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[rayado]

my chicken is going to be 23 weeks old this friday and still no eggs. she is a production red and she hasnt layed yet i give her cracked corn and let her free range.should i change what she eats oor is it that shes not old enough

 

[Shawna235]

Do you offer layer feed or just corn? Mine are just at point of lay as well and I'm still learning. Just wondering if the feed makes a difference for actually laying, or if it just improves egg quality. Hmmm.. Interested for replies.

 

[rayado]

i just give them corn

 

[jecombs]

If she is free-ranging much of the day, she may be laying her eggs in the grass somewhere and hiding them. Also, nutrition plays a very important role in egg production. It's possible for a hen to survive without commercial feed, but I would expect that they rate of laying would be lower. So, my two suggestions are 1) confine her to the coop/run area for a week or two. 2) start her on a layer feed.

Also, am I understanding correctly that you just have the 1 chicken? Chickens are naturally flock animals, but I don't know if having one as a solitary bird would affect laying or not... Maybe someone else can chime in?

 

[rayado]

i have 3 hens and 1 rooster but shes the closest one to laying

 

[Den in Penn]

A just corn diet slows the maturation down. I don't know the conditions where you are, but if its been hot and dry the, land she is ranging on may not have enough to give them a balanced diet. If your buying corn, a mixed feed isn't to much more than just corn.