When should I expect my hens to lay more or more often?

[padlow11]

We're new to having chickens!! We got 3 RIR hens in October 2013. Not sure exactly how old they were at the time but 2 of them don't quite have their comb in all the way yet. I read those grow with age. Only one has a full comb so apparently she is older than the other 2. I know they moved and were probably still too young to lay at the time we got them and had to go through winter, so I understand them not laying until now. I expect that they would start laying more often now because it it warmer out, (we live in east Texas,) and they have a nice coop with nesting boxes. There is pine shavings in the bottom of the coop and hay in the boxes. They don't really roost, they sleep on the floor of the coop, and one will lay in the boxes only 1-2 times a week, one lays on the floor of the coop just about daily, and one hasn't laid at all yet that we know of. (The one that was lost for 13 days and returned out of the blue looking all raggedy. She is back to normal and looks healthy now though.) They have layer pellets, I crush up egg shells for them to eat, they free range all over our property, so they should not be stressed and have plenty of healthy stuff to eat. Fresh water daily. Any ideas? They are friendly. They like to eat pellets out of our hands. We just recently, (a week ago this last Saturday,) got 5 Barred Rock pullet hens, (they should be age ready to start laying in the next month or so,) and a Barred Rock rooster but they're in a separate coop for a couple more weeks so that shouldn't be stressing them as of yet. I hope they all get along when we do put them together.

 

[Themehmeh]

Make sure nobody is eating eggs.
Give them lots of calcium and check for eggs or remnants multiple times daily to try to catch them in the act.
It might also be that 2/3 hens are laying on the floor and they just happen to be well synchronized. look at nesting box designs, and analyze your nesting boxes (maybe post pictures) and make sure they are acceptable. They need to be large enough for the bird to fit in, but small enough to be very cozy, easily accessible, secluded, and shaded.
If the birds don't roost at night, there is a chance none of them can jump high enough to reach it, or they don't feel safe up there which would lead me to think part of these issues are due to unusual coop construction