When to expect eggs or if at all in winter?

[BuffyandBella]

My new chicks here in Mobile AL did not lay their first eggs until they were about 6 months old. Also the crazy weather of hot cold hot cold will confuse them and delay their laying. Hang in there!!

 

[Cajoledn2it]

I also have my first batch of hens: all five hens were born May 1 and are located in Northern California (East Bay). My Black Sex Link started laying at 20 weeks in mid September, and she steadily laying an egg a day. My Spreckled Sussex's comb and wattle are not quite red yet, and she does do an egg song once or twice a week. She has hopped up into the nesting box to watch the Black Sex Link lay a few times, but with the shorter days, I wonder if I have to wait til Spring. My Cochin and Buff Brahma still have pink combs and wattles, so they must be waiting for spring as well. My gigantic Light Brahma has red wattle and comb, but no egg song. As they are all 32 weeks old now, I guess they are taking their sweet time. Is this normal? I switched them all to Layer feed when the Black Sex Link started laying 12 weeks ago, should I have kept them on grower instead?

 

[Alspal]

It doe'nt get cold in Alabama

 

[Alspal]

I have a flourescent light that lights at 4 a.m and goes off at 8 a.m. This encourages the hens to lay. My flock is six months old and are just starting to lay.

 

[greens]

My 13 girls (3 r.i. reds, 4 bar rocks, 3 buff orphingtons, 3 americunas) were born June 17 so I really wasn't expecting any action this year. At 20 weeks I got my first 2 eggs (americuna & r.i. red). Now, at 5 months I'm pretty sure all but one or two of them are laying. I get 6 eggs a day.

I'm in Alabama (where it does get cold-but nothing like other places) and we are getting only about 10 hours of daylight. However, my girls stay in the barn at night where I have florescent lights that we never turn off. I'm new to chickens and I'm not leaving the lights on for them, it's just we have never turned the lights off in that building.

I know two people who bought their chickens from the same place at the same time as me and neither of them have gotten their first egg, so, I'm guessing it really is the lighting.

 

[gward]

My chicks started laying at 26 weeks but only ever other day

 

[Goulais Girl]

My girls stopped laying for a while, shorter days up here as well with winter coming. They normally stop for a few weeks when they sense the temperature changing, store up some fat to get them through the winter. So, I put a light in the coop, comes on at 3am and off at 8am... Everyone's back to laying!

 

[Goulais Girl]

My chicks started laying at 26 weeks but only ever other day

They will bump it up to daily, usually every other day for a few weeks when they start!