Still not laying...

[Redguitar77]

Hi Everyone,

I have 4 hens and all but one have been laying for the last 2-3 months. They are all the same age (31 weeks/7 months, 1 week old). They are all squatting when reached for. The one who is not laying is a blue laced red wyandotte. Her comb and wattle are a dark red, she's a very large hen and I have checked her vent several times over the last month and it looks just like all of my other hens' who have been laying nearly daily for months now. I locked her up for a week to see if there was any chance she was laying and somehow found some very well hidden spot to lay her eggs and nothing. She occasionally spends time in the nest boxes on top of some fake eggs, or the other hens' eggs. She is the least friendly of my hens, leaning toward skittish, much like they all were before they began to lay. She does follow me around chatting but is the first to scatter if I am picking anybody up for a look over. I am totally baffled - is this possibly due to the fact that the days got so short before she started to lay, but she's still 'ready' to technically? I have attached a pic of her, but it's 6 weeks old.

Thank you!
Danielle

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

BLR Wyandotte are bums as far as laying. They start late, quit early and in general lay in spurts with lots of breaks. Breeding for that color tends to mean the production suffers. Consider her eye candy.

 

[Redguitar77]

Well, that is great to know! I guess if I haaaave to, I better get a few more good layers. I do like to look at her. Thank you!

 

[ChickNanny13]

She looks like she's "ready" but the time of year probably a factor too. oldhenlikesdogs is correct, they are "eye candy" & mine laid at about 8 months old. They do like to go broody alot too. Love Wyandottes, have had BLRW & Blues. Now have come BOs that started laying at 6months which was a shock. Love Opringtons too, have had Blues, Blacks, Buffs & Lavenders. They test our patience but when they start laying, it's Easter every day looking for the eggs

 

[EastTXMom]

I have a few that weren't laying and I thought they should. I changed all the nesting materials and started giving treats. I do have lights in my run that are on non-stop. Some of my birds won't go in my co-op and a few get up every morning at 4:30... 3:30 since we rolled back our clocks. Uhhhh.
Since I started giving meal worms (boost protein) and BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds) I've had a huge boost in laying.
They go NUTS over the meal worms. Even my rooster will come eat out of my hands. Usually they cackle and tells the girls they found something nice but not meal worms. They come get themselves a treat. Might help with your inspections.
Just ordered 10#'s for $48 on eBay or I get. 5#'s for $27.95 on Amazon. Boss is about $15/16 for 50# at Lowes.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

I have a few that weren't laying and I thought they should. I changed all the nesting materials and started giving treats. I do have lights in my run that are on non-stop. Some of my birds won't go in my co-op and a few get up every morning at 4:30... 3:30 since we rolled back our clocks. Uhhhh.
Since I started giving meal worms (boost protein) and BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds) I've had a huge boost in laying.
They go NUTS over the meal worms. Even my rooster will come eat out of my hands. Usually they cackle and tells the girls they found something nice but not meal worms. They come get themselves a treat. Might help with your inspections.
Just ordered 10#'s for $48 on eBay or I get. 5#'s for $27.95 on Amazon. Boss is about $15/16 for 50# at Lowes.

I am confused, are you saying 24 hour light and treats contributed to laying?

Gary

 

[Redguitar77]

I've just recently changed all of the bedding materials out and gave everything a good scrubbing but I am pretty meticulous with cleaning up the poop each morning in the coop. I have a blend of herbs I throw in there and the nesting boxes and it smells sooo good. I probably like it more than the birds do. I don't know why but I just love that time in the morning. Hens clucking around my feet while I spiffy things up... anyway, I do give them mealworms and black oil sunflower seeds. They roam freely and follow me around while I fluff up mulch with a rake and get quite a few bugs that way. I am pretty happy with their laying - I get 1-3 eggs every day and am also pretty happy to let the hens follow the natural rhythm of life and not add any supplemental lighting. I just wondered if there may be something wrong with Etta more than anything but, I will keep a lookout for an egg around her 8 month birthday and perhaps begin to look into what other hen(s) I can add to the crew. Thank you all for your replies!

 

[Redguitar77]

She looks like she's "ready" but the time of year probably a factor too. oldhenlikesdogs is correct, they are "eye candy" & mine laid at about 8 months old. They do like to go broody alot too. Love Wyandottes, have had BLRW & Blues. Now have come BOs that started laying at 6months which was a shock. Love Opringtons too, have had Blues, Blacks, Buffs & Lavenders. They test our patience but when they start laying, it's Easter every day looking for the eggs

I had two Lavender Orpingtons that both ended up being boys, darn it!

 

[ChickNanny13]

 

[Redguitar77]

An update! I figured I’d pop in and let anyone know who wondered - Etta started contributing at 8 months old to the day! . I noticed she went as flat as a pancake when I stepped over her 2 mornings ago and found her in a nest box later that day and she left behind a lovely 48g egg!