When will my rhode island reds start laying?

[859007]

does anyone know when rir is ready to lay what kinda signs do they show

 

[feeding frenzy]

I have a RIR hen with pink comb and wattles. Sooo close to laying I guess! My adopted rooster, 1 month younger than the hen started crowing a few days ago! I can't wait for eggs. Hope it's fertile so I can hatch them during spring and summer season

I noticed a big difference in my RIR today. Her comb and wattles are fully developed and bright red. It seemed like it grew overnight! I crushed up some egg shells and threw in the run. She's been eating it. Got out the nest box again today since it stopped raining. I'm so excited to see my RIR's first egg. She'll be my first chicken ever to lay

 

[posshaven]

Hi, Newbie here.

My RIR became sick the day I got her home. She was rattling when she got upset. That was 5 weeks ago and she is now fine and has a lovely nature. The issue is she is in with 2 other chickens and an egg turned up in the dirt out in the open and I don't know who laid it. The RIR Is very skinny and bony. They are approx 24wks but her coloring is still light pink. I have her in with a Coronation Sussex and a Welsummer. The Coronation is slightly red in comb etc but the Welsummer is just light pink. Who do we congratulate?

 

[jenny1780]

I have 4 RIR's. One of my girl layed an egg yesterday. They turned 19 weeks yesterday.

 

[jenny1780]

I have 4 RIR's. One of my girl layed an egg yesterday. They turned 19 weeks yesterday.

 

[posshaven]

I had the exact same thing happen with my RIR! She arrived with no tail feathers. She is now happy and a healthy 40wk old, is not laying yet and still has only a slight pink comb. I have several different breeds and only have 7 chickens. I have a Wyandotte who has had a red comb for the last 10 weeks and only laid her first egg (at 43 weeks!) this week. The other Wyandotte who is the same age laid her first egg then went clucky the next day!!

 

[inuvik]

My RIR started at 21 weeks. I was shocked that they are not soft one at first. They're beautiful eggs! I'm so excited. Now for my leghorns to get busy!

 

[jenny1780]

I have 4 RIR. The first one layed at 19 weeks and another started to lay 2 days later. At 20 weeks the other 2 started to lay. The first egg I got was big and had 2 yolks and the shell was hard. The others started out with a hard egg and then layed a couple soft ones. Yesterday I got an odd shaped egg and I broke it open this morning. It had a hard shell and it contained some white and a soft shelled egg inside it. Has anyone ever seen anything like that?

 

[fantomas]

Well, my 2 RIRs turn 18 weeks today. Do I expect any eggs? Probably not, and here are my reasons:

• After some research, apparently not many of them lay at 18 weeks. Most are 22+ weeks at least
• The combs are not bright red (will double check in the morning)
• Days are getting shorter and colder
• Stress. When I first got the chicks middle of June from a local farm, they gave a 90% guarantee they would all be female. Turns out, 4 out of 6 were male (see my sexing thread here). Last Thursday I dropped off the last of the cockerels and picked up two 8 week old pullets (Dark Cornish and Ameraucana) so I could have 4 chickens to get through the cold Connecticut winter together. All 4 chickens are completely unhappy. The newbies just stay on the roost in the coop all day and the RIR's stay out in the run.

I guess this works out well though since I JUST finished building the nesting area in the coop this past weekend, just have a few small details to finish up with it.

 

[goodb]

Mine turn 18 weeks on Friday and a couple are getting nice red wattles so maybe soon.