Will cayene pepper work for my girls who havent started laying yet?

[chickie<3]

I have 5 17 week old girls...should i put the cayene pepper in their food to help them start laying..i saw on the last thread it helps them lay more thru the winter but mine havent even started laying yet..hopefully soon...and by the way..Does that cayene pepper bother their stomachs...isnt it HOT stuff?

 

[CMV]

They will lay when they are mature enough to lay. Cayenne will do nothing to hurry that along. Cayenne doesn't bother chickens. They have no taste receptors for the hot stuff.

 

[gryeyes]

Oh, chickie<3, sweetie, don't try to INDUCE chickens to lay earlier than they're gonna. They'll lay when they're ready. Early layers have more problems with internal laying, being eggbound, etc. The later they start laying, the longer they will lay in their lives.

I didn't expect ANY eggs until at least after week 24. That way I was pleasantly surprised when one laid an egg at 19 weeks. The rest were more or less "on time." I'd rather be pleasantly surprised than disappointed every single day they HAVEN'T STARTED LAYING YET.

Patience. It's a good thing.