Salmon Faverolle at least 1 year old does not lay, ever....

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MollyDora

MollyDora

Chirping
7 Years
May 31, 2012
136
3
83
Crocker, MO
Hi Ya'll,

we have 4 chickens, 2 adult Salmon Faverolles and 2 juvenile Easter Eggers.

The 2 Faverolles we've had since the beginning of May and when we bought them they were fully grown, we were told they were from "last season".

One of the 2 has not yet laid an egg. She has beautiful feathers a very full beard but we are just clueless as to why she does not lay. The other Faverolle gives us about 1 egg a day.

we feed layer crumbles, I give scratch once a week as a treat and we give them worms, crickets, basil! They love Basil!.

They have been freeranging but since they developed a habit on roosting on the fence (that meets with the neighbor who has 3 dogs, we've locked them in the coop since yesterday)

any ideas???

thank you
 
Hi MollyDora
frow.gif
Your Faverolle could just be taking a while to adjust, or something could have stressed her. Are you sure she is a she? Sometimes people try to sell males as hens.

I had a BSL that came from a home where she had to deal with poor nutrition and overcrowding. She was in a pretty sorry state when we got her, and it took her several months before she started laying eggs for us. In her case, I think it just took her a while to relax, fatten up, and get comfortable with her new home. Maybe your girl is just slow?

Also, what kind of health is she in?
 
I will take a picture of her tomorrow.

She seems to be in great health. When we got the Faverolles they did not have any kind of beard, we're not sure if it was pecked out or if they were molting.... either way, this particiular hen (Sue) has grown the biggest most beautiful beard! The other hen (Lucy) the one that's laying now, has started growing her beard but it's not as big as Sue's.

I did a bit more reading on here today too, and Sue also does not Squat.

I'm very sure she is a she. The Faverolle Roos look so different and she looks all hen.

Like I said, I'll take a picture tomorrow and post it.

thank you so far
 
Oh yeah, there is no mistaking a roo for a hen at all on the faverolles. Just not possible. They color in so different straight away from the beginning.

Ok... If they had no beards when you got them, and have only just grown them in, this means she was molting. They do not lay while they are molting. If she was molting, and it wasn't a feather picking issue with other birds pecking them out, then she is at least 18 months old.

Now, the other thing, have you searched the yard? She may be laying in the yard. In a bush, under a thickly leaved plant, near a yard waste pile... I have to regularly go on easter egg hunts. And some of the places I have found eggs stashed up... WOW.

AND, how long have you had the bird? If her sister is laying already, then I would assume she should be too. I did however have a faverolle hen who was a spotty layer after her first molt. She'd lay maybe 3-4 eggs a week.

Personally though, I am thinking you need to do a yard search... Keep them confined to coop and run for a week, and see what happens... Leave a few wooden eggs in the nest boxes, they are easily purchased at craft stores.
 
both hens did not have a beard, and now Sue who does not lay has a very full beard and Lucy who lays has a smaller beard...
also, they were not missing any other feathers then the beard, wouldn't they be molting all over, or does that vary?

I have searched the yard .. we have a lot of trees, but no real hiding places. It has been so dry here that nothing is growing.

I've had them since beginning of May this year and they were fully grown when i got them (the seller said they were from last season.

Also, the other thing that's different about that hen, she roosts on top of the fence all the time when we free range her (which is a bit of a problem since the fence meets with the neighbor who has dogs...) but not a big issue. Is excessive roosting a sign for anything? She does separate herself from the group when she does this.

Craft supply stores are hard to find around here, we kinda live in the boonies, but I think I should have a golf ball somewhere, maybe that will work. Or will it, since that hen does not even seem to check out the nest... will she even find the golf ball or will i just make my other hen broody?

wow, soooo many ???? in my head right now, this bird is really driving me crazy
barnie.gif


Thank you for your reply
 
MollyDora said:
both hens did not have a beard, and now Sue who does not lay has a very full beard and Lucy who lays has a smaller beard...
also, they were not missing any other feathers then the beard, wouldn't they be molting all over, or does that vary?

I have searched the yard .. we have a lot of trees, but no real hiding places. It has been so dry here that nothing is growing.

I've had them since beginning of May this year and they were fully grown when i got them (the seller said they were from last season.

Also, the other thing that's different about that hen, she roosts on top of the fence all the time when we free range her (which is a bit of a problem since the fence meets with the neighbor who has dogs...) but not a big issue. Is excessive roosting a sign for anything? She does separate herself from the group when she does this.

Craft supply stores are hard to find around here, we kinda live in the boonies, but I think I should have a golf ball somewhere, maybe that will work. Or will it, since that hen does not even seem to check out the nest... will she even find the golf ball or will i just make my other hen broody?

wow, soooo many ???? in my head right now, this bird is really driving me crazy
barnie.gif


Thank you for your reply
Click to expand...

If she lays at some point in the future, placing a gold ball in the nest box can still help encourage her. It might also help her figure out where to lay, if she's stashing the eggs somewhere. I have had a golf ball in the nest help with both of these issues. I put one in the box one day, and it encouraged three of my girls that weren't laying to lay in the box. They just needed a 'marker' to show them where to lay, I guess. One of them had actually started laying a few days before and was hiding the eggs. It wasn't until after I found the stash that I realized she'd been holding out on me. They can be sneaky about it.
 
Do you have a roo. I have kown a hen to take on this role and they will not lay if this is the case. This sounds like what she might be doing as she seat on the fence as a guard during the day Just a thought
 

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