Why aren’t my chickens laying yet???

[Jeri2911]

Hi there! So, question...
I have 7 hens. 2 Cali whites, 2 black sex links and 3 Boven Browns. they are 18+ weeks (or should be) and they are not laying nor showing any interest in laying.
I started filling their nesting boxes with pine shavings to help encourage the instinct to lay.But I discovered that they are digging it out of their nesting boxes and sleeping on it instead.
what am I doing wrong? Is it their diet? I’m feeding them Dumar Starter/finisher until the first egg shows. Is that correct?
is there something else I can put in the nesting box to help them want to lay?
please help! Thanks

 

[21hens-incharge]

Patience dear. SOME lay around 18 weeks but more realistic is 20-26 weeks. You have a few looking close but not quite ready.

 

[Jeri2911]

Lol thank you!
I was worried I was doing something wrong.

 

[GC-Raptor]

is there something else I can put in the nesting box to help them want to lay?

Do you have ceramic eggs or golf balls in the nests.
It looks like you'll get eggs in a couple of weeks.
Put out a container of Oyster Shells if you haven't, I put out a container after 15 weeks.

GC

 

[rosemarythyme]

The messing up of nest boxes is a good thing, means they're considering the nests for use.

Their sleeping in the nests is not, and you need to take steps to train them out of it now, before eggs come. Block off nests before dark to keep them out. If they're not all roosting yet, manually place them on the roosts to show them that's where they need to go.