lack of eggs

[andrea41]

hi,
wonder if anyone can help,just a few things really,im quite new to keeping hens,have 3 cross silkies with white sussex,beautiful birds and very happy,my girls are about 20 wks now,but not one egg yet is this normal,they are just coming to the end a moult but that surprised me is it ok that they are in moult now,and maybe the reason for no eggs,
i dnt keep the food sprinkled on the grown as i was advised,its kept dry in a tray under shelter in their run.wnt touch oytser shell grit on its own,though just look at it,one of my girls has which ive read quite often on here yellow runny poo,not all the time,does it depend on their diet ,they have a mix i make up which is layers pellet,poultry mix, and grit,i make it up to 3 layers to 1 mixed corn kept in a large tub, shes fine besides charging about ,clean bottom,scratching around,eating fine.my husband quite often goes a worm hunting for them and brings them back in a bucket quite funny,they go crazy for them,dnt eat slungs just stare at them.
another one of my girls has a slight sneeze, when im in their run which i turn over daily, i have heard her a couple of times,no mucus or anything,they do perch up in the coup,and have an nesting shelf which is also bedded.size around 5ft x 5ft but the height of a garden shed ,sawdust base about 2 inches deep,topped with straw ,does get a bit damp, water is getting in somewhere,has a concrete slab base,love me when i go with my keys runnning backward and forward,ive noticed they love been put to bed,make a racket,funny dnt put themselves to bed wait for me,thats it really me chatting on with myself, just those two things, some advise would be helpful, thanksyou.

[sgelder]

Hi Andrea,

Don't panick, the lack of eggs at 20 weeks old is not unusual, when you buy chickens at point of lay 18+ doesn't mean they are about to lay. Most chickens don't start until they are over 22 weeks, this is usual and nothing to worry about.

When they start laying what you can expect may be quite disturbing at first, you might find some soft shelled eggs, perfectly formed but the eggs are soft like thin rubber, best disgarded, also you will find some shelless eggs- just a yolk in albumum. these are sometimes dumped around the coop. It can take hens another 8 weeks to get into a proper cycle of laying. so be prepared eggs will be hit at miss through this time.

Yellow runny poo is quite normal. Hens tend to trop a runny poo ever now and then probably ever 5 to 8 will be yellow and probably smelly. Sneezing is nothing to worry about if there is no dicharge with it. sometimes saw dust can irritate their sinuses, try using thicker wood shavings and put garlic granules in their food or drink to stave off any cold they might have. It is also useful to put apple cider vinegar in their water from time to time, I use it weekly 5ml to 1ltr of water, I would also use natural living yoghurt mixed with their mash at least once very two weeks.

Cottage cheese is a good idea to increase their calcium levels for good hard shelled eggs once a week in their food, and also fresh greens - cabbage, grass cuttings, etc.

DO NOT give them too many worms, they can carry an internal parasite than can be detremental to the health of your chickens. Verm-ex is a good preventative of any parasite and given three days each month should help to prevent any nasties. One tea sthingy for each hen should be okay. If you can fix a tarp over their coop it should help prevent rain getting in and spoiling their bedding. Corn should only be fed in the evening before they go to roost, this will help build them up against the cold but, only feed them a small amount until they are a couple of months older.

Good luck with you chooks, don't forget it will be a few weeks yet before you get proper eggs on a regular basis.

Hope some of this helps.

[andrea41]

hello everybody,

not been on for a while,but thankyou for your lovely reply to my concerns,
got nine birds now, 3 bluebells, 3 cookoo morans and my 3 silkies,got the message regarding worms unfortunatley my husband loves going worm hunting,and will bring back half a childs bucket of lovely juicy worms for my girls which of course they love, but i think i will take on board what ive been advised and cut back on those.could anyone tell me when they will stop laying ,for the winter period.

[sgelder]

Hi

Chickens don't usually stop laying for winter period, they just lay less during the dark colder days.