Free range pullets - not sure if they’re laying

[wildgreen]

I have six pullets that are all 21 weeks old - three Easter Eggers, a Cream Brabanter, a Rhode Island Red, and a Black Australorp. They free range from dawn to dusk.

I have yet to find an egg from any of the ladies in the coop. I’m not sure if any of them are even laying yet, but we live in a huge wooded area so they have many acres to roam. I did suspect my RIR and Australorp may be laying so I left them in the coop/run until noon the other day and neither laid an egg. I wondered if they lay later in the day.

At what point should I keep them in the coop/run, and for how long, to train them to lay eggs there? I also have a 21-week old cockerel and three 15-week old pullets. Should I keep them in there as well, or just the older pullets?

I know they’re still young and it’s been HOT here in Central Texas but I’m not sure how to tell if they’re laying for sure since there’s no way I can search everywhere for eggs.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'd consider checking their vents (moist and pink vs tighter and closed up) and pelvic bone spacing https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309 first, to see if they even are likely to be laying. Wouldn't be unusual for none of the 21-wk-olds to be laying yet.

If it looks like they might be laying, then confining them to the run for a few days would be the next thing to try.

 

[wildgreen]

I'd consider checking their vents (moist and pink vs tighter and closed up) and pelvic bone spacing https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309 first, to see if they even are likely to be laying. Wouldn't be unusual for none of the 21-wk-olds to be laying yet.

If it looks like they might be laying, then confining them to the run for a few days would be the next thing to try.

Thank you! I’ll give that a try.

 

[wildgreen]

I'd consider checking their vents (moist and pink vs tighter and closed up) and pelvic bone spacing https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309 first, to see if they even are likely to be laying. Wouldn't be unusual for none of the 21-wk-olds to be laying yet.

If it looks like they might be laying, then confining them to the run for a few days would be the next thing to try.

@rosemarythyme I found two eggs in the coop (not in a nesting box) a couple days ago - a soft one and a normal one that had been cracked open. I hadn’t checked the day before so I think they were both from the same pullet. Haven’t found anything since. Would you still suggest I confine them to the run, or is she maybe just not laying consistently yet?

 

[rosemarythyme]

@rosemarythyme I found two eggs in the coop (not in a nesting box) a couple days ago - a soft one and a normal one that had been cracked open. I hadn’t checked the day before so I think they were both from the same pullet. Haven’t found anything since. Would you still suggest I confine them to the run, or is she maybe just not laying consistently yet?

Since she's returning to the coop to lay she's at least "going home" for laying, even if the eggs aren't in the right spot yet. So no, you don't need to confine for that, but if you start noticing that there aren't more eggs in the coop area then I'd confine them to the run to encourage them to at least use the coop for laying.

 

[wildgreen]

Since she's returning to the coop to lay she's at least "going home" for laying, even if the eggs aren't in the right spot yet. So no, you don't need to confine for that, but if you start noticing that there aren't more eggs in the coop area then I'd confine them to the run to encourage them to at least use the coop for laying.

Thanks again!! I found two more today - another beautiful one and a soft one, so two of the girls must be laying and they’re both doing so in the coop. Yay!