not laying

starpaws

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Hi everyone, first week in august i bought my 2 chickens, both ages approx 18 weeks. Now at 26 weeks one is laying about 6 eggs a week the other nothing at all. The comb on the hen not laying is still small and not a good red colour like the other, is she just still immature ? I know there is no set time for chickens to start laying but being new to this i am hoping she isn't barren, if thats possible !!
Any advice folks ?? thanks
 
Firstly, the non layer may be younger than the other one. Mistakes are easily made over ages. They don't all mature at exactly the the same stage but are usually within a week or two. You didn't say what type they are as this can make a difference. It would be very rare for a pullet to be barren but occasionally illness during rearing or later can leave them less productive.
 
Thnx Chuck, the one that has been laying for a while is a bluebelle, maran x rhode island, the other is a light sussex, sussex x rhode island, I am sure that's right. I know the bluebelles cross is as i said, think the other is correct but not 100%. Does this help ?
 
You certainly could hope for eggs from a hybrid like yours by 26 weeks, but it's not unusual for some pullets to go beyond this. As Chuck says, she may also be a week or two younger as well. Also, at this time of year, the daylight is getting less as the evenings draw in, and the loss of those hours of light does make a difference to the age at which pullets can make it into lay. Those hatched in early Spring do their growing during the months when there are long hours of light, and get into lay correspondingly early, but those hatched later in the year don't get this stimulus to such an extent and are often slower to mature. Some don't make it into lay before about November, and these birds often wait until the next year to being laying, especially the purebreds which are usually slower maturing anyway. Also, as Chuck says, unless you have reared a bird yourself, you can never be sure what challenges to her health she may have had to overcome as a chick or grower.
So don't give up hope, try to stay patient, this every reason to suppose she'll come up with the goods within the next 4 weeks or so. If not, she will grow on slowly and steadily throughout the winter and will be a good strong hen who will probably be an excellent layer next Spring.
 
Neither of your types of hybrid are as precocious as the Warren type brown hybrids and generally the Blues are slower to mature as they are the heftiest of all the hybrids. The light Sussex hybrids sometimes have one Rhode Island Red grandparent but some are a cross between two Utility Light Sussex strains. Useful birds
If she does come into lay, you should have a good supply of eggs through the winter from the two of them. Let us know how she goes.
 

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