Why arent my chickens Laying eggs yet? **PICS**

[Iamaqte]

Hello fellow chicken lovers,

I have it had it with my chickens! WHERE ARE THE EGGS!

I have put the golfballs in the nice pretty nest boxes I have set up for them and you think I would get some eggs? NOPE! Not to mention I have like 18 boxes for about 12 hens! There is no reason they aint going in them!!What is there problem!? Anyone speak chicken. I feel it would be helpful in a time like this. Maybe they dont want to lay eggs. Can they choose not to lay eggs?

I am trying to figure out how old they are .. Most of them I got around Mother's Day. I am pretty sure they are old enough. RIGHT?

My ducks on the other hand have 2 nest going with a total of 13 eggs!! If only my chickens were that ambitious!!

I was cleaning out my little flower bed yesterday and found a nest of like 7 eggs. They appear to be chicken eggs, but I dont know if they came from my newbies or if they came from my older girls. I took the eggs and put them in the nest box to see if it would help. I figure if I dont notice them on them then I am going to just remove them, since I honestly dont know how old they are.

I am just going crazy waiting for them to lay eggs! I am going to lcok them in their pen till the give me an egg! No more free ranging for them!!!

I have searched all over seeing if maybe they are laying somewhere else, and nothing. And when I am out with them the hens are either walking around or hanging in or under the Lilac tree!

I am sorry if some questions sound stupid.. I am just venting. I REALLY WISH I COULD SPEAK CHICKEN THOUGH! THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.

CLUCK, CLUCK!!

The rooster is one of my older boys.. but the other ones are my young ones.

 

[MissPrissy]

If you got them as babies at the mid or end of May your chicks are not old enough yet to lay eggs. They will begin to lay between 18 and 24 weeks -that is 4 - 5 months of age. If the weather is super hot and rain is poor sometimes they will need longer to get up to speed with the laying.

Be patient. All good things come in due time

 

[Motherhenandflock]

I think they must be hiding them from you. Go on an Easter egg hunt. The nest you found was probably some of their eggs.
Where they are free ranging looks like there are plenty of nice nesting places. They don't need to go in to the nests you have provided!
In your sig line you say you've got 38 chickens? Unless they haven't all started laying, you should be swimming in eggs.
I would keep them penned up. Take them the treats and greens that they are used to hunting for themselves.

 

[Iamaqte]

Some of my 38 are still really small.. they are couped up till they get bigger..

See picture...

Yes they were babies when I got them on Mother's Day. They still needed a heat lamp.

 

[silkiechicken]

They are probally too young. I got some birds in feburary and they are just starting to lay. I'm sure mothers day is after february.

 

[Backyard Buddies]

Mother's Day was May 13th. If they were day-olds, they'd be just over 11 weeks of age. Since they still needed the heat lamp, it's unlikely they're any older than 17 or so weeks old, assuming they were older than day-olds when you got them. Some breeds will lay as early as 17 weeks, and I'm seeing some nice red combs amongst your bunch. My best hunch is that some of them will be ready in the next few weeks. For others, it could still be a while.

As a comparison, my girls hatched on March 27, 2006 and I got the first egg on August 18th, from a 20 week, 4 day old EE. The last (an RIR) laid at 27 weeks exactly. My girls were already off of the lights and out in their coop by May 12 of that year. Being that's the same time yours were coming home, perhaps my experience will give you a ballpark figure to work with. Of course, each breed and each bird will have her own time clock. I know it's hard to wait, but it won't be too many more weeks.

 

[Iamaqte]

I guess I am just being impatient, but they look ready to lay.. those pictures dont do them justice.. some of my girls are huge.

Anyone know what kind the red ones are? Breed Wise..

 

[mdbucks]

mine were 7 weeks on mothers day, and only the leghorns have started laying, going on 3 weeks now. You probably lhave a couple more weeks to wait. Check 3,4,5......times a day and eventually you will vind an egg.