Why no eggs?

[DeborahK]

My Wyandotte hens are 28 weeks old but have not laid any eggs. I was told this would happen at 24 weeks. They also spend a lot of time on my kitchen windowsill and have started flying on to my neighbours bedroom window sill as dusk approaches instead of going to their coop.

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC. Sounds as if they are just slow at maturing. Has it been excessively hot where you live ? Have you checked their coop for a mite infestation ? Both can cause birds to stop sleeping in the coop.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

X2 on @sourland

Are their combs red, plump, and large? Do they seem interested in the nest boxes at all? Have you noticed them squatting? These are all sure fire signs that the eggs are on their way. If not, just give them some more time and be watching for these signs. Hopefully you'll have some eggs on your hands soon.

 

[sawilliams]

If you have having issues with then back to the coop at night you may breed to retrian them (lock them up) if you have a run around your coop you can just lock them in the run for a few days, but some need to be locked in the coop door a few days. Also since obviously your birds free range, you may need to check for signs of laying as it maybe possibly they are hiding a nest. Again lock them up, if they are laying you will know in a day or 2. And not only will you retrian them to the coop, but they will have a better chance to find the nesting boxes as well.

If by chance you do discover one or both are laying you will need to try to search for the hidden nest abed remove it before they are let out again.

 

[BReeder!]

It sounds like the hens get to run freely to some degree since they have access to your and your neighbor's window sills. Are you certain that they haven't been laying somewhere unexpected? My first layers were laying under the coop right on the dirt for example rather than in the nesting boxes. There's plenty of stories I've read here on BYC of hens laying in tall grass, under bushes, in crawl spaces, in or under out buildings/sheds, etc. I personally keep my hens in an oversized run around their keep nearly always, so the number of places they can lay is limited. If you cannot keep them confined to a run, I suggest keeping them confined to the coop for a day or two to see if they are laying. Also, have you placed ceramic eggs in your nesting boxes yet? Hens lay where other hens lay as they feel it's safe there if another hen laid there. Ceramic eggs (feed stores sell them) are a proven decoy to trick hens to lay where you want them to.

Now if they truly are not laying at all yet, I agree with some of the other feedback above. Environmental conditions and genetics play a large role in when hens will begin to lay from what I have gathered. Additionally, food is thought to play a significant role. Are you offering a source of calcium yet? I use roasted egg shells (repurposed) and crushed oyster shells (feed store sells these by the bag). What are you feeding the hens - have you switched to layer feed? Layer feed support egg development (high protein, calcium, and other nutrients required). I go as far as fermenting my feed and offering scratch and vegetation (mostly weeds from the garden). Not that it's necessary, but I feel the added nutrients and natural foraging keeps the hens healthy and happy. Lastly, are the hens stressed for some reason? Being cramped into a small coop, poor diet, animals like cats and dogs regularly frightening them, and overly aggressive roo or other hen... all of these could stress a hen, and a stressed hen is not likely to lay as well. Keeping them healthy and happy is the best way to get them to lay.

 

[DeborahK]

It sounds like the hens get to run freely to some degree since they have access to your and your neighbor's window sills. Are you certain that they haven't been laying somewhere unexpected? My first layers were laying under the coop right on the dirt for example rather than in the nesting boxes. There's plenty of stories I've read here on BYC of hens laying in tall grass, under bushes, in crawl spaces, in or under out buildings/sheds, etc. I personally keep my hens in an oversized run around their keep nearly always, so the number of places they can lay is limited. If you cannot keep them confined to a run, I suggest keeping them confined to the coop for a day or two to see if they are laying. Also, have you placed ceramic eggs in your nesting boxes yet? Hens lay where other hens lay as they feel it's safe there if another hen laid there. Ceramic eggs (feed stores sell them) are a proven decoy to trick hens to lay where you want them to.

Now if they truly are not laying at all yet, I agree with some of the other feedback above. Environmental conditions and genetics play a large role in when hens will begin to lay from what I have gathered. Additionally, food is thought to play a significant role. Are you offering a source of calcium yet? I use roasted egg shells (repurposed) and crushed oyster shells (feed store sells these by the bag). What are you feeding the hens - have you switched to layer feed? Layer feed support egg development (high protein, calcium, and other nutrients required). I go as far as fermenting my feed and offering scratch and vegetation (mostly weeds from the garden). Not that it's necessary, but I feel the added nutrients and natural foraging keeps the hens healthy and happy. Lastly, are the hens stressed for some reason? Being cramped into a small coop, poor diet, animals like cats and dogs regularly frightening them, and overly aggressive roo or other hen... all of these could stress a hen, and a stressed hen is not likely to lay as well. Keeping them healthy and happy is the best way to get them to lay.

 

[DeborahK]

Hello, thanks for all this valuable advice! I’m feeding them layers pellets and corn and oyster shell, they prefer the corn! I’ll check for eggs laid around the garden and get some ceramic eggs. I have a cat which they don’t mind but there is another cat that they don’t like and that sends them up onto the roof of the house and window sills. I’ll try shutting them in the coop to retrain them. The weather here in the UK has been pretty wet so I’m sure they won’t mind

 

[aart]

Cut out the corn....keep the OS in a separate container(if you are not already)
Here's some tips on who to tell....
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/
If exam shows them to be laying.....
Free range birds sometimes need to be 'trained'(or re-trained) to lay in the coop nests, especially new layers. Leaving them locked in the coop for a week or so can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. Fake eggs/golf balls in the nests can help 'show' them were to lay. They can be confined to coop and maybe run 24/7 for a few days to a week, provided you have adequate space and ventilation, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it. ..at least for a good while, then repeat as necessary.

 

[BReeder!]

I posted in here not looking ago about chickens laying eggs where you don't want them to. Well, today I found a perfect example of just that. We pulled most of the garden and piled weeds, stems, vines, etc on top of one of our garden beds. We now let the chickens into the garden to clear weeds and insects. They decided to carve out a nest in the pile of garden debris. We didn't get eggs on Tuesday nor today. I finally found where those eggs were.

 

[Junebugsin]

I posted in here not looking ago about chickens laying eggs where you don't want them to. Well, today I found a perfect example of just that. We pulled most of the garden and piled weeds, stems, vines, etc on top of one of our garden beds. We now let the chickens into the garden to clear weeds and insects. They decided to carve out a nest in the pile of garden debris. We didn't get eggs on Tuesday nor today. I finally found where those eggs were. View attachment 1551793

That looks like one comfy nest!!