27 week old chicken not laying

[raisinchicken]

Have two 27 week old speckled Sussex. And 8 other chickens of same age or 4 weeks older. I believe all are laying except this one Sussex with a more pale than red wattle and comb. Attached is both of my speckled chickens. What is going on with her?

 

[Debbie292d]

Hi!

Whatchya feed them? It could be a nutrition issue. She's also molting age. Has she ever laid or just stopped recently? She may be in molt.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Some birds are just slower to mature than others, just like how human kids all hit puberty at different times.

 

[aart]

Whatchya feed them? It could be a nutrition issue. She's also molting age. Has she ever laid or just stopped recently? She may be in molt.

If all the rest of same age are laying, I doubt it's a diet issue.
Molting at 27 weeks?

Some birds are just slower to mature than others, just like how human kids all hit puberty at different times.

Ditto Dat.

Plus if you are in the northern hemisphere, the shorter days can be a factor.

 

[raisinchicken]

Hi!

Whatchya feed them? It could be a nutrition issue. She's also molting age. Has she ever laid or just stopped recently? She may be in molt.

Have been feeding nutrena chick starter. Earlier this month switched to the nutrena pellet egg layer. She has never laid.

 

[LaFleche]

Try deworming her.

 

[FrostRanger]

I doubt anything is wrong with her, she's just a late bloomer

If not everyone is laying though, I wouldn't feed layer pellets though as the extra calcium is bad for nonlaying birds

 

[Debbie292d]

If all the rest of same age are laying, I doubt it's a diet issue.
Molting at 27 weeks?


Ditto Dat.

Plus if you are in the northern hemisphere, the shorter days can be a factor.

I have one that molted a couple of months prior to her one year, so I figured it's possible to explain nearly a 7-month-old chicken not laying.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Have two 27 week old speckled Sussex. And 8 other chickens of same age or 4 weeks older. I believe all are laying except this one Sussex with a more pale than red wattle and comb. Attached is both of my speckled chickens. What is going on with her?

I see no reason to panic or worry. I've had a couple of pullets start laying as young as 16 weeks. I've had a couple start laying at 9 months in early December on some of the shortest days of the year. I consider both of these as extremes but not that unusual. They are going to lay when they lay. External circumstances can affect that but each is an individual.

What I often see in a group of 10 dual-purpose pullets like Sussex is that by 20 weeks one or two will probably be laying. By 24 weeks of age I'd expect maybe half to be laying. By 28 weeks old I'd expect all of them or practically all of them to be laying. But each one is an individual and can be an exception. But each flock is unique and can vary quite a bit.

As all the others are laying you are not doing anything wrong. It is not a flockwide problem. If you even consider it a problem it is an individual hen problem. If you feel you have to do something do it to that individual hen. Do not risk messing up the rest of your flock by treating them all.

 

[chrisbohman]

Have been feeding nutrena chick starter. Earlier this month switched to the nutrena pellet egg layer. She has never laid.

Wow! You just changed your girls over to layer feed at 5 months (21+ weeks)? I have 5 all born in March (23-25 weeks old) and they have been on layer feed since early July. Three of my girls have been laying consistently for over a month now, the first one started laying in mid July. Similarly I have 2 that have not yet laid an egg. As based on their breeds, the 2 non laying hens should be laying colored (not brown) eggs.