When are my "Freeloaders" going to start laying???

[OCChicken]

I have 5 young ladies 4 of them are 23 weeks old and haven't layed a single egg (2 Barred Rocks, 1 Black Australorp, 1 SL Wyandotte) and I have a Red Sexlink that started laying at 19 weeks and has layed 44 out of the last 46 days including a huge 3" tall X 2" wide double yoker on friday (OUCH!!

). What do you suggest, should I install some artificial lighting in the coop for a few extra hours, maybe 1 in the AM and 2 in the evening? Or am I just being impatient by comparing them to the "Egg Factory"?

Thanks,
OC

 

[will hunt for food]

I bet you will have eggs within 2 weeks........

 

[firedove]

It's been my experience that the sex-links always start laying first. My golden comets and black sex-links were laying several weeks before my BR and long before my EE. My Wyandottes took their sweet time getting around to laying too (and now most of them lay somewhere outside while free ranging

). Just be patient and you should have more eggs soon.

 

[keelinkiddos]

Waiting is so hard - I have a golden comet that just started laying at 26 wks and an 18 wk old mixed BR that just started too. I don't know what the determining factors are - I think it's just whenever they are ready.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I bet you will have eggs VERY SOON.

 

[OCChicken]

Too Funny!!!

So I just checked on the ladies and they were all outside enjoying the sun, and when I got close to them the Australorp did the famous squat, so I opened the door to the coop and there in the laying box is a little brown egg

. So now I have 2 layers.

 

[logansmommy7]

I've been calling my young girls the same thing, "FREE LOADERS"!! They are EE combos with red sex links...are EE's typically late layers? They are 20+ weeks old. I even think I saw my rooster "do the deed" with 1-2 of them. Shouldn't they lay soon??? Are they hiding their eggs? I have looked everywhere!

 

[Tala]

Quote:
Eh, my red sex link took her sweeeeet time. She's my only brown layer, so there's no way she was slipping any past me

Two of my leghorns started laying mid-20th week.
My Redstar just laid her first egg today, first day of the 24th week. Yeah I was getting tired of waiting on her!
One of my Leghorns still isn't putting out.....but she's getting red facial features, so I'm not making chicken soup just yet.

 

[nhchickmom]

I have been wondering the same thing. WE have 2 ee, 2 barred rocks and 2 welsummers, all at 25 weeks old and none of them are laying yet. Am I doing something wrong? We also have 4 already laying hens who are of course moulting, and thus not really laying.

 

[OCChicken]

Well my Australorp layed her second egg today, but I swear I have a quail in the hen house somewhere

. As for the Sexlink she is laying Emu eggs lately, nice ginormous double yolkers.

Don't you dare take my egg from me!!!

The 2 Egg Layers