Still no eggs!

[mjones22]

I have a cuckoo maran and a black langshan that are 27weeks this week and are not laying, and not really showing any signs of starting to lay. My Dominique (who is only a week older) has been laying since August 9th! Beginning to think she will be my only layer! Has this been others experience? Are these both just late layers?

 

[IceAngel]

Did you hatch them? Sometimes sellers aren't totally honest about the age of their poulets. I would give it another week or two.

 

[mjones22]

Did you hatch them?  Sometimes sellers aren't totally honest about the age of their poulets.  I would give it another week or two. 

I didn't hatch them. But it has now been a month since I posted this question and still have no eggs. And now that winter is approaching I'm thinking they may not lay til spring!!

 

[IceAngel]

There are some posts here about artificial lighting to stimulate egg laying. Chickens need around 14-15 hours of daylight for peak egg production. Not sure if this applies to your breeds but it's worth a try.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Some commercial hybrids and heritage breeds come to lay earlier and better in the winter shorter hours. Others simply do not.

You have 3 different breeds...so you can expect different maturity and POL times.

Dominques are known for being a better winter layer, and are a lighter bird, so mature more quickly.

Marans and Langshans take longer to develop being darker layers and heavier birds.

Birds hatched and maturing in late summer early fall often do not begin to lay until spring, depending on the breed and the genetics. It takes 12 hours of continuous daylight to stimulate the pituitary enough to begin egg maturation for laying. You need 14 hours of light for continuous laying. You can hang a light that is bright enough to read a newspaper at nest level. It doesn't take much light, but it does take continuous light, every day.

Right now, in natural lighting, and my northern shorter days, I have a 20 week old Gold Star that has begun to lay pullet size eggs, being the commerical hybrid that she is for early maturity and production laying. The older Splash Marans, who is bred for a scale 7 (very dark egg color) is not laying, and I do not expect her to do so until February as her breed matures more slowly, and she was maturing in the shortening days. BTW...it also works the other way. Chicks hatched in late January, early February, especially in natural lighting under a broody's care, will mature more quickly than the breed average as they are maturing during lengthening daylight hours. I've had commercial hybrids come to lay by 13 to 14 weeks and Marans by 18 weeks.

LofMc

 

[mjones22]

Thank you! Very helpful