chickens going on 5 months now

[stetson1]

I ordered 100 chicks about 5 months ago and was wondering since its December if you guys think they will lay this winter or just start in the spring....i havent heard any of the roosters in the bunch crow yet so im assuming they havent reached maturity although they are getting to be fairly good size in the mix i have light brahmas rhodeisland reds. buff orphingtons speckled sussex cherry eggers barred rocks and white leghorns.. i just got a big box of good mix egg layers so that next summer id have a good flock roaming the farm i have there building setup with just perchs right now but have nest boxes and havent hung them.... should I?? get some boxes ready or are my chances of a fresh egg sandwhich still a few months out?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

20 weeks or so is about average if at that age in spring or summer. This time of year it will more likely be 6 months or so.
Keep an eye on the size and redness of combs.

Definitely put the nests in. They check them out about a week before laying commences. If there are none, they may start laying on the floor. That's not a habit you want to start.

 

[Percheron chick]

You should be seeing eggs soon. Might be another month but most of your breeds should be on the front side of the 22-30 week window. Don't expect eggs from your brahmas until much later. I had June pullets start Christmas week last year without additional light.

At 5 months, you should have significant feather development of any cockerels. Don't count on crowing at this point. If you ended up with 100% pullets, you just won the lottery. You probably have 5-10 that are hiding.

 

[stetson1]

yea i might go spruce the place up a bit this weekend and do some work around the pen to im probably gonna put the nest boxes in and fill with shavings its been rainy here and everythings a mess some fresh shavings and a good clean up is due.... who knows i might get a Christmas egg lol

 

[aart]

100 chickens?!?!
Do you have a very large coop with like 20 nests for all these birds?

If they are crowded, the stress can delay onset of lay. If they don't have a roomy coop with plenty of nests they may start/be laying all over the place, especially if you free range.

 

[stetson1]

there in a 100x100 6 foot high fenced in area and the laying house is 12x16 and i have 40 nest boxes to go in it.... im assuming thats enough i dont know i was winging it but when i build something i build it right they have heated lamps in ceiling of the coop and summer time ill open windows and put box fans in there....oh and they have a 160 pound livestock guardian dog who guards the joint.....so i dont expect to be getting any eggs stolen hahahaha

 

[aart]

40 nests should be more than plenty for 100 layers.

12 x 16 for 100 birds is gonna be tight when they are full grown...that's less than 2 sqft per bird which is about the same as a commercial stocking density.
Tight space is why they de-beak commercial birds, so they don't cause wounds when pecking each other.
Ventilation would also need to be maximized, even in winter, due to that high population per sq ft.

 

[stetson1]

The 12x16 is just the building they, have free range in and out of it day and night into a 100x100 Fenced in. Area with a 6 foot fence I don't think they are confined

 

[aart]

The 12x16 is just the building they, have free range in and out of it day and night into a 100x100 Fenced in. Area with a 6 foot fence I don't think they are confined

But they are all roosting in the coop at night (I assume), longer amounts of time during winter, so air quality is compromised due to amount of night time poops and respiration.

Do they have shelter from wind, rain, snow outside the coop?

 

[Peeps61]

Actually, they sound like they live in a palace! I would echo Aart's question about the run being protected from the elements. It looks like you live in Tennessee. It can get very nasty there in the wintertime, so protecting the run as well as the coop is important.

I have 10 birds and 7 of them were hatched in June. ALL of them are laying (for 3 weeks now), including my buff brahmas and cochins. Even my older hens, one of which was molting and the other in a sympathy molt are all laying again. Before the pullets started to lay, I was getting about 4 eggs a week from my RIR hen. That's picked up again too - I am getting 6-7 a week from her now. My girls have two coops to chose from, but they usually choose the larger one to roost in during the evening. I'll let them out in the morning, and they go to the other coop to lay their eggs. Funny!