Am I doing something wrong? My 8 Americanas should have started laying 2 weeks ago. Thus far - nothing. One has frequented the nesting boxes a few times - but that is it. More curiosity I think. I have fake weighted eggs in the nesting boxes - they free range. Come back to the coop each night and each morning - nothing. They should have started laying 2 weeks ago. Should I put a light in their coop for more "light time"? (being winter and their coop is built into the inside corner of the barn - there is a reasonable amount of light already coming in but maybe need more???) Thanks.
How old are they? I know people say hens start laying aged 5 months (20 weeks), but the average is actually 24-26 weeks of age. Some breeds start sooner and some later than that. The short days and lack of light hours is also causing a drop in egg production this time of the year. Most hens need about 14 hours of light per day to keep them in production. So adding some light can help. It doesn't have to be bright, just enough to read by and it's better added in the mornings, so you don't mess with their roosting behaviour.
