Chickens

[Bales147]

We have 4 hens and a cockerel, they're all about 23 weeks old. The cockerel has just started to crow (well sort of) but sounds very strange and seems to get out of breath alot - is this normal? and the hens are showing no signs of laying any eggs, is it poosible they will never lay? and do they show different signs when they're preparing to lay? Any advise would be gratefully received.

[terambulan]

The hens should be ready to lay but the ******* is still maturing. Unfortunately, if they're free-range, you wont get too many eggs while the weather remains wet & cold.

You could help them by enclosing them in a shed, for warmth, and placing dumb-eggs for encouragement. Keep the cockeral away as he just distracts the chucks from laying.

[terambulan]

c'mon I didn't swear......I said the word for male chicken.....maybe I spelt it wrong.....here goes: cockerel

[Bales147]

Thanks for that. The Cockerel isn't very dominent and tends to keep himself to himself but we did tend to treat them all to a corn on the cob every day between them. Someone told us that wouldn't help cos it was like feeding a human chocolate and there wasnt any goodness in it for them - could that stop them from laying do you think?

I love them to bits, but can't help thinking i'm not getting value for money here ,4 hens and no eggs! :-)

[obNOXious]

Feed them layers mash, and the sign that they''e coming into lay is that their combs will go redder and they'll generally look perkier.

[wildwood]

You do not say what breed they are. Some don't start laying until 7 months old.
Is the rooster younger than the hens? Strange that he is not the dominant one. If the rooster is the same age it is indeed unusual for him to only just start crowing now as some of mine can start as early as 6 weeks old, sometimes before they've lost their cheep voice. It may take a few weeks for him to perfect his crow.
All hens will lay eventually. The odd one may have something amiss internally which prevent it from making eggs but with four hens, three should be layers.
Note that some breeds may only lay 30 eggs per year and are usually only kept for show or pet purposes.

[Bales147]

Thanks wildwood. We have 2 x Cochins and 2 x Pekins Hens and the Cockerel is a Pekin aswell, although he is very small and he is slightly deformed having only 1 eye - do you think that's why he's not very dominent? He seems very content anyway. Although since he's been trying to crow he has gone subdued and seems to struggle slightly with his breathing.

[wildwood]

Never had Pekins but the Cochins are good layers when they are in breeding condition, although they are very likely to go broody for extended periods during the warmer weather. Broody hens don't lay of course. Excellent birds for raising chicks of the more finicky breeds though.

The fact that your little rooster has only one eye is probably the reason that he has gone to the bottom of the pecking order. When a rooster walks past a hen the hen expect a certain behaviour from his lordship; either a cluck, peck or amorous behaviour. As he can't see on one side, the hen treats him as another one of the flock and due to his small size goes to the bottom.