When do RIRs begin to lay?

[ckseals]

My RIR is about 8 mo. old and has not laid yet! Is she okay!?

 

[kelidei]

I don't know but I am curious what the answer is. I have three that are 15 weeks old and one of them her comb, wattles and cheeks are getting pretty red--- same with one of my Australorp pullets.

 

[ckseals]

My austrolorps are younger than my RIR (not by much though) and they seemingly have developed a lot faster. They are already laying, have their wattles and combs, and are BIG! Are you sure your RIR with the comb and red cheeks is a girl?
My RIR doesn't quite have a fully developed comb yet and her wattles are a lot smaller than the australorps'. Weird.

 

[ging3rhoffman]

I bought some girls in Feb and they were all laying by week 16 to week 19.
I bought some more girls in the spring and they did not lay until their 28th week
and I still have 3 or 4 that havent laid yet. I think its the weather.

 

[kelidei]

Quote:
She's a girl--- here's a picture of her--- no pointy hackle or saddle feathers

 

[rhoda_bruce]

The wattles look red, but what about that comb? Well my RIRs are just a little younger than yours and I would have liked them to mature a little earlier also. I have a nice healthy amount of hens. Last night my son came in the house smiling after locking up the coop and told me that we had broken our record. 8 eggs. Thats terrible for the amount of chickens we have, but they will improve. Give her some time. If she doesn't give you any eggs before winter is over, you may have to consider if she wouldn't do you better as a stewhen.

 

[Rangely]

I have 2 RIRs that are 7+ months old and haven't started laying yet. Combs are not yet developed and are still pullet pink. They eat like hogs too! Of course it is also December, but I provide light starting at 2AM. By the time March rolls around they better be on board or else they're off to freezer camp.

 

[K-Chick]

It took my RIR FOREVER to start laying and now they've been laying 3 to 4 months now and some of their eggs are still on the small size. Its kind of frustrating when I want to sell eggs.

 

[SoCalPeeps]

About 23 weeks when our first RIR started laying. All 3 are laying now at the 25 week point. Our SLWs are still not all on board.

Our first egg was VERY small but now they're mostly on the medium side with one every now and then at about a large egg size.


Here's the first one next to a store bought large.

We live in Southern California and the weather has been quite good so that MIGHT have something to do with it but I really don't know.

 

[JakRat]

I think it all depends on when you get them, and what not... it is getting to be winter and maybe that might have something to do with it? You might want to just go out there and threaten them a bit. My boyfriend went out to the coop in august and said that if they didnt start laying soon that they would go into the pot... 2 days later BAM 1st egg