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

[chickenman111]

turns out their going through a molt.

 

[BoiseWiseguy]

Excellent article!! Thanks for posting!

 

[SavannahsBrood]

Just bought 6 Australorp hens (about 16 months old) and 2 Australorp Roosters (about 5 months old). I have a question. I have heard that Australorps lay large eggs, But I don't think these are large. (the one on left is from my Black Sex link) the right 2 are from my Australorps. I know I have only had them for 2 1/2 days and it might take time for them to adjust. I keep our sex link in a separate coop and run. Question is does that look like large eggs or are they smaller than usual because they haven't adjusted yet? Could these eggs be considered Opps eggs? Hope you can tell from the pictures the size differents. Also not same subject as such but is it ok to have 2 roosters? The guy we got them from only had 2 of them left and knowing that we could lose one to predators and how hard it is to find this breed close around we went ahead and bought both. Thanks for any thoughts on this.

 

[zoogirl26]

I have had all of the above situations happening with my small flock of laying hens. Right now, though, I have 6 young hens (from 14 months down to 7 months)all laying almost every day. I get 4-6 eggs a day. For a long time, I was just getting 1 or 2 a day. Then I finally found a secret nest with 13 eggs in it. Amazingly, they were all good eggs, according to the "float" test. I bought 5 fake eggs at the feed store to show them where they should be laying. I left one in the secret nest, because I'd rather they would lay there than a different secret nest. They are very hard to find on our property. I have put fake eggs in the nest boxes in the past also, but, over the last year and a half, rat snakes have eaten at least a dozen fake eggs along with countless real eggs. I am finally in the process of snake proofing under the coop, where I believe a huge family of rat snakes lives. We have caught and transplanted about 5 rat snakes already. I don't want to kill them, they are good snakes, but they really LOVE fresh eggs. Anyway, the snake proofing seems to be working and the chickens are laying. I just got 2 6 month old(supposedly) Ameraucanas, who are not laying yet, but, like I said, the other 6 are laying faithfully. Another problem that was pointed out to me in the past, on this site, I was mixing scratch feed with the laying pellets, and I guess they were choosing to eat too much scratch and not enough laying pellets. I completely cut out the scratch, and, after a couple of weeks, I started getting more eggs. That was a different flock and a different year. We lost several to varmints, and sold the last few as we were leaving town and didn't want to come home to no chickens. Even though we have an automatic door on a timer, things happen and you have to stay on top of it.

 

[cjpines]

Hi, I posted my response on the original thread but am going to add it here, as well.

That article is, in my daintily humble opinion, not useful at all.

According to that article, chickens are pretty useless within two years, and they all start laying at 18 to 20 weeks. That goes against virtually every single thing I have ever read about chickens on here and in books. CERTAIN breeds lay early, most start around 25-26 weeks in reality. I have also read NUMEROUS threads from experienced chickenkeeprs on here that have had their hens laying eggs regularly for years and years, not a lousy 18 months as is stated in the article!

Also according to that article, if that info were accurate, when the days shorten, EVERYBODY'S birds should slow down. Buuuuut they do not. Not everyone's birds slow down or stop.

My chickens have met all the criteria required in the article and still no eggs. I think there is something amiss in Mother Nature because there are SO many chickens that were hatched this spring.... an inordinate number of them... that are not producing eggs here as we near the end of the year! And it's not just my part of the country. All you have to do is read the BYC threads to know that there are lots of us doing all the 'RIGHT' things & still not getting any eggs. It's like there's a worldwide chicken egg-laying strike. LOL.

I think that there may have also been something amiss, maybe, in a hatchery & a buncha barren birds might have been produced? I don't know for sure, just saying that something's gotta be amiss somewhere. I have 8-month-old RIR and BR pullets that don't look or act any closer to laying than they did in July. I was concerned maybe they aren't laying because I switched them to layer food at 20 weeks & maybe they need more protein, so I upped their protein and changed their food to grower/flock finisher with free choice oyster shell. They eat the oyster shell and the food, seem to be really healthy and happy birds... just not gonna lay any eggs is all.

Where did you get your chickens?

 

[firesign49]

same here, I have 4 blue orpingtons, speckled Sussex, partride rock and none of them are laying. All of them are starting their 27th week. However I did read that if your property uses a well and you soften your water with salt the chickens will not lay due to too much salt content - I have switched to bottled water to see if this helps.

 

[Cass]

same here, I have 4 blue orpingtons, speckled Sussex, partride rock and none of them are laying. All of them are starting their 27th week. However I did read that if your property uses a well and you soften your water with salt the chickens will not lay due to too much salt content - I have switched to bottled water to see if this helps.

It is late in the season for chickens to "start" laying....they will start in March. You are doing nothing wrong except not being patient enough. The larger the bird the longer it takes for them to reach sexual maturity and start laying.

Are their combs bright red? Are they squatting for you when you reach for them? Is the rooster mounting them? If none of those things are happening they are not ready to lay due to breed taking longer to mature or the lack of daylight this time of year.

Patience. They will lay. It's a rare hen that never lays an egg.

 

[Ila88]

This is a very helpful thread. Thank you. I have 3 layers and have noticed that production has all but stopped. I do believe it is light as they now sleep from 5:30 pm till 7:30 am, and they could be moulting. My question is, is this it till Spring? I am not interested in using artificial light.

 

[Ila88]

Just bought 6 Australorp hens (about 16 months old) and 2 Australorp Roosters (about 5 months old). I have a question. I have heard that Australorps lay large eggs, But I don't think these are large. (the one on left is from my Black Sex link) the right 2 are from my Australorps. I know I have only had them for 2 1/2 days and it might take time for them to adjust. I keep our sex link in a separate coop and run. [COLOR=FF0000] Question is does that look like large eggs or are they smaller than usual because they haven't adjusted yet? Could these eggs be considered Opps eggs?[/COLOR] Hope you can tell from the pictures the size differents. Also not same subject as such but is it ok to have 2 roosters? The guy we got them from only had 2 of them left and knowing that we could lose one to predators and how hard it is to find this breed close around we went ahead and bought both. Thanks for any thoughts on this.

My Australorps lay smaller eggs than my Isa Brown.

 

[N F C]

My Australorps lay smaller eggs than my Isa Brown.

So do mine. 2 of our sex-link girls lay really big eggs and the 3rd one lays GIGANTIC eggs (often double yolkers).