Late bloomer? and Laying from the roosting bar..? I need some experienced input.

[VSP]

I am a relatively new chicken owner. I have had my 7 girls since they were a day old and all has been going well. I have five sex-links who are now 29 weeks old, one EasterEgger and one Bielefelder, each of whom are 28 weeks old. The girls have a large protected run and have access during the day hours to a much larger fenced area. They free feed and are also supplemented with organic greens from my garden or from our household discards. They all seem very healthy…. BUT of the seven I still get only six eggs maximum on any given day. Because they lay before I get down to them in the morning, I have no idea which one is not laying yet. Is it possible that she is this late, or is something wrong? On top of this and more distressing, one of the girls has begun to lay from the roosting bar in the dark hours of the morning; sometimes, but not always, leaving me to find a broken egg. And now another copying her by laying on the floor, too. This after a few weeks of the first doing it. They have plenty of nesting boxes. One larger one that is built into the custom coop, and two smaller separate ones that I added when they did not seem to like that one – though the builder insisted that they would. Only the little EasterEgger uses the big box where she leaves her tiny blue/white egg every day. So, I know she is not the culprit. All the other girls lay in one of the small 12” x 12”, DYI boxes that I added. How do I determine who is not yet laying. What might be the reason? And does anyone have an idea of how to break this new and awful habit of laying on the floor under the roosting bar? I am truly at a loss. (Oh, I added a camera, but the inferred light so I can see them in the dark hours, makes all the hens look identical, so even if I was to catch something in progress, I would be none the wiser.) Please help. THANK YOU

 

[microchick]

Two questions. Do you have a rooster? Have you tried putting fake eggs in their nesting box?

I have a mixed flock of hens, three months to 3 years of age. All of my younger hens will occasionally drop an egg from the roost bars before they figure out what the other hens are doing in the nesting box.

Also my roosters, especially the bantams for some reason, will get in the nesting boxes after I've stuffed fresh bedding in them and go to great trouble to make a nest bowl for the girls and call to them so they are watching him do his thing.

But most importantly, the fake eggs do the trick for me. Once they see an egg in the box something clicks in their tiny little brains and they always start adding their offerings.

BTW, Welcome Welcome Welcome Welcome to the flock at Back Yard Chickens.

 

[VSP]

Thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly. No rooster. Also, all but one of the others have been laying for two to three months with no issues and always in the boxes. Often all in the same smaller box. And YES, I started with fake eggs before laying began and returned them to the larger nesting box in the hopes that they may start using it rather than all waiting to use only one of the smaller boxes. Also I hoped it would serve as a reminder to the dropsie girl and which ever is not laying at all. Oh, and the egg on the floor is so large, it seems to be from one of the more experienced girls...unless it is the Bielfelder and she is beginning with an XL size? Is that even a possibility? (and thank you for the "welcome!"

 

[microchick]

My older hens will from time to time leave me an egg on the floor. Trust me, I'm getting zip from the little freeloaders at the moment so I'd settle for a few eggs on the floor. I think, like you said, it's because their 'favorite' box is occupied.

Also, I'm not familiar with Bielfelders but I do have a large Ameraurcana hen that I love to pieces who lays XL sized eggs for me. Prior to molt she started leaving eggs in the litter for me under the roost bars, each egg progressively smaller. No doubt it was her. She is my only blue green egg layer in the flock.

The last egg she laid was so small that it must have felt like, ummmm how to put this....a heathy poop for her. No yolks in the tiny eggs. She is going through a hard molt right now and looks so silly that I feel sorry for her. I figure that the small, yolkless eggs were from her reproductive system shutting down prior to molt.

I'd still keep some fake eggs in a box and from time to time stuff the little confused hen in the box so she can get a look at the eggs. Hopefully she will grow out of this behavior. Eggs unbroken are worth their weight in gold right now.

 

[VSP]

My older hens will from time to time leave me an egg on the floor. Trust me, I'm getting zip from the little freeloaders at the moment so I'd settle for a few eggs on the floor. I think, like you said, it's because their 'favorite' box is occupied.

Also, I'm not familiar with Bielfelders but I do have a large Ameraurcana hen that I love to pieces who lays XL sized eggs for me. Prior to molt she started leaving eggs in the litter for me under the roost bars, each egg progressively smaller. No doubt it was her. She is my only blue green egg layer in the flock.

The last egg she laid was so small that it must have felt like, ummmm how to put this....a heathy poop for her. No yolks in the tiny eggs. She is going through a hard molt right now and looks so silly that I feel sorry for her. I figure that the small, yolkless eggs were from her reproductive system shutting down prior to molt.

I'd still keep some fake eggs in a box and from time to time stuff the little confused hen in the box so she can get a look at the eggs. Hopefully she will grow out of this behavior. Eggs unbroken are worth their weight in gold right now.

Thank you again. I wish I had a way of being sure which hen this is... and why one of her "sisters" is now copying her. Any thoughts on why one of my girls has yet to start laying at 28/29 weeks old? Would they just skip the first season entirely??

 

[microchick]

I have 2 6 month old pullets who haven't reached point of lay as of yet. I was hoping they would before winter set in, even though they are both bantams, one a Silver Duck Wing and the other a Brown Breasted Red OEGB, I would at least be getting fresh little eggs from them over the winter months.

So, in my experience with these two I'd say, it's probably likely.

The BBR, Peanut named because she is so little is singing an egg song but her comb and wattles haven't really reddened up yet nor has her clutch mate's.

We are heading into winter here in Missouri and while we don't have really snowy winters here they can be plenty cold. If they haven't started laying by now I doubt if they will until spring.

 

[FLXCHIX]

Chiming in here cause we have some similarities with our flocks. Mine are the same age, I have six girls. 5 of the 6 are laying, my Australorp is a late bloomer due to her breed. I wouldn’t worry about the one that hasn’t come around yet. If you must know which one is not laying, you can do the ‘finger test’.
https://blog.mcmurrayhatchery.com/2015/04/29/which-of-my-hens-are-laying/

also, I had a couple of the girls lay while roostin. Totally normal in the beginning, however, you do want to break them of that. Do you use a droppings board under roost?

 

[RoosterWhisperer]

WELCOME TO BYC MY FRIEND!

 

[VSP]

Chiming in here cause we have some similarities with our flocks. Mine are the same age, I have six girls. 5 of the 6 are laying, my Australorp is a late bloomer due to her breed. I wouldn’t worry about the one that hasn’t come around yet. If you must know which one is not laying, you can do the ‘finger test’.
https://blog.mcmurrayhatchery.com/2015/04/29/which-of-my-hens-are-laying/

also, I had a couple of the girls lay while roostin. Totally normal in the beginning, however, you do want to break them of that. Do you use a droppings board under roost?

Thank you. This is so good to know... It is not important that I know who is not laying, I was more concerned that something might be wrong since the others are consistent and I do not want to be oblivious if one was in need of something I had missed. If they were not the same age and breed I think I would find it less of a concern. It is comforting to know it is just different. Two of the 5 have smaller not yet red adornments, so perhaps I have narrowed it down?

 

[FLXCHIX]

I have 3 RIR’s. One had a tiny comb and pretty sure she started laying later. Now I can barely tell them apart. How many eggs have been ‘launched’ from the roost?