Sometimes it is sooo frustrating to figure these things out. Personally I would wait til spring and see what happens....but I don't have children to feed or much financial repsonsiblity, so I can afford to feed them for a while with no return. BUT the roosters would have been processed before it got cold outside, cuz I process myself and I hate cold hands. Will your birds be able to free range in the spring? That would give them the extra wing room they need to de-stress.Great questions, but unfortunately none of them added up. We give them very little treats, defiantly not consistently.
We have raised Brahmas from chicks before and it didn't take them this long (only difference is, we paid more this time and got them from the local feed mill in the spring because none of the Farm stores in a 40 mile radius weren't getting any of the Light Brahmas in.) I even took into consideration they were a bigger bird but past history still showed it has never taken this long.
We did change our food for them (to a better higher quality feed) thinking that would help...but still nothing. The light was added about a month ago to them getting about 14 hours of light both in the morning and in the evening total.
No egg eating is present, and I have my son check the field ever so often to see that they aren't being bone heads and laying in the field. Still no signs.
The only thing I can possible come up with at this pint in time, is that they are stressed because too many in the coop. I have gone out and have 9 picked to be processed next week. Several roosters (that were to be high priced pullets) and several older hens that we know haven't been laying much up to the end when everything stopped months ago even before the cold arrived.
They are stressing me! Money going out to feed them and what good are they doing me? Making me crazy!!!
Thinking Chicken and Noodles when I look upon my flock these days...Aggg!