[Kiwigirl]

Hi, hope you can give me some advice. I live in New Zealand now so its coming into cooler weather here. I got two chickens in February that were 26 weeks old and they still haven't laid. Could it be that since the end of March the weather has turned cooler? They are really happy and I let them free range in the day. I am wondering if I will have to wait till Spring now (September) before they lay!

[Bodger]

At 38 weeks, you are quite right to be concerned. The clue that you have given me is that you say that your birds are free ranging. Your birds should have been laying for a good three months by now, a possibility, is that they are indeed laying but that they have been laying away. In other words, there maybe a nest full of eggs hidden away. Have a hunt around.

[Porffor]

what breed are they? only a breeder of Brahma's told me they don't lay till 14-18 months.. don't hold me to that, i'm no expert but just an idea.  :?

[Ruby Red]

38 weeks is a bit on the old side. Perhaps theyve just stopped .

[Bodger]

Rubes.
From what Kiwi has said, it would appear that they have never started, let alone finished. :shock:

[Ruby Red]

:oops: Oh God sorry. Perhaps theyre Henrys and not Henriettas.  

[Kiwigirl]

Thanks for your replies. Thats right they haven't even started laying yet. Not sure what breed they are, a friend up the road with a farm gave me them. I'll take a couple of pictures today and post them here , then perhaps you may know what they are.

[jammy]

Could they have been younger when you got them? What are their combs looking like - smallish, pale pink or large, plump and dark red?

[Kiwigirl]

I seem to remember being told they were a mixed breed. their combs have got slightly bigger since I got them and they are a dark pink colour. I am still trying to work out how to put their photos on here!

[jimroden]

I seem to remember being told they were a mixed breed. their combs have got slightly bigger since I got them and they are a dark pink colour. I am still trying to work out how to put their photos on here!

send me an email and i will post them on for you

Br Jim

e-mail addy removed by Aunty - don't want you getting lots of offers for little blue pills Jim.  

If you want to take up Jim's offer PM him for his addy !
Otherwise go to Posting pictures in a thread

[blossom1044]

Just a thought, but if you got them from a farm are they breed for meet birds or did they get mixed up in the breeding/hatching stage with breed for meet birds.  The birds which are breed for meet only in free range farms as well as battery (yuck) don't lay legs at all.