Welsummer 32 Weeks - Still No Eggs

[Potterygal27]

This is our Welsummer Winnifred aka Winnie - She’s 32 weeks and showing no signs of laying. We have 4 girls total and the other 3 started laying around 20 weeks or so. Everyone is currently being fed New Country Organics Classic Layer Crumbles. She’s timid, a little bit of a loner and definitely at the bottom of the pecking order. Is there anything I can do to help the process or just keep waiting it out?

 

[Tahai]

you're positive she's not laying in a secret nest somewhere?

 

[aart]

She looks 'red enough' to be laying.
Do you free range?
Time for an exam...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/

Then maybe:
Free range birds sometimes need to be 'trained'(or re-trained) to lay in the coop nests, especially new layers. Leaving them locked in the coop/run for a week or so can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. Fake eggs/golf balls in the nests can help 'show' them were to lay. They can be confined to coop and maybe run 24/7 for a few days to a week, provided you have adequate space and ventilation, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it. ..at least for a good while, then repeat as necessary.

 

[Potterygal27]

you're positive she's not laying in a secret nest somewhere?

Im positive! We have a lot of hawks where we live so I only free range when I can be out there.

 

[Potterygal27]

She looks 'red enough' to be laying.
Do you free range?
Time for an exam...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/

Then maybe:
Free range birds sometimes need to be 'trained'(or re-trained) to lay in the coop nests, especially new layers. Leaving them locked in the coop/run for a week or so can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. Fake eggs/golf balls in the nests can help 'show' them were to lay. They can be confined to coop and maybe run 24/7 for a few days to a week, provided you have adequate space and ventilation, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it. ..at least for a good while, then repeat as necessary.

Thanks for sharing this article! We can only free range if we are able to be out there so I’m certain she’s not laying. The hawks are really bad where we live. We’ve got the fake eggs in the boxes and the other girls are laying almost daily. She’s shown absolutely no interest or any other laying behaviors. I’m not sure what’s going on.

 

[RoyalChick]

She is pretty.
Mine was also nice and red about the face at that age. She finally gave me her first egg when she was two days shy of 11 months old.
It was a beautiful dark terracotta egg with some speckles. So although she was freeloading all that time I forgave her!