When did your RIR start laying??

[nativegirl]

So I have 3 RIR's that will be 27weeks old this weekend. Still nothing. I checked their pelvic bones and two are at 2 fingers and the other is at 1 finger. I know this is basically a waiting game. But I'd like to know when others RIR's started laying? Also,how long does it usually take their pelvic bones from starting to spread to fully ready? Like if they're at 1 finger, how long to get to 3 fingers, on average? Its funny because along with my 3 RIR's I have 4 younger barnyard mixes(16weeks going on 17weeks), and two of those are starting to spread also. One is at 2 fingers and another at 1 & a half. It'll be really funny to see if the younger ones start laying before my older girls.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

They may start before the older girls. My guess is they will all lay at same time (over month period for all to be laying). Age is not nearly as important as the environment is. If your not or did not supply lighting then they are at the mercy of daylight hours. We are getting out of spring now and birds are laying and brooding and all those environmental ques are prevalent that were not there 4 weeks ago. Age of birds is a factor as a 16 week bird shouldn't lay but 24 weeks is very common time frame meaning 20-27 weeks most birds are old enough to lay. The daylight hours and weather will effect laying far more than age.

My sob story on laying age is this past fall with current flock I didn't add lighting. Was far too optimistic they'd start up before Solstice. Well that was wrong and so was my insistence they would start early February. Long story short we got our first egg at the age of 10 months. Took another month then the other birds started coming into lay. We banded that early bird for possible future breeding. Was out of norm for flock so great layer! Yeah, put that in perspective of 10 months to lay- Ugh. But, no lighting and cold winters up here. Plus side of all that is we never dealt with pullet eggs. All eggs were good size and shape from the get go.

10 months first bird laying.
11 months rest of flock starting to lay.
12 months half the flock of now hens went broody.

Not a good year to sell eggs.

 

[nativegirl]

They may start before the older girls. My guess is they will all lay at same time (over month period for all to be laying). Age is not nearly as important as the environment is. If your not or did not supply lighting then they are at the mercy of daylight hours. We are getting out of spring now and birds are laying and brooding and all those environmental ques are prevalent that were not there 4 weeks ago. Age of birds is a factor as a 16 week bird shouldn't lay but 24 weeks is very common time frame meaning 20-27 weeks most birds are old enough to lay. The daylight hours and weather will effect laying far more than age.

My sob story on laying age is this past fall with current flock I didn't add lighting. Was far too optimistic they'd start up before Solstice. Well that was wrong and so was my insistence they would start early February. Long story short we go our first egg at the age of 10 months. Took another month then the other birds started coming into lay. We banded that early bird for possible future breeding. Was out of norm for flock so great layer! Yeah, put that in perspective of 10 months to lay- Ugh. But, no lighting and cold winters up here. Plus side of 

Well luckily the cold weather is decreasing here in NC. On some days its been really nice. However the 'April showers' are in full swing. Im really curious when other RIRs start laying because I want to know if its normal for them to almost be 6months before laying. Im going to check their pelvic bones again this weekend and Im hoping by then they will at least be ready to start laying.

 

[nativegirl]

I will definitely take that into consideration for next year if I add to my flock("if" lol). I got mine as pullets so they were all coop ready at the time. But I do have all the equipment for chick raising. Next year I'll probably get the chicks early on(or breed my own, who knows). So that they will be ready to lay early spring and I wont have to deal with all this inpatient waiting.