One of our orpingtons still isn't laying. We bought her at a week-ish old last May, so she's a full 9 months old. The other buff we got the same time has been laying for a couple of months now. At what point do we say she isn't ever going to lay, and have stew?
If she is amiable stick it out a while longer, if not throw her in the pot. One of my Gold Laced Wyandottes just started laying at 47 weeks, the other at 25 weeks
She is not a machine,she will lay when her body has matured and not before. All chickens mature at a different rate,just like people,give her time.
Do you have a picture of her? I always wonder, how do you know a specific bird isn't laying, esp when you have birds of the same breed?
I don't. I can go out later and take one. My two buffs have slightly different colored shanks, so I can tell them apart. One buff Cinnamon, squats. Vanilla has never squatted which I know that doesn't necessarily mean anything. I've watched Cinnamon go into the nesting box. I also can identify which bird lays each egg. So unless she's laying eggs that look exactly like someone else on days they don't or she's not laying. I know none of that is concrete, but it all adds up to Cinnamon laying and Vanilla not.
