Why Aren't My Chickens Laying? Here Are Your Answers!

[backyardmenagerie]

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It's not unusually for hens to stop laying when they move from one home to another. Sometimes it just takes awhile for them to get comfortable and start laying again. Give her a few more weeks.

 

[Cass]

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First,

Second I bought hens that were laying for the previous owner. 2 of them gave me eggs a day later. 1 of them waited 3 days to lay for me. The 4th one laid 2 WEEKS later. Stress and rehoming upsets chickens. It changes their laying pattern. As does heat, cold, lack of light, feed changes and, I swear but no one confirms it, the phase of the moon.

Bascially what I am saying is give them time. Not every chicken lays an egg every day. And some lay at the same time every day all year long. They have their own rhythms and they don't read our clock or calendar.

Are you sure that the reds are laying every day? Maybe 2 of them are laying every other day so you get the same number of eggs daily, but not from the same hen. That's what is happening at my coop. I have 4 layers and 3 eggs a day, like clockwork. So 2 of them are only laying every other day and 2 are laying daily.

 

[Deweydoodledo]

Thank you for all the great info! This really helped this new egg

 

[Cass]

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You're welcome. Glad I could help.

BTW I didn't get one single egg today. So much for "3 eggs a day" LOL They do their own thing, but they are the only pet that can lay your breakfast.

 

[Cluckins]

OK, First post here to be your boring 'my chickens aren't laying'... Sorry, but I don't know where else to get advice now!

I got 2 chickens in April, one bantum cross one speckledy. The bantum was dominant and layed on first day and nearly an egg a day.

Speckledy was younger so started about 5 weeks in and layed around 5 eggs, then both just stopped!

Only had probably 4-5 eggs from speckledy in 5 weeks since, none from bantum.

They have a large run, layers pellets with mixed grain in feeder and fresh water. Gritty soil is available and I give them odd scraps and grass.

No sign of mite, no sign of stress; they come upto the side of the pen and are acting normal, clean coop...

I'm totally puzzled.

Even put a rubber egg in nesting now!

Suggestions?

Many thanks!

 

[rolffamily]

I had gotten three Delawares from a friend. I got an egg the first day and then nothing for three weeks. I had been feeding them the same layer feed I feed my other chickens. I switched them back to the feed my friend had been using and they started laying the next day.

 

[Cass]

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First

Lots of help here.... Just no real answers to "why aren' t they laying.

Chickens don't read our calendar. And they don't answer directly to our questioning. Have you read through this thread for ideas? Internal laying can be a problem , but both at the same time? I doubt that.

Sometimes showing them the stock pot and telling them they are going to find themselves IN IT if they don't lay soon works.

Sometimes changing their feed works. I do know, from personal experience that giving them too many treats causes them to stop laying or lay irregularly. I was getting 3 -4 eggs a day from 4 hens until the rain started and I picked up worms for them ... as a treat. MANY worms. They stopped laying. Never resumed at the rate they were, now they are out free ranging every day. (Now I have one of my daily layers gone broody on me, so I am lucky to get an egg a day. I'm looking for a large stock pot to take down there.

)

 

[Cluckins]

Cheers

May look to change their pellets. Currently on Dodson & Horrell Layers Pellets, but wouldn't have thought they were on them long enough to need a change already.

Bloomin things.

Might see about introducing another to see if she'll shake the roost up a bit.

 

[Chulke]

So one of my chickens just started laying this week and she is 18 weeks old and think one of the others isn't far behind now, as well as a about four of my others. But, my question is, will their eggs get larger as they get older? Right now they're pretty small. The hen that started laying is a red sex link, as well as the one that isn't far behind. The others that I think are getting close are rhode island reds and black copper marans. All the ones I think are getting close are showing the usual signs, their combs are getting bigger and starting to be more floppy as well as starting to get a little redder, also they are all starting to fill out their backsides. Are these true signs? Or am I just wishful thinking? Ahhhh who knows. Lol!

 

[donnavee]

I found this very interesting since I was thinking of posting a question about my 1yr old Golden Campine who has never laid an egg. I got her and 5 other gals from MPC last April and the others, including another GC all laid at about 20wks. The other strange thing is that her comb is small compared to her "sister" who isn't a great layer, but does favor us with an average of 2 eggs per wk. The non-layer is healthy and active, eats well - no signs of anything wrong - just no eggs. I have never seen her even look twice at the nest box and she doesn't seem to know the words to the egg song. I'm also positive she isn't hiding them.