why wont my chickens lay eggs?

Answer 1

They need to be 5-6 months of age. They need about 1 nesting box per every three birds. They need about a days worth meaning form sun up to sun down of light. They need space like let them roam free in a fence in area maybe about an acre is best. They should start laying in the nesting boxes if there of the right age.

Answer 2

One reason that you might not see any eggs is because something is eating them. Rats love eggs, and sometimes even chickens eat them too.

Grab a hen, and lay your fingers over her feathers on her vent, where the eggs come out. You will feel 2 bones. If they are only one finger across, she isn't laying yet. If the bones are 3 fingers apart, she is laying. Also check her comb. A laying hen's comb is red and shiny. A hen that is not laying has a pale looking comb.

Chickens need a high protein mash to eat. If they are loose, they can find bugs and other things to eat. They won't lay as many eggs as others that are given only the mash. When they are loose, they like to hide their eggs. If you have a rooster, you could have some chicks coming soon. It takes 21 days after the last egg is laid in a clutch for them to hatch out.

If the hens feathers look tattered, they will need to molt before they can lay again. All of the extra protein needs to be use to make new feathers, not eggs now.

A chicken needs a lot of light to stimulate the pituitary gland. This tells them that it is spring and to start laying those eggs now.

If your chickens are still young, give them a chance to grown up. Their first eggs will be so small, but the hen will cackle as loud can be after she lays it. In time, the eggs will get larger.

Answer 3

When I first got my chickens I couldn't figure this out either and did alot of asking.
I think I got my chickens at their first laying season (5-6 months old) so therefore they needed to have "prompting". . . . I started them on Layer Krumbles (these come in pellet form or krumble form and I now use the krumble form as they pick out the pellets) and in no time at all the eggs started coming.
Keep in mind that hens don't need a rooster for laying unless you want fertile eggs.

My feed mixture consists of
50lb Scratch (mixture of grains)
50lb Layer Krumbles
5lb Oyster Shell (without it,eggs will have a thin shell or
no shell at all.

Do not scrimp on the Layer Krumble. . . I made that mistake and my chickens started eating the eggs. Apparently there is something in the Krumbles that they need and without it they apparently get it from the eggs.

Hens lay better in the spring/summer months when there is atleast 12hr sunlight.
The man who sold me my hens has a timer that turns on a light at 3am year round so he has more eggs. I don't need or want the eggs that bad as the chickens are more of a hobby than anything else not to mention that I feel that this stresses the hen.

Moulting will take place in late summer into fall though I haven't notice much moulting on my chickens so I guess the new feathers come in as fast as the old feathers fall out.
My chickens have bare spots at different times of the year depending on the amount of mounting that my rooster does. . . he does have his certain hens and those are the hens that have bare spots.

When chicken are moulting the egg laying drops off so and since it runs into fall and the hours of sunlight drops off so will the egg laying regardless of the Layer Krumbles.

Both my chickens and ducks slack in laying eggs in the winter but I do still get some eggs.

Answer 4

Chickens go through what is called moulting where they will not lay eggs. It only will last for a short time. Alternate the age of your chickens so that when some are laying, others are not. This way you always have the fresh eggs when you want them.

Answer 5

How old are your chickens? Layers need to be at least 18 weeks old to start laying. Also, feed your girls layer crumble. Check your chicken house to see if any small creatures (like rats, mice, cats, snakes, etc.) can get inside and seal any open spaces at ground level (small animals find eggs to be a delicacy). Check their light levels also; chickens need at least 14 hours of light a day to lay. If all else fails, get your girls to a veterinarian.

Answer 6

If they were laying before and you just got them you need to have a rooster or feed them laying feed.
If you have had them and they recently stopped laying
weather changes can make them stop as well as stress
if their environment has been changed they can also stop for awhile until they are comfortable with it again.

Answer 7

How old are they?
How comfortable are they?
Where do you keep them?
Do you have a rooster?
What do you feed them?

Answer 8

because theyre just not ready. u cant rush these things.