for 3 weeks and she is only 16 weeks now. Can hens be sterile in terms of they will never lay?

 

[aart]

I checked 1 of my hens because she is not laying yet, although she is about 20 weeks and my Rhode Island is about the same or a week younger and my Americana has been laying for 3 weeks and she is only 16 weeks now. Can hens be sterile in terms of they will never lay?

20 weeks is in the middle of the usual range of 18-26 weeks for onset of lay for most birds....
.......I would not worry yet.

 

[Karen1958]

thank you. So she should be about 24 weeks, I guess ill be patient for now. She is so much bigger than the other 3. I will check her again next week, but based on the pictures of normal vents she looks good.

 

[aart]

thank you. So she should be about 24 weeks, I guess ill be patient for now. She is so much bigger than the other 3. I will check her again next week, but based on the pictures of normal vents she looks good.

Size has nothing to do with sexual maturity....they will lay when their bodies are ready to lay.
Pullets coming into lay in the decreasing daylight time of year can take longer to reach onset of lay....
...especially if they are put on layer feed before they are done growing.