When will my chickens lay eggs?
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Chickens | 661 comments
Even though I know that egg laying is unpredictable at this time of year, it’s always a bit disappointing when I lift the lid of the nesting box and there’s only one. An egg from Carol. She is firing on all cylinders now and producing one egg a day, the maximum that a domestic hen can produce.
“What’s going on with the other four chickens?” I think as I stump back through the garden in my dressing gown and wellies.
The other four chickens are elderly maidens, well into their third year. I know that after two years egg production diminishes but somehow I hoped that the organic food and beautiful adornments in the pen might make a difference. Of course they don’t. As the years roll by, the chickens will produce fewer and fewer eggs until they go to that great pecking ground in the sky.
The pretty white bantams, have never been very obliging on the egg laying front. In their prime, they probably only laid two or three eggs a week. They are not a laying strain and we knew this when we bought them. But we have discovered that they are very photogenic and are happy to model endlessly.
I’ve been checking the hen’s combs. A pink comb indicates that a chicken is going broody, and will not lay. They are all a bright vibrant red, including Mrs Boss (this chicken won The Broodiest of all Known Chickens Award 2004, 2005 and 2006).
So you can imagine my delight when I lifted the roof of the nesting box this morning and found two small eggs nestling beside Carol’s large speckled brown one. I sprang back to the kitchen to make the perfect breakfast omelette.
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I bought them as peeps, I looked at some books I think two are Rhode Island Reds or red stars,
I have two big black hens that have a teal color in the sun light and the other two look like Orpingtons that are somewhat little still and I think that is because the black birds are the boss and one red hen is as well. It is starting to warm up I live in the north part of Utah. I have been feeding them Layena by Purina Mills.
I was using the hamsters cedar chips before the peat moss I have not used the light much at all I know they need 14 hours of light and I just started to give them the pullet sized oyster shells. I have not wormed them, Can worms be seen, or are they to small to notice? I do not see any signs of lice I am not sure about mites I will have to look online. I am new to the fun adventure they have fresh water everyday I have up the feed. This Tuesday I am moving them to the new chicken house. My neighbor’s hens are lying eggs.
so there must be somthing I need to fix.
I will surf and read some more online. Please help if you can.
Hello Drumsolo
Are your chickens 10 months old or were they ten months when you got them What breed are they? Where do you live (is it spring?). Are you feeding them layers pellets? Nesting boxes should be comfortable and inviting – wood chips (like those used for hamsters and horses are ideal). Peat moss might be a mistake. Have you wormed them? do you regularly check for lice and mites? Perhaps they are exhausted with the lights on all the time. They need rest, just like us.
I have had my hens for 10 months they are not laying eggs. I have been giving them everything they need I rebuilt a new chicken coop with a light and nests roosts but for the nesting i used peat moss the have all the food and water needed
the hens are big and well fat. help!!!!
I dont know what eles to do.
Hi John
If your hen is laying, leave her be. She is clearly healthy.
She might enjoy meditating. Or whatever. All hens are different. Some just want to chill and do it very well.
The signs that you point out indicate broodiness. If you know that she is laying ignore this state otherwise read this post – https://www.cottagesmallholder.com/?p=289
One of our susex has always been slow and rather dopey hence the name but lays well and has no signs of any illness that I have read about. she almost seems as though she falls asleep at any time no sign of worms no discharges etc Tried a few extra vits but by the time she decides to eat the other 3 have had more than their share.
Any ideas would be welcome
Thanks
Hi Miranda
Often chickens take a few weeks to settle in when you move them. Hopefully both hens are laying by now.
Or it just might be too early for the one that isn’t laying.
We just have one hen laying at the moment. Although she’s five years old she lays an egg nearly every day.
Hi Barbara
Most chickens lay at their best for two years. After this many people decided to eat them as they have outgrown their optimum laying period. Your chickens may be some of these, they will lay but not as prolifically as younger hens. Or they could be excess stock. It’s impossible to say.
Where do you live? It’s near the end of winter in the UK and our chickens are just starting to lay again.
If I was you I’d go back to the man and ask him about the hens that you bought from him. If they are hens for the table he might swap them for laying hens.
Hi Jane S
The most naural wormer is grated carrot. If you mix iit into something like warm bran they will take it.
Hi Rachel
This happened to me last summer when I was supplementing the layers pellets with vegetables and cereals. The hens wolfed it down and within about a week started to lay strange eggs with thin distorted shells. They clearly were not getting the nutrients that they need to produce eggs with firm shells.
I now supplement their feed just once a week and no longer have the problem.
They also need oyster shells – are you giving them these?
Chicken Dillema!
One of my chickens has been having some nasty egg laying problems lately- she’s about two years old, and her laying has dropped off considerably, much of that due to the cold weather.
However, her eggs, when she does lay, are lumpy and extremely fragile. They are very large and resemble potatoes. When they are picked up, they must be held very carefully, because the slightest pressure will cause it to break.
And now, recently, she was sitting on a roost in the chicken coop, and she actually laid an egg- well, sort of. It was shell-less and the yolk looked like a chewed peice of gum. (Disgusting!)
Do yo uhave any suggestions as to why this is happening?
Hello Fiona,
This is our second year of chicken keeping. Our hens are given Diatom once a week, sprinkled on pasta or rice as a routine wormer. There are no signs of worms but wondered whether we should worm them this spring anyway. If so, which wormer would you recommend, as natural as possible, please?
O.K. This is my story. I built a chicken coop. My family want’s chickens for eggs. I saw a man selling chickens by an Asian Food Store. I bought 4 big white hens. I’m sure they were for food but, do you think I can get them to lay. I went to the feed store and got Laying Mesh and I’m doing the deep litter method. They have boxes and I’ve had them for one week. Please tell me I didn’t just buy meat chickens.
Hello Everyone,
I have 1 rooster and 2 hens. They Have been very comfty relaxed and have a whole yard full of seeds and green grass to run around in all day. They have been so happy and relaxed that one of my roosters and hen even started mating several several times. I figured that that the next egg will be furtile from that hen. But the other hen will not lay any eggs. It has been about a week and half since we have got them. The only change in their diet is that they have more greens and healthy grass like a chicken should have! Am i doing something wrong? Should i just be more patient? Since the 2 have been mating alot and the hen is starting to nest most of the day then i figured that i would get an egg soon. but what about the other?