What's the deal w/ my striking chicken and the other slackers?

[cantley2003]

I don't post much, but I'm at this forum daily. So now i'm here with a question. I have 6 EE pullets, that are coming up on 6 months old now. 1( egg beater) has been laying for over a month. She started with one egg then nothing for about a week and since then she's been good for an egg a day. the second one (darlin)started laying about 3 weeks ago and she was laying daily and now for about 5 days I've gotten nothing from her? Is this normal? The other 4 we'll call them the slackers, all of them but one is exhibiting the signs of getting ready to lay, squatting when touched, combs trned red, etc. So should they be starting soon? I know I need to just be patient with them but, I WANT EGGS!

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Knight Hawk Ranch]

I see you are located in Fla. I am several hour south of you and it has been VERY hot and lots of rain here lately. My girls have slacked off a lot lately.

I have 18 hens and up till about 2 weeks ago, was getting an average of a dozen eggs a day. Now I am lucky to get 4.

If they are getting the nutrients/grit/oc they need then it is just the weather and/or they haven't matured enough to lay.

I can't wait till it cools off some, tired of sweltering heat and few eggs.

 

[joanc]

Be patient-sounds like they're getting close to laying.

Once mine started laying (I have 24 hens-all different breeds) there was only 1-2 laying each day for about 3 weeks. Then the floodgates opened and within another 3-4 weeks I was getting an average of 12/day. Every so often I get as many as 21 eggs a day.

I love the name "egg beater".

 

[cantley2003]

Quote:
Thanks, my daughter named her since EB beat everyone else to laying the first egg.

 

[cantley2003]

Quote:
I was wondering if the weather could have something to do with it, I've noticed on rainy/ thunderstorm days sometimes I won't get an egg that day from egg beater, but they'll be one first thing in the AM and I was wondering if the storm may just scare her too much.

They have oyster shell alway available to them and are on layer crumble and kitchen scraps.

Thank you