When will my chicks lay eggs?

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sb4878

sb4878

Hatching
Jul 6, 2015
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our three chicks are about 17 weeks old. We got them when they were two weeks. I have one white Plymouth Rock, one black jersey giant and one buckeye. I am worried because none of them have laid eggs yet. When we got them the place we got them said they would lay eggs by thanksgiving so inane not worrying too much, just getting impatient I guess. Lol
We recently went to get them more food and the sales lady asked what food we wanted. We said we still want the chick starter. She asked how old the chicks were and said they should be laying by now. She thinks treats we have given them such as meal worms and grapes are delaying their egg laying. Is this true? Should I stop treats until they start laying? I knew you shouldn't give them oyster shell before they started laying but I didn't know you shouldn't give them other treats.

Thanks for your help!
 
The breeds that you mention are not particularly early layers like leghorns or sex links. 17 weeks is way too early to expect eggs from them.
 
Well I think you can expect eggs at like 20ish weeks, my barred rock started laying at 17 and my EE was like 30 something weeks. So every bird is different
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I kept mine on chick started till my first chicken laid an egg and the I switched foods
 
If you're like I was, you hate to buy an entire bag of chick starter, only to have them all start laying a week later! So you could buy a bag of Starter/Grower or All Flock and a bag of oyster shell. The chicks you have now can eat it, and when they magically transform to layers you don't have to change foods - you just need to offer a container of oyster shell. I use this feeding when I have a mixed flock with roos, chicks, and layers rather than buying separate foods and trying to keep them out of each other's feeders!

The other posters are absolutely right - feeding a few mealworms and grapes and such isn't going to impact laying when they aren't ready to lay yet. But that first egg is coming - it really is!
 
Patience...

Not one of my best suits either... You're probably looking at a month to go yet. 22-24 weeks solid on the Rocks, not sure on Buckeyes; Butttt.. They'll "squat', and start singing the " egg song" a few days to a couple weeks before onset of lay, so if you're seeing them crouch funny, or sqawk odd tunes in the morning, they are very very close :)
 

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