Topic of the Week - When Do Pullets Begin Laying?

[chuck lady]

there is no exact science they will lay when they are ready and happy and in their own sweet time or they could pop one out after arriving and i have had 2 at pol and its taken 3 weeks from settling in to an egg, and thats only been one of them but each bird is so different

 

[chuck lady]

If I buy pol birds how long after transporting & stress
should they lay
cheers Phil

there is no exact science they will lay when they are ready and happy and in their own sweet time or they could pop one out after arriving and i have had 2 at pol and its taken 3 weeks from settling in to an egg, and thats only been one of them so far but each bird is so different

 

[mtempleton]

My Goldens started about 4 months my reds and barreds few weeks later, the first year they didn't molt and payed all winter second year when molt started they quit and only Kaye's a few during wintet

 

[micstrachan]

My New Hampshire Red started first at about 5 months or so. She's a consistent, daily later right now. A week or two later, my Barred Rock started. After her, my Black Australorp, and last, my Brown Leghorn. ALL of them did the submissive squat before laying.

 

[Melissa Sakata]

Our 3 pullets are about 15 weeks old but not much has changed in the comb and wattles department for a few weeks. We just got the girls roost-trained so no more trying to sleep and pooping in the nest boxes, yay! We know we still have at minimum a few weeks, but I'm excited already

Do the comb and wattles really wait till that same week to "pop"? We have the nest boxes blocked off, wondering when to open them up for business - I had been thinking maybe in another 2 weeks so they don't revert back from their roost-training?

Weekly pics of the girls! (will need to add a 15 week old one tomorrow)
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/our-peeps-from-5-weeks-until-now

Enjoyed watching your babies growing! So cute and funny too!

 

[chickenwisper16]

........our chickens first egg so exciting!!!!ours are 20weeks!

 

[beritbeth]

Hi! My flock (my first) has dwindled from a group of ten now to five from a raccoon attack. Unfortunately it seems that I was left with four cockerels and only one pullet. They are all about five months old now (born on April 8th). Three are Lavender Orpingtons and I have two Black Maran crosses. When will my Lavender Orpington pullet begin laying? Recently I was gone for two weeks and when I came back 2 of the LO cockerels combs and waddles had grown substantially and deepened in red color. I did not notice much of a change in the pullet's comb or waddles and she hasn't sat and spread her wings around me yet. I am quite sure that they are all from the same hen but they seem to be maturing at a largely different rate. I can see the difference in the maturity of the two cockerels in the comb size and actual body size, but the pullet's size of body or waddles/comb hasn't changed in about a month.
Thank you to anyone who has advice!

 

[Shezadandy]

Squatting was probably the closest indicator for when they were about to start laying. I had a couple that looked like they should be first based on comb/wattles, but as it turned out, no so much!

Spreadsheet geek that I am:

These were hatched in October:

Easter Egger 1: 23 weeks
Easter Egger 2: 21 weeks, 4 days
Speckled Sussex 1: 20 weeks
Speckled Sussex 2: 27 weeks, 1 day
Barred Rock 1: 22 weeks, 1 day
Barred Rock 2: 22 weeks, 6 days
Black Australorp 1: 20 weeks, 5 days
Black Australorp 2: 21 weeks, 1 day
Buff Orp 1: 23 weeks
Buff Orp 2: 20 weeks, 2 days

These were hatched in April:

Super Blue Egg Layer 1: 19 weeks, 4 days
Super Blue Egg Layer 2: 19 weeks, 6 days
GL Wyandotte: 19 weeks, 1 day

 

[mizz9]

I left a comment on your link. Such cute girls. Mine are really sweet. The last few days I have noticed a great deal of weight gain in my pullets. I hope that means they are getting ready to settle into being a hen. Well I know that is officially a year old, but one truly is looking hennishly...( I don't think that is a real word), lol

Enjoyed watching your babies growing! So cute and funny too!

Thanks guys!

I like "hennishly"

 

[AmandaMBG]

We just got our first egg yesterday. The gal started squating about a week and a half before and her comb and wattles reddened up and started growing around the same time. I have a cockoo Marans that is getting close too. Here is Roxy right after laying her egg

Her comb was peach and way smaller than that not too long ago and she had little to no wattles.