Rhode Island reds no eggs

[Joshgb]

I have 3 Rhode Island reds that are 5 months old and they still aren't laying eggs. I put boxes up on a ledge and put some wood chips in it. They roost on the edge and poop in it. I've searched the coop and can't find eggs. Is something wrong with them or are they still too young to lay eggs?

 

[Peeps61]

I have 3 Rhode Island reds that are 5 months old and they still aren't laying eggs. I put boxes up on a ledge and put some wood chips in it. They roost on the edge and poop in it. I've searched the coop and can't find eggs. Is something wrong with them or are they still too young to lay eggs?

Are the pullets squatting when you are around them? If not, it doesn't mean they aren't laying, but it could be that they haven't started yet. I have 4 RIR pullets that I bought in March of this year, and all of them are laying, but not all of them lay in the nests. I have to hunt the usual places I find eggs to get theirs. If you lock them in the coop at night, leave them in there for a few days. If they are laying, the eggs will be in the coop. That's the only way to be sure. I find that the RIR pullets start between 16 - 20 weeks.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Some lines of RIR take longer to start laying, generally 5-7 months. Generally breeding and feeding factor into point of lay.

 

[slordaz]

The chicks I got in April just laid their first egg, found it out in the yard though, apparently she don't like the boxes I put up lol

They wre on layer feed and 3*1 that was lacto fermented but stopped that recently so don't have to deal with frozen FF as i'm up north, they just get it dry now

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

At 5 months "still" doesn't really apply to not laying. There is nothing to be concerned about, they just are not mature yet

 

[Dayrel]

The chicks I got in April just laid their first egg, found it out in the yard though, apparently she don't like the boxes I put up lol

Try putting dummy eggs (golf balls or ceramic eggs) into their nest boxes. That'll give them a clue where to lay. Mine were born in early April and I kept the nest boxes closed until they started squatting for me. After I opened the boxes and put fake eggs in them, they mostly scratched out the straw and pooped in them, but I cleaned them out and waited.

Each of my three girls layed one egg outside of the nest box, but once they recognized they were going to lay a second egg, they went to the nest boxes and have been going there ever since. Also, now that they understand what the nest boxes are for, they don't scratch out the hay or poop there anymore. The birds just need to learn what is happening to their bodies and you need to point them in the right direction to lay where you want the eggs. They'll handle it from there.

 

[Birdsong 82]

My RIR took about 7-8 months to begin laying. But worth the wait. I had chickens that layed all over the yard. It was like an Easter egg hunt everyday. So when I got my young girls I didn't allow them out of the run until they were laying for at least 2 weeks now these won't lay anywhere but there nesting boxes. You could try that

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

The chicks I got in April just laid their first egg, found it out in the yard though, apparently she don't like the boxes I put up lol

They wre on layer feed and 3*1 that was lacto fermented but stopped that recently so don't have to deal with frozen FF as i'm up north, they just get it dry now

Putting them on layer too soon will slow down maturity. Fall maturing pullets will also take longer to mature, so I always add a month onto the expected start date.

 

[slordaz]

Putting them on layer too soon will slow down maturity. Fall maturing pullets will also take longer to mature, so I always add a month onto the expected start date.

I would tend to agree, because my pullets had been free ranging and only on layer food for about a week but all of a sudden were knocking on the door wanting more melee worms and boom they are going to town on laying eggs getting that extra protein now bugs aren't as plentiful.

They got straw in their boxes too so they prefer that to laying on the lawn