Laying Chicken Question

[wv_mom]

DH has been working on the chicken hutch for a long time and we had been talking about getting chickens (these are our first real farm animals) and he finally did it. DH brought home chickens. We have 10 chickens and 1 rooster.
We haven't had them quite a week yet, but they haven't layed any eggs yet and they were suppose to be really good layers.
I don't know anything about chickens, but I am feeding them the food the guy who sold us the chickens said to feed them (a mix of regular chicken feed and laying chicken feed, and shell).
I think that my toddlers might be scaring them too much to where they are not comfortable laying eggs. My toddlers visit them at least once a day and try to pet one. The chickens run from them but it is a very brief visit. They don't stay more than 5 minutes or so.
I haven't even seen any of them in the nest boxes. I just am not sure if I might not be doing something right.

[poobsy]

I would give them a little more time to adjust.  How old are they?  I had laying hens for many years and rarely did they lay in their 'boxes'...mostly in the straw on the bottom of the coop.

Also....could an animal be getting in there at night or early in the morning and taking the eggs?  We had a skunk for a few years that did that.  One year he got one of my hens...ripped her head right off.....poor Penny...: *(

[wv_mom]

They are a year old. I think we have it blocked where nothing can get in there. That is horrible about your chicken

[Mama3A]

Our chickens' laying was effected by the dog and the kids - they got stresses out. We had to put plywood as a "sheild" on the coop to give them privacy from the dog and limit the kids to going every 2 days and teach them to not touch the birds or chase them.
 
After we did this they slowly started laying - but as the other poster said mostly outside of their boxes. LOL it took a while to get a rhythm up but eventually with as much calm as we could provide them they satred being predictable in their laying.

I also wanted to say that the seasons effected how much they were laying as well - when it got cold they layed less.

[wv_mom]

Yeah it is pretty cold here. That is why I thiought it was so important that we get everything right from the start because I thought if they stopped laying eggs then they might not lay anymore until it warms up (which I hope is soon).
They still haven't layed any. They are in a shelter away from the dogs they can't even see them or anything. It is like a little barn with one side open so they can get sun (though it is covered in clear plastic right now as to keep them warm.
The kids aren't chasing them as much, but I am letting the kids feed them a few days a week. I fill a cup of food and let them spread it out in the feeder and then come right back to get another cup of food. I think that the kids have been doing great with feeding and I am really proud of them. (They are only 2yrs and 3 yrs old).

[wv_mom]

We got our first egg yesterday!!! I am so happy. Of course it was only one egg for 10 chickens in almost 3 weeks, but hey it is a start.

[wv_mom]

OKay, just an update. We are getting about 2-3 eggs a day now :) I guess they just needed some more time to settle in. Thanks for all of the help ladies.

[desertgurl02]

I've heard that its not the temp that effects the hens laying their eggs but the actual sunshine they recieve. I think its true because we will have two days in a row of a cloudy but nice day and the chickens dont lay til at least one good sunny day after that.

[farmgirl1]

Wow your getting eggs : )  I am glad to hear that they are laying, I have 10 hens and I get 7-8 eggs a day.  I feed Laying Mash.  I hope you start getting more eggs everyday,  it does depend on the length of daylight they receive each day too.  Pretty exciting to get fresh eggs everyday isn't it!   My oldest hen hatched out 6 little biddies and she is so funny to watch, when she sounds the call for food, they run and scratch with her..to cute = )   Have you had any double yoke eggs yet?

[wv_mom]

oh yeah I probably should have updated you. I am getting about a dozen or more every 2 days now. I am so happy about it. Chickens were such a great idea to think I was worried they would be too much trouble. The kids love them, I love them, there are tons of eggs. The rooster is still annoying, but I have learned to ignore his crows in the middle of the night LOL

oh yeah, No double yokes yet.

[amothersheart]

I'm so glad you're enjoying your chickens - we love ours!!  We have 7 hens (4 big laying hens, three old english BB Reds) and three roosters (two heavy - for meat I guess, they are super annoying, and one little BB Red/mix he's a good little guy)

I average 3-4 eggs per day - and the BB Reds have just started laying - so cute! Little tiny eggs!  Two of theirs probably equals a medium sized egg.  It's so nice to NEVER run out of eggs and be able to share w/friends and neighbors!

Anyone know when/if the chickens will 'go broody' and hatch out their eggs?  I'd like to let them hatch some this spring - but don't have any idea how to do that?!?!