Why aren't my pullets laying yet?

[PDXcluck]

Hi all,

I am going to run down my scenario and I would like you tell me if I am being impatient or if I need to make changes:

I have 4 hatchery pullets, RIR (23 weeks), Light Brahma (23 weeks), Dark Brahma (22 weeks) and a Salmon Faverolles (22 weeks). My RIR and the light brahma have had big red combs and wattles for nearly a month and still I have got no eggs. They are big, healthy birds, regularly checked for lice and mites. They live in a 3x4 ft (available floor space, nest boxes are external) hen house, a 4x10 ft enclosed run and they have access to a 8 x 24 ft fenced off area for about 3-4 hours a day. They have 24 hour access to water via nipple waterers, and access to Organic NatureSmart starter/grower all day (in the run, no food in the coop). We let them into their run at about 8 am and lock them up at about 9 pm. They get strawberries, whole broccoli plants, grass, wild bird seed, and other miscellaneous greens and treats about once a day or every other day - I would guess that those things comprise maybe 5-10% of their diet, plus whatever bugs they scratch up in their enclosed run and in the mini-chicken yard. On suspicion of the RIR and Light Brahma laying soon I have offered about a 1/4 cup of oyster shell which they ate up in a couple days. I am holding off on offering more until I get an egg on concern of the non-layers getting too much calcium.

I put colored plastic easter eggs in each next box (there are two) and in the past week at least one of them has been going in and nesting - there is a large nest shape indentation in the shavings in each nest box and the plastic eggs are right in the middle of it.

I am just wondering if there is anything I may be missing that could be holding them back - I really am only concerned with the RIR not laying yet at 23 weeks. I know Brahma's are late to mature and the Salmon Faverolles is stunted from health issues when she was a chick, so I'm not holding my breath for her to lay. But I would have thought the RIR would be on for a month by now.

Do I just need more patience? Because we leave for vacation in a week and I want an egg before we go!

Thanks!

 

[aggiemae]

It's been so hot here this summer. Make sure they have plenty of shade and add some fruit and veggies to their diet so they get extra water. Watermelon trimmings, including the white part of the rinds, is a good choice.

Do they have damp earth to dig in or at least a place to dust bathe?

I wouldn't give oyster shells until after they start laying, as it's best if the first eggs are small and soft/thin shelled.

 

[PDXcluck]

Thanks for the advice - we've definitely been giving them fruit and veggie scraps, but I'll try to get them more water heavy treats. Their run is sand, they are shaded until around 1 or 2 in the afternoon and then I have blocked one part of the run with a metal panel such that the area under the coop is totally shaded all day. When it gets really hot - like today - we spray the sand with water lightly to keep it cool. Also, the area under the bucket/nipple waterer is always wet so they can cool off there as well.

My wife keeps questioning whether they get enough water from the nipples - I don't understand how they wouldn't get enough - it's always full and they all drink from it. They have been on nipples exclusively since they were about 2-3 months old. I have put out a tray of water a couple times and they drink from it but they don't act like they are parched.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

I've read in many posts that the high temps are causing a slowdown in egg production. Guess it's the stress, so if you've been having hot weather, that could account for the delay. Sounds like your girls are getting excellent care so that's not the problem, although I agree to hold off on the oyster shell until you get an egg.

I have all hatchery pullets, but not your breeds. Sounds like it might just be taking the Brahmas longer to grow, and your SF girl.... well, have you read the Derperella thread? Might make you feel better!

I have 2 reputed egg laying machine types (White Leghorn and New Hampshire) that I expected to start earlier than the rest, but they came last for eggs. However, their eggs have been quite large from the start, compared to the golf balls that the other girls lay! Maybe the same for your RIR.

You'll get eggs soon. It's just so hard to wait! Remember how slowly the clock hands moved for that last 15 minutes of the school day?

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[PDXcluck]

HA, wouldn't you know it - the day I post this is the day we got our first egg!

My wife was home with the kids all day yesterday and she said "Henny (light brahma) was in the coop a lot today making lots of noise. I peeked in there and she was in the nest box a lot. I checked the nest boxes but I didn't find an egg."

Then I looked on the floor of the coop itself and found a nice little light brown egg! It was about half the size of the xtra large eggs from the store that we have, but looked good. It had a pretty hard shell and a couple blood smears on it, but a quick search revealed that shouldn't be cause for concern.

Three cheers for Henny! We saved it hoping she would lay another today, hopefully we'll have two to share for breakfast tomorrow morning.

Thanks much for the replies!

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Well, anytime my car is making a funny noise it stops as soon as I get near the mechanic's shop, so not surprised your chicken started laying when you posted!

Eggratualtions!!!!

 

[waititout]

And here I am being impatient at only 20 weeks.

 

[PDXcluck]

The big egg is a grade a jumbo. She didn't lay again today, but the RIR walked right up to me and squatted today! Hopefully her first egg is not far behind

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk 2

 

[aggiemae]

Pullets don't lay every day. We are getting a (small) egg every 36-48 hours. I think that's pretty normal.

 

[PDXcluck]

We got two eggs yesterday, so both the light Brahma and the RIR are laying. We ate our first backyard egg yesterday morning, and it was fantastic.

Cheers!