When? I’ve been waiting patiently!

[Dannysgirl]

I have three buff Orpingtons and one barred rock that I got in March, so they are around 8 months old. I’m only getting one egg a day. When will they all start laying???

 

[CluckerFamily]

Welcome to BYC!!!
Do you free range your chickens?
Are you sure they are all pullets and no cockerels?

 

[Dannysgirl]

I don’t let them free range often as there is a chicken hawk that hangs around my house quite a bit. When I bought them I was told they were all pullets.

 

[CluckerFamily]

Where are you from? The state or country will be just fine.
Mine have stopped laying for the season because the natural light has reduced in the number of hours per day that the sun shines, this will also effect egg production.

 

[Dannysgirl]

We live in NC. What I don’t understand is that they’ve never laid. I’ve always just gotten one egg a day!

 

[CluckerFamily]

What are you feeding them?
Layer feed? Treats?
I think... I am not an expert on these breeds... but do they all lay brown eggs? Do you know which one is laying or which ones?

 

[Dannysgirl]

I give them layer feed and scratch grains. They get meal worms and daily fruit or veggie cuttings from the kitchen as treats. Yes, both breeds are supposed to lay brown eggs so I have no idea which one is giving me an egg each day! Lol

 

[CluckerFamily]

I would recommend putting a trial camera up in the coop looking at the nesting box to figure out who is laying the egg. If they ladies look the same, you may have to put bracelets on them to keep track. Are all the combs a red color? or are they still pink?

 

[Dannysgirl]

Their combs are all red. I did end up with two roosters by accident. One I knew was a rooster but the Rhode Island Red that I got was supposed to be a pullet and he surely is not! Lol! So far the two roosters are living harmoniously.

 

[SBFChickenGirl]

So you have two cockerels and four pullets? This setup might work out for some boys, but you'll wanna keep an eye on the pullets for overbreeding. I'm suspecting that your BR is the one laying. I'm pretty sure that Orps are known for being late layers. As @CluckerFamily said, a decrease in daylight can and does affect laying. Your pullets might not lay till spring if you are having decreased light levels.