Topic: Only one egg so far

[steve1967]

Hi All,

I got my hens on Good Friday three brown hens. We had our first egg on Easter Sunday  . Since then we have had nothing. Is this the norm as they are young birds.

This is the first time I have kept hens so any advice is much appreciated.

Steve

[pumkinlover]

Yes it is, they are young birds so will be a bit irregular. Also they have to get used to thier new surroundings etc.

[kt.]

The cold temperatures also affect egg production.  Too much bread also reduces the egg making ability of hens as I found out to detrimental effect.  We were feeding our 12 hens 1/3rd of a loaf daily and had no eggs for 4 months until I was told about it.  Stopped all stuff from home and they now only get veg leaves produced from the plot and layers pellets only.  They are back to laying 4-5 daily after 5-6 days.  After keeping hens for 7 years I never knew about the bread......  It also explains why other plotholders who got the same breed, the same age, from the same place were getting an egg per hen almost daily last year to my maximum 7-8 from 12 hens.

[steve1967]

Thanks for the reassurance. Will have to be patient and look forward to some lovely eggs.

[goodlife]

Not only your young girls may lay very irregularly.. they may lay odd looking eggs to start with.
Be prepared to see very, very small eggs or funny shaped ones or without yolk or even without shell =leather eggs. All that is 'normal' with young girls and will usually normalize after few oddities. They just have to get their system into right 'gear'
What KT said about bread is very true...and same apply any 'treat' foods... potatoes, pasta, wheat/mixed corn.
If you supply your girls with layers pellets/mash as their main food ..
anything else is just a 'treat' and the girls will lay well for you.

[steve1967]

We have had an egg two days running. Both perfect and very yummy  .

Thank you all for your advice and re assurance.