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

[speckledhen]

Guess what? Got ZERO eggs from the main flock yesterday and only ONE today, least ever. Four of the youngest group (29-33 wks) are laying so I'm getting a few pullet eggs each day, but even my most reliable layer has skipped the last three days and I guess even Fern has to molt.

Cass, you are so right! People flush money down the toilet with hobbies that never pay them back anything and at least with hens, you can count on eggs most of the time, fertilizer all the time, bug control and certainly entertainment.

 

[Cass]

Quote:
I got 16 eggs from my 14 hens...unfortunately 18 of them were laid in the 4th dimension and I can't retrieve them.

My best, most reliable layer is broody. The 4 D'uccles, that I used to get 2 - 3 eggs a day from, are in a heavy molt. (they look 1/2 their usual size poor girls) My Brahma is the roo's favorite, and isn't laying due to over breeding. (this is an assumption on my part, based totally on the mass of FOOTPRINTS on her white back) The one Mutt that started laying a few weeks ago, tried to go broody on me and I stole her eggs. She hasn't gotten in the nest box even once since my thieft of her bootie. The Maran and her OE Friend have red faces, fluffy butts and absolutely NO INTEREST in the nest box or the roos. (Nasty little things) One of my Ameraucanas is a cross dresser. No eggs ever from that one. The 2 Lav Ams have the palest faces I have ever seen in a bird. I've had newly hatched chicks with more pink than these 2 have.

BUT if this thread was "How my chickens brightened my day" I could tell you how come none of them are slated for the stew pot. They make me laugh soooo much. And I know they will lay in the future, I'm just not sure how far into the future that may be.

 

[chiggerbit]

Has anybody else tried feeding their chickens sunflower seeds as a treat? I did, and within 10 days, I had my first chicken laying an egg (most of them hatched June 1, first egg early October), which I thought was kind of early for a cuckoo Marans, and now I have three, I think all different breeds, laying. The bad thing is that they've gotten really pushy about their treats. I don't free range, wish I could.

 

[speckledhen]

My chickens' daily "scratch" contains sunflower seeds already. There's really nothing you can feed them to "kick-start" their production, though you always hear about red pepper and other things. Sunflower seeds are good for them because of the methionine in them and the vitamin E.

 

[MamiPollo]

My 5 hens all hatched in March and so far only one has laid any eggs. I have 2 australorps, 2 araucanas and one columbia rock. The rock started laying during the summer (towards the end of July, I believe). She has not laid an egg the past 3 days, so now I am getting none.

Am I wrong to think that 8 months is really old not to be laying at all? My chickens free range most of the day, but I am starting to wonder if there is something in the feed that is causing them to be infertile.

 

[Cass]

Quote:
You are wrong in thinking 8 months is too old to not be laying at all. Ideally they should start laying at 5-6 months, but when has anything ever been "ideal" in the past couple of decades?

Right now everyone's chickens are "shutting down" for the winter, so we can add you to the list of people who is feeding freeloaders for the winter and hoping they lay 10 eggs a week come spring. (cuz they will owe you at least that many)

Enjoy your birds and just when you decide that they are never going to lay an egg EVER, they will surprise you with a cute little pullet egg and all will be forgiven as you "awwwh" and "oohh" over the cutest egg you ever saw.


(PS Even production breeds don't lay 10 eggs a week; one a day from production breeds, 3 - 5 a week from other breeds, unless you REALLY really want to hatch a particular hen's eggs, then she will lay one a week.

)

 

[MamiPollo]

Well, I must have sparked something by posting here, because this morning one of the araucanas squatted and then one of the australorps squatted. Watching for a green egg!

The australorp is acting very weird today also, like my columbia rock did right before she laid her first egg. Won't be long now!

 

[speckledhen]

One of my breeder quality Buff Orp pullets laid her first egg today, her 30 week "birthday". And one of the younger hens laid her first post-molt egg so things may be looking up a bit here. There are still two Barred Rocks and one Buff Orp, all 30 weeks old, as well as three D'Anvers pullets, same age, who haven't laid their first eggs yet. Betting on the D'Anvers to wait until late winter because they are just not winter layers, generally.

 

[cluck-darth-peep]

Quote:
Actual weeks from hatching for age.

Are they interested in the nest box? Are they squatting when you reach to pet them?

I had blown out a few store bought eggs and placed them in the nest boxes a month ago. 2 weeks ago one of the ladies (do not know which hen) had straw thrown or moved, and now nothing the past 2 weeks. Barred Rock, RIR and Golden Buff are all 20 weeks and 2 days old. The speckled sussex is 21 weeks and 2 days old, and nothing. They do not squat just run if I go to tough them. Light in the 8x8 hen house is on 15 hours a day. They have 3 sand boxes to play in. On layer crumbles since they were 16 weeks old. They have a 20x15 foot run to play in (3 sides covered for the upcoming winter winds. Its been 68 degrees here in upper Ohio. And all they do is nag me to get out of the run as soon as I get home from work. Oh yah, and a lot of poop. (thank you deep litter method).
I currently have, on my 8x12 back porch, all 7 weeks old, a gold and a silver lace wyandotte, 2 astrolorps, a delaware, one silver laced polish and one blue laced polish. On January 16, the 7 week olds go from their teenager apartment to the adult day care center.
I would expect one of the 20 week old hens would at least be squatting by now.
All the money we all here on the forum, our time, and love, for all our chickens, gets frustrating and depressing when not even one hen squats.
so sad.

 

[Cass]

Quote:

Wonderful.

Please send an email to my birds about how egg laying is done. I haven't had an egg in almost 2 weeks.