to cull or not tto cull? Egg layer (or not)

[vatterpa]

They havent been laying for almost 3 months. Not slow, I haven't had an egg from them at all. What are they waiting on? Christmas? Good grief!
I'll try upping their protein, but all the other chickens, that are of age, haven't had a problem laying. I ahven't found a whole lot of feathers out there, so I don't think they are moulting.

 

[sotelomary]

This probably won't help you but...I have a 1 1/2 yr. old glw that layed last fall for about 2-3 weeks. She hasn't layed in a year. I keep thinking that after she goes into her first molt this fall that she will start laying. I kind of doubt it and am thinking of trying to rehome her. But I doubt if anyone would want a non layer.

Woodmort...What is your opinion based on your experience. I've only had chickens for 1 1/2 years. Out of 5 chicks that I bought, only 2 turned out to be good layers. I bought them at the feed store and don't know which hatchery they came from.

Mary

 

[sgtmom52]

Quote:
Do you have a picture you could post of your problem girls ~ maybe someone can help diagnose the problem.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

With so many other birds, would it really be a hardship to just let them be and see what happens?

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Just to make sure I understand, you don't free range and you do free feed a diet that is a complete feed?

 

[woodmort]

Quote:
Without knowing what breed they are it would be tough but, frankly, there are certain breeds and lines that aren't worth keeping for eggs--CornishX's for example. They will lay just enough for reproduction purposes but not enough to keep them out of the stew pot. What you have may well be chickens bred for meat.

Edited to add: My backyard experiences, up to this year, have been with a variety of brown egg, heavy birds: RIR, BR, NHR, BO, LW, EE's and both Red and Black Sex Links all of which were either hatched here or came from McMurray as being good laying birds. While I've dealt with CX's for meaties and a few other exotic roosters for fly hackle but those breeds are the only ones I've kept for egg production. None have disappointed me nor have I ever had a hen that I was sure wasn't laying for an extended period of time although all had their individual idiosyncrasies when it came to starting and stopping their laying. (I have worked with/for a few commercial operations with leghorns but wouldn't keep them in my backyard.)

 

[vatterpa]

Quote:
I cannot free range and they are fed a complete feed, 16% layer.
Not all my chickens are layers and since I cannot free range, just about everything they eat I pay for. So yes, chickens that are not laying are a hardship. I live on a farm, my chickens aren't pets. If I can't get them laying soon, they have to go to freezer camp. I can't see them droping feathers, no bald patches or anything. I did buy some nutri-drench and BOSS, if that helps. These are very pretty chickens and I was hoping to hatch some EEs from them, but without eggs.............

Is there anything else I can do?

*EDIT*
Also if you noticed I only have 7 laying currently. So I'm paying for all the rest to eat too.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I wanted to confirm that they weren't free ranging and hiding eggs out in the yard somewhere. Sometimes those nests can be hard to find, even when people have looked repeatedly for them.

Are you using lights to extend the day at all? How long did you have these chickens before they quit laying? I'm wondering if they stopped laying because of the change in living arrangements and then didn't start back up, because of the shorter days. Some breeds are better winter layers than others. I can't really think of anything else right now.

Edited to add, you can always sell them, too, if you don't want to butcher them. Someone else may not mind feeding them over the winter and seeing how they do in the spring. You mentioned that they're nice looking, so I just wanted to suggest that.

 

[vatterpa]

Well, I got them in late may. They didn't lay for almost three weeks. Then they laid for almost three months. Then, nada. There was still plenty of light. I have no idea.
The chicks I got around the same time are almost ready to lay, so that gives you a good time frame. I doesn't help that they are the most prissy chickens that I have ever seen. They really are quite beautiful and are good enough to win at our fair, but are total pains in the butt.
I'm getting so frustrated, so I'm sorry if I'M pissy

I just don't want there to be something I can be doing that I'm not.

 

[myminicooper]

I'm still very new to chickens so I could be way off here but I havne't seen anyone ask if the hens could be sick? Is it possible there is something bothering them that is causing them to stop laying?