What Gives? Eleven 24 week old hens with one small egg laid and nothing since?? (8 days and countin

[cbookout]

The coop is large. 13' x 8' and 8' tall. But there is just pine shavings and dirt in there. Not much to eat except their layer feed.

 

[aart]

I'm not sure? I could do it but I might have fried chicken by the evening. Supposed to be triple digits here all week. 1/2 the coop is open air with horse fencing but it still gets super hot in there if there is no breeze. I could easily do it but would worry that would also stress them out.

Add a fan and just keep them in there for half the day, until early afternoon maybe.
My birds are usually done laying by 2pm....new layers might be different tho not having their schedule smoothed out yet.

 

[BroodyBettysMom]

Add a fan and just keep them in there for half the day, until early afternoon maybe.
My birds are usually done laying by 2pm....new layers might be different tho not having their schedule smoothed out yet.

My chickens must be messed up then! Every day between 3-7 mine start laying! Cbook, I had one nesting and never saw until she alerted me. I've started making nesting boxes and putting them throughout the woods. They are using them now instead of "egg hoarding"! Also, check them to see if they're old enough to be laying. Check the distance between the pelvic bones, three fingers in between and they should be laying. Also, same thing, between breast bone and pelvic. I have some we thought were egg layers, just to test them and find out they had a little bit more to go. Good luck!

 

[cbookout]

Thanks all. No electricity out there so no possibility for a fan.

Still no eggs but I did notice that two of the nesting boxes have been thoroughly worked over. One or some of them got in there and created a nice deep hole in the nesting pad and pine shavings. I'm going to hang some sheer curtains over the boxes and see if that helps. Might not be private enough the way it is now. I was worried about heat so I did not enclose the nesting box area like most coops.

My two NH Reds combs and waddles are getting nice and red though. I'll check the pelvic bones today.

I'm still wondering about that 1 egg though. A little worried the one that laid the lone egg will no produce anymore because everyone I've spoken with seems to think its not normal for a chicken to lay 1 egg and then not lay another one for 11 days. Might be all she wrote.

 

[BroodyBettysMom]

...

Still no eggs but I did notice that two of the nesting boxes have been thoroughly worked over.  One or some of them got in there and created a nice deep hole in the nesting pad and pine shavings.


Reading this part makes me wonder if you don't have a critter getting your eggs!

 

[aart]

Thanks all. No electricity out there so no possibility for a fan.

Still no eggs but I did notice that two of the nesting boxes have been thoroughly worked over. One or some of them got in there and created a nice deep hole in the nesting pad and pine shavings. I'm going to hang some sheer curtains over the boxes and see if that helps. Might not be private enough the way it is now. I was worried about heat so I did not enclose the nesting box area like most coops.

My two NH Reds combs and waddles are getting nice and red though. I'll check the pelvic bones today.

I'm still wondering about that 1 egg though. A little worried the one that laid the lone egg will no produce anymore because everyone I've spoken with seems to think its not normal for a chicken to lay 1 egg and then not lay another one for 11 days. Might be all she wrote.

I'd not add curtains to then nests......it's just another new thing that will stress them out.
If you're free ranging she could have laid anywhere, so don't be too focused on the 'no egg in 11 days'.

 

[cbookout]

So.... Guess what.... I found an egg in my nest yesterday!

It was a perfect little tinted brown egg, I'm pretty sure from one of my Buff Orpingtons.

I ended up putting sheer curtains over the nest box because I was really worried about them not having privacy. I've had two kids and I understand not wanting to have your 'eggs' right out in the open.

So I checked several of my girls pelvic bones last night and it was really interesting:
My 2 NH Red girls, that have the biggest and reddest combs and waddles, had pelvic bones that were not ready at all. Only 1 finger width.
And my Buff Orpingtons who don't really have red combs and waddles yet had enough space between the bones for 3 fingers or more!
My Speckled Sussex birds (which were supposed to be tame) are also hard to catch and once I have them they fight me so I could not really get a good judge on them.
And my EE's did not have the enough space for more than 1 finger either. (well, the only 1 I could catch - she squats for me when I approach her - the other 2 run like hell.)

So it was an education for sure! Only thing still bothering me is that Storeys said chickens reach peak maturity by 30 weeks. Only 2 of my 11 hens have laid and egg at 23 and 24 weeks. And only my Buff's have pelvic bones that indicate that they are ready? Oh well, hopefully over the next few weeks they will all mature. I'm really ready for some blue-green eggs.

Here's some pics of the egg and the nesting boxes and a nifty picture I found in Storeys Guide to Raising Chickens...