Pullet not laying

[Cesar Villegas]

I would take anything posted on BYC with a "grain of salt."   

Haha! I'm with Royce, more like a 50# block!  I'm on city water, so we should be good, but I am curious, if anyone comes up with any info on this.

The ro thing is interesting, especially the link with k+, since Kn has been the bane of my existence...

Cesar: They vary. One pullet shows no evidence of ever breeding, not a feather turned, even though she has been paired with a male for months. One female hasn't been with a male since winter. Two have mated on a regular basis. One of those has produced dwarf eggs a few months apart, but never a full size egg. I suspect a problem with her, ro fits with what I'm seeing, although I haven't opened any of the eggs. She may be on the next auction load. The other 3 have qualities I'm willing to wait on, at least a little while longer. One of them survived coccidia as a chick and her development has been slower than the others, but steady.

Beth, I really want to wait on this one. But it is getting frustrating especially with my lack of space. Im thinking of taking her to a friend who has a small backyard flock who said she would take her. And if and when she starts laying I can have her back. Im giving her until the end of the month to lay.

Im asking around locally to see if i can get another black AM.

[John W Blehm]

Greetings, I was hoping to get some input on a pullet who not laid yet and shes almost a year old.

I fixed the problem I had with 3 pullets/hens this evening.  One bantam lavender had only laid two eggs, one LF lavender laid greenish eggs and another laid well, but they were all soft shelled and eaten.  The buyer of those three and a few others will enjoy a few chicken diners.   

[Russ Blair]

Do they need a few more John? These would be more a Cornish hen size lol. A pullet not laying is like a cockerel not being fertile. Pretty much  useless in a breeding program, and something I have been experiencing myself. Of course it always seems to be the best/favorites which proves a very valid point....good "show" birds don't always make the best breeders 😩

[Cesar Villegas]

Do they need a few more John? These would be more a Cornish hen size lol. A pullet not laying is like a cockerel not being fertile. Pretty much  useless in a breeding program, and something I have been experiencing myself. Of course it always seems to be the best/favorites which proves a very valid point....good "show" birds don't always make the best breeders 😩

Russ, I guess I'm in that club haha.. And you're right in my case its my best pullet hahaha 

[Beth Curran]

Cesar I'm right there with you - hate to give up on birds I bought and put a year into raising but they are taking up prime real estate, to say nothing of feed.

Russ so true! I've heard it said that the best breeder is the one that is willing to pass on it's genes - don't remember who said it, but they sure were right. I've had some beautiful birds that I just could not get offspring from - either they didn't lay, weren't fertile, the eggs didn't hatch or the chicks were unthrifty. Pretty is as pretty does!

[Cesar Villegas]

Im thinking it has to do with nutrition in this situation. I have another younger black pullet that is not laying also. My older black pullet and younger pullet where kept with someone else during the winter. And i dont know what they were fed or how often.

I kept my younger pullet's hatch mate with me and she started laying 1.5 months ago. They both hatched 7-9-14

[Cesar Villegas]

She did it !!!! She laid an egg this morning 4-16-15 

Might have been the leftover chili I gave her a few days ago hahaha. I just hope she keeps it going !

Also it's a good size egg 😀

[Mike Gilbert]

I have discovered that as a general rule,  when they take longer to start laying, the first eggs are larger than normal pullet sized eggs.  I suppose because their bodies and reproductive systems are more fully developed.   Rate of lay may or may not be affected.

[Cesar Villegas]

I have discovered that as a general rule,  when they take longer to start laying, the first eggs are larger than normal pullet sized eggs.  I suppose because their bodies and reproductive systems are more fully developed.   Rate of lay may or may not be affected.

Mike have the ones who have taken a while for you, have they've been good layers after their first egg?

[Mike Gilbert]

Some have been, others not so much.   I'm not sure there is a connection.    I have heard it said that the first layers will be your best layers, but I have not found that to be true.   I suppose if you only take into account the eggs laid in their first year it would be true, but as hobbyists we tend to keep our layers longer than one year.

[Beth Curran]

Yay!!

It might have been the chili. I'd forgotten all about it, but some old-timers swear by adding red pepper to feed to stimulate birds to lay. Always thought it was just a wives tale, but feed is expensive and pepper is cheap, might have to spice things up around here!

[Suki]

My first coops for LF were about 2' deep by 3' wide

Where did you get the feed box?  that's a great size.  Thanks

[John W Blehm]

My first coops for LF were about 2' deep by 3' wide

Where did you get the feed box?  that's a great size.  Thanks

Those are 7" FM7 Rabbit and Small Animal Feeders from Cutler Supply.

[Suki]

Thank you John.

[Cesar Villegas]

"Laying update"

So far she has laid an egg everyday but once, since she started laying on the 16th.

Would it be ok to integrate her back into my breeding flock?