I bought 3 hens from a friend of mine...one blues splash Maran, once black cooper Maran and another unidentified breed. I got then in late July and she said they were around 18 weeks old. We expected eggs in September...my unidentified hen (who is sweet as pie) began laying in mid November. She's fairly small too...my black copper is a big fat girl and and hasn't even began to show signs that ashes ready to lay. She has a bright red comb and waddles but she isn't nesting and won't squat. My blue splash has been slow to mature and just recently got a nice sized comb. It's getting redder, but still has more pink than red. I wasn't impressed with my friend's hens living condition- they lived in a cramped stall of a barn with no natural light and a single bulb for artificial light. Could this have stunted their process of maturing? I'm getting a little frustrated! They are about 9months old!
