19 and a half weeks old and still no eggs :( egg countdown anyone??

[3 Golden Girls]

I got my first egg today. I'm not sure which gal laid it, but earlier in the day I went outside twice because of all the clucking, but didn't think to check the coop for an egg and then this evening when I went out to clean the coop there it was. Laid in the nest box... which I didn't think would happen since my 3 hens are free range. It's a small egg, but perfect otherwise. It's very exciting...

.

 

[blondiebee181]

I GOT MY FIRST EGG TODAY! My Gold Comet "Louise" laid it this morning, bright and early. She will be 19 weeks old in a couple of days.

Here she is .......




Here's her beautiful brown egg....white egg is ceramic.

Congrats on the egg! My Leghorn and Americauna are both laying and I love Ameri's green ones! I also wanted to say awesome quote from Tolkien on your profile, I love that part of the book

 

[blondiebee181]

Well at 26 weeks, 3 days We have eggs.

First day there were two large eggs and one small. Second day 3 small, third day 2 small and one large.They took a break today with 0 eggs. Now I have 9 nest boxes and they will only lay in one? Why?
I dont know if it was just time or if it was that I started placing a bowl of oister shell for them. Oh well, its a start.

Yeah, sometimes hens have favorites...have you tried dummy eggs? If you would like them to spread into other boxes I would try putting dummy eggs in there to encourage them that those are good spots too. Hens will begin to lay anywhere from 15-to like 28 weeks I think. My Leghorn, Daisy was 16 wks and my Ameracauna, Xena was 17 1/2. Still waiting on the RIR and BR. I've got one 5 yr. old SLW that layed 2 eggs when we first brought her home (free from an old family friend) and hasn't layed any more since

She's an old-timer now.

 

[B J Hopkins]

Enjoyable thread! I've various breeds and mixed breeds. My Silky didn't lay until she was 8 months old. My Blue Cochins were close to 6 months before they began laying - 2 of them became Broody just 6 weeks after they started laying eggs! (they make Wonderful Mommas!) Most of my other pullets began laying a little after 20 weeks. 20 - 22 weeks. Seems the first egg was where every they happened to be at the time and tiny. But after the 2nd or 3rd egg, they figured out what the nest boxes were for. I've always used golf balls for encouragement. Also, if you're in a hot humid area (I'm in Missouri and currently in a bad drought) you will find that even your BEST layers will drop in production. I've 12 Hens (over a year old) and am getting only 6 -7 eggs a day since the mercyless heat began.

 

[ketcham]

Got my first eggs tuesday when I got home from work...Small but its a start.Got 4...Have 15 hens.nice small brown eggs.Put dummy eggs in nesting boxes.3 made it in yesterday.As always,hoping for better results....They need to start earning their "keep".haHa!!!! Kevin ps mine are right around 19weeks!!!!!

 

[mistressangyl]

have my nesting boxes but my chickens STOPPED laying in them and now lay in an old doghouse inside their run. I let the two mommas set on about a dozen eggs six of which hatched and ive gotten no new eggs in well over a month. how old do the peeps have to be before the mommas will lay again? the oldest baby is five weeks old the youngest is four weeks

 

[Lacy Blues]

I think the babies are generally 6-8 weeks before the mama lays again.

 

[Edyparker]

20 weeks today, and no eggs! I have 12 pullets of varying breeds. My old hen laid an egg the other day and immediately the Dark Cornish pullet jumped on it, broke it and ate it with the speed of lightning, so I am wondering if she is eating eggs that they might have laid.

I read somewhere that if you put ceramic eggs in the coop the chickens quickly learn not to peck at the eggs. It also said that you could buy them at a feed store. I haven't tried it though. good luck!

 

[nepoisopen]

We got our chicks on March 15th, 2012.
We have 9 Buff Orpingtons and 9 Barred Rocks.
Some have grown faster than others, all are pretty freaking big, to say the least.
Still, no eggs yet.
I've been finding conflicting information online about egg laying times, but if the average is 24 - 28 weeks, I guess we still have a little ways to go.

 

[bob869007]

My 8 Golden Sex Links have been laying for 4 days now. They are using the egg boxes now, like I expected. So far we are up to 4 eggs per day. The ladies get as much layer ration, oyster shells, grass clippings and water as they want.