Will my welsumers ever lay??

[Grannybug]

My 2 welsumers are 30 weeks old & have 4 yr old sister, an RIR. My. RIR has laid an egg every day since I adopted her from my daughter a yr ago. The 3 integrated fairly well (RIR is alpha hen!). I think one of the newbies laid an egg couple wks ago unless Eggatha laid 2 in one day, one 2.56 oz & one 2.04 oz. Now back to just Eggatha laying one a day. Will the younguns ever start laying? Is it the weather? We had a long mild autumn for N. Utah until last week when we had a small snowstorm followed by nights of 15 degrees & then 11 degrees a couple days later. Now the lows are back to 30-40's. But surely I should have some new eggs from the kids. Or are they roosters?!

 

[frostic]

My 2 welsumers are 30 weeks old & have 4 yr old sister, an RIR. My. RIR has laid an egg every day since I adopted her from my daughter a yr ago. The 3 integrated fairly well (RIR is alpha hen!). I think one of the newbies laid an egg couple wks ago unless Eggatha laid 2 in one day, one 2.56 oz & one 2.04 oz. Now back to just Eggatha laying one a day. Will the younguns ever start laying? Is it the weather? We had a long mild autumn for N. Utah until last week when we had a small snowstorm followed by nights of 15 degrees & then 11 degrees a couple days later. Now the lows are back to 30-40's. But surely I should have some new eggs from the kids. Or are they roosters?!

I have got 2 eggs from 1 chicken before. the eggs was super small but it was an oddity i'll never see it again i think lol.

most chickens will slow down and even stop laying in colder weather. some don't. my RIR layed all wither and summer.
I have never had a welsummer before but I expect you should get a few eggs. maybe someone that has welsummers can give you a better timeline.

 

[Grannybug]

I have got 2 eggs from 1 chicken before. the eggs was super small but it was an oddity i'll never see it again i think lol.

most chickens will slow down and even stop laying in colder weather. some don't. my RIR layed all wither and summer.
I have never had a welsummer before but I expect you should get a few eggs. maybe someone that has welsummers can give you a better timeline.

Hmm, it does sound like Eggatha maybe laid the 2nd egg after all. Thanks, I never heard they could lay 2 in one day but if any hen could, she could! She is such a good faithful layer, even laid an egg the day after her sister & long-term companion was gotten by the raccoon.
Well, maybe the young ones will wait til spring to lay. Autumn weather this year has been atypical with such a long warm spell & then lows in the teens--January lows--2 days later. Of course, some say Utah doesn't have such a thing as typical weather, it just does what it does!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I don't think temps affect egg-laying as much as length of daylight hours. I believe commercial operations aim to provide 14 hours a day of light to their layers for optimum output, or egg production.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Shortening daylight hours may delay onset of laying. My Welsummer was never terribly productive either.

But surely I should have some new eggs from the kids. Or are they roosters?!

You'd know by 30 weeks if you had a cockerel, as it'd be crowing. Welsummers are easier than most breeds to sex anyhow - black chest is male, salmon chest is female.