[quackersinfrance]

Dear T.A.S.  Agony Aunt,
I am currently in a relationship with eight hens.  Each has her own individual character and I love them all equally.  However, I am beginning to feel my love is unrequited.  The relationship seems to be a little one-sided and I now feel that maybe I am just being used.

I provide them with a large grassed outdoor enclosure (with trees for shaded snoozes on sunny days);  a warm barn (shut up & fox-proof at night) with perches, nesting boxes and everything a hen could want;  good quality food (layers pellets & grain mix) and lots of TLC.  I don’t ask for much in return.
Do I expect constant gratitude? No.  Do I expect them to compliment me on my appearance? No.
Do I expect them to listen to all my hair-brain ideas and innermost thoughts?... er,  well actually, yes…but anyway, my point is, call me old fashioned but I did expect to receive some eggs.
Is that really too much to ask?
I receive just one egg per day, occasionally two.  This can’t be right.
Or can it?  Is it me?
Am I expecting too much too soon?
Maybe they like to take things slowly. Do they just need more time?

P.S.  Three of the hens are about a year old (they moved here after a reluctant but necessary eviction from their previous home),  the others were POL  when they moved in about two weeks ago.

Yours confusedly,
Quackersinfrance

[HappyHippy]

       
Well, Quackers in France someone way more up on chooks will be along soon just to keep you 100% right, but it can take them a few days to adapt to a change of scene - maybe yours are a wee bit slow 
Probably worth giving them a dose of wormer and mite powder, a bit of poultry spice to perk them up (you can also get liquid stuff called lifeguard) and if all that fails show them a packet of paxo and tell 'em to get on with it, because this is the alternative              
Oh, and I never found any of mine ever really seemed to 'appreciate' me - such is the unrequited love of a poultry keeper   
HTH
Karen 

[Bionic]

Dear Quackersinfrance,
Do not despair. No relationship ever runs completely smoothly and unfortunately it can be one sided for a bit. 
I waited a month before my POL's laid their first egg but now they generally lay one each most days (apart from Doris but thats another story).
As for those that are a year old then I am not experienced enough to deal with them. Another Agony Aunt or Uncle will be along shortly I am sure.
 
Sally

[quackersinfrance]

Thanks both,

Happy Hippy, if I weren't giggling I'm sure I, and the girls, should be deeply offended by the fact you could even mention PAXO.
Seriously though, it's OK, we're safe - I don't allow the chooks any computer time midweek.
I'm always conscious of wormers, etc. with the other animals but hadn't thought of that for the girls (Oops!)
I will get on that. (I have an anti red mite spray for perches / bedding areas. Do I need to spray/powder each individual bird?

Bionic, thanks for your input. Seems I may be worrying a couple of weeks too early and they do indeed just need more time.
 

[Womble]

"POL" can be quite a moveable feast. Give your relationship a bit more time before expecting offspring (or omelettes for that matter).

[NormandyMary]

I agree with Womble. Over here (France) Ive been known to wait weeks and weeks for my POL's to start doing the bizzo. Also, are any of your older girls getting broody or moulting? Have you tried getting any of those artificial eggs and putting them in the nesting boxes just to jog their memories? Also, do they have plenty of water every day? I find that the more they drink, the better they lay. Just another thought, have you looked in all the nooks and crannies of their pen and under the trees just to see if they have dropped any there?
Whereabouts in France are you by the way?

[quackersinfrance]

Hi,

We're in La Creuse (in the Limousin).
Yes, the girls have plenty of fresh water every day, two large bowls in the barn and two outside (plus they insist, sometimes, on ignoring these bowls and drinking from the duck "pond").
I do check everywhere outside, all trees, nooks & crannies,etc.
No signs of broody hens or moulting.

I haven't tried putting artificial eggs in nesting boxes.  That may very well be worth a try.
I'm now wondering where on earth one would get such a thing.
The one guaranteed egg I do get is always in the same nesting box every day.
Should I just leave it there in the hope other hens will follow suit?

[NormandyMary]

I have 4 nesting boxes in the henhouse, but 2 of them have never even been sat in, the girls would rather queue for the other 2 than use them. Ive no idea why! You can buy the artificial eggs from any Point Vert or Agrial, they come in a little pack of 2 I think.
Hope you start to get lots of eggs very soon.
 
Mary.

[FiB]

My first guess was 'laying elsewhere' possibly (that was my experience) - have you tried keeping them in for a day to check (not sure if you have a contained run attached to where they are supposed to lay, so that may not be practical..).  Mine were laying in absolutely cunning places, and I came accross quite a few clutches of eggs in very well hidden areas (under things, or above eye level in a stone wall...)  Good luck, Fi

[Hatty]

Just a thought but are they eating them? I had a problem with this a while ago, i bought some rubber eggs from ebay and put them in the nest boxes, worked a treat!

Happyhippy if you threatened my girls with PAXO, they would probably go all giddy and girlie thats the name of our cockerel