year old chicken no eggs yet

[samandmike]

hello every one .we bought a rir hen and a different roo. thay are a year old. the hen had alot of missing feathers when we got them about two months ago.now her head has feathers that look like straws on them,all the others have grown back. her comb and wattles are not real red.but when she is on the ground and i go near her she squats.when i let them out the other day she did not come out. i still have not gotten any eggs.how long does it take to molt? is she about to start laying?i was also told by a neighbor that the person i got them from has bad chicken lice ,and thats why i get no eggs. how true is that?i have not looked to see thay are not real tame yet .she just started letting me pet her so. i dont want to scare her and loose trust. how do i find out?

 

[CovenantCreek]

Once she starts giving you the squat, she's getting close to laying. Her comb and wattles should get red and plump as well. Is it possible she isn't as old as you were lead to believe?

 

[Master S.M.C]

Is you chicken a Jersey Giant, that is the only breed I know that will put off laying for that long.

Or you have Exhibition Fowl, which laying qualities aren't very good and egg laying is rare.

 

[samandmike]

not jersey giant. rhode island red.was laying before i baught them i was told. and for sure of age he got them last year.

 

[Blue_Myst]

The squat is usually a good sign! As others have said, a bright red comb is also a good indicator.

Hens also tend not to lay as much while molting, since all their energy is focused on growing in the new feathers instead of laying. If this is combined with chicken lice, that could also explain why she hasn't layed an egg yet.

If you want to check for lice without stressing her out by holding her, I suppose you could go out when they're on the roost and getting ready for bed, since she'll be a bit calmer, and look at her eyes. If she indeed does have lice, they will be very small, white, elongated bugs, and it seems like they 'drink' from the chicken's eyes. Ain't pretty.

Hope this helps!

 

[samandmike]

thanks that tells me no lice i can look at her eyes during the day and see none the purch is at eye level to me and i hand feed them allmost every day i have also felt her back end to try to see if eggs are stuck dosent feel hard to me but im new to this so im still learning any more thoughts on why no eggs or am ijust impatient about her molting or is it becaus our weather has been in the teens fore the whole time ive had her

 

[Hens_And_Chicks]

Ok - ya got me!

Why does the "squat" indicate she's ready to lay an egg? I thought it was because the roosters were doing their business and they were indicating submission.

Confused - please explain.

 

[samandmike]

some one on another post said thay are trying to protect the egg inside them when thay squat and spreed wings like thay do with chicks under them

 

[CovenantCreek]

Quote:
My best guess is that it has to do with the fact that the squat is an act of submission to a roo (or someone she perceives as a dominant roo in the flock) to allow him to do his business. Females of many species won't allow the male to come close if they aren't ready to make babies....or close to it.

 

[luvmychicknkids]

No, she isn't trying to protect her egg by squatting, she is telling you that it is alright for you to mate with her.

As for her eggs.....well yeah, she is molting, she just moved in with you recently, and it is COLD!!! Of course she isn't laying. She probably won't for awhile, either. Give the poor girl some time to recover form all of the above and I bet she will be a wonderful layer. All the RIR's I know are.