Who is playing with the tap? Newbie question

[Chicky_Baby]

Dumb question here but when chickens start laying is their production more erratic and for how long does that continue? I have 6 Black Austrolorps who are producing about 2 eggs a week total between them. My guess is that 2 hens are laying as there are two distinctly different egg types... 1 full sized and darker and 1 smaller and lighter. This has been going on for weeks now. I am following all the rules and they are well fed (high protien / calcium laying mash with extra oyster shells for when they want them and a 20 x 20 pen to play in so it shouldn't be that. I scower the pen daily and there are no signs that something is eating the eggs. The ones I do find are in the nest box with the golf ball place holders just like the books say they should be. The man I bought them from suggested that I might have snakes and told me to put out extra golf balls as the snakes would eat them and die. If it is just a matter of giving them more time I am fine with that but I am worried that I might have something stealing the eggs and that it might endanger the chickens if I don't catch on and nip it in the bud. I would actually worry for them less if I hadn't seen any eggs. Am I being over zealous and a stage mom or is there reason for concern?

 

[Desert Rooster]

How old are they? and how long ago did you get them??

And Hello

and

from Hesperia,Ca

 

[Chicky_Baby]

Thank you, they are around 7 months old... I have had a lot going on right now and I am bad with dates even when not in the midst of chaos so I am not 100% sure down to the week but definitely 7 months and maybe a little more. I've been told larger birds take longer to lay and I wouldn't mind if it were that but I just don't want to be feeding a predator.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Yes, when chickens begin laying it can be irregular as their bodies adjust to laying. It should be sorted out in a few weeks though.