Why aren't my chickens laying yet?

[Tomfieldenloveshichickens]

My 5 Rhode Island Reds still haven't laid ONE egg yet and they are 26 weeks old. So annoying. I have built them a coop. It has perches and 2 nesting boxes each with a golf ball. I feed them layers pellets from the local farm and give them fresh water. Currently i am using a deep litter method with straw. Is this OK? They have quite a big run which won't let any predators in. Please can you help so i know when they shoulld lay by because most books say they should have laid 6 weeks ago. Are rhode island reds later at starting to lay or is it because of the cold weather here in england. Please can i have lots of comment so i know an average.

Thank you so much fellow BYC'ers

Tom

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

Day light is short right now, are you adding any light to get 12-14 hours of light for them?

You can put a chicken in the nest box but you can't make it lay an egg. They will only lay when they are ready and seems most chickens can't read so what ever the book says will be lost on them.

 

[blue creek chicken man]

run 24 hour light on them until they start laying then back it down to 13-14

 

[Tomfieldenloveshichickens]

I do not add light

 

[cheri222]

I'm also on the lonely wait also. I don't want to add the light either. I really don't like it when someone screws up my body's clock work so I'll let the chickens take their time for now. Mine are 23 weeks.

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

Well, light is a personal choice, but many chickens simply will stop laying on not start until daylight starts getting longer in later winter. You can't blame them if they won't lay when short on light.

If you add light in the AM then they can still go to bed normally.

Here right now sun is down at 4:30 pm and really not up until nearly 8:00am, I have a small LED set coming on at 3:30 am and that is enough to keep them in the mood to lay eggs.

 

[bokboklady]

hi, are you giving them any thing else apart from pellets, sometimes that can be pretty boring, try them with some more treats through out the day, give them some interests, toss in a cabbage, get them into a routine, if they are happy and content with their lot then they will lay, thats my theary anyway.
all snow gone now in kent, whats it like in your part of england ?

 

[dsqard]

They are just not physically mature yet and that is why. Adding light might help but I had two pullets start laying just this weekend and I do not add light. One of the pullets is over nine months old and the other is over eight months old. You just have to wait until they are ready is all. I know it is hard waiting but really there is not much you can do to speed up mother nature!

 

[swimmer]

They might start laying any day now. But with lack of light, they could also hold off. Mine are the same age and I added a few hours of light in the morning, and ta da, I got eggs. Not sure if it had anything to do with the light, but they are all starting to lay.

 

[xcsports]

i have been waiting 9 month old silkie 9 month old americaun bantam 8 month old frizzle polish 7 month old Maran 6 month old orpington and 6 month old brahma and i just got a rhode island red today about 6 month