i know for us, it was around 18-20 weeks...but someone just told me 18 months. that seems like a long time. our first batch were hatched in march and started laying in august sometime.... does it vary by geography?
Should be around 18-20 weeks some later, but not too much later, 18 months is way too late, that is around the time they go through their first moult.
Any chicken of mine that has not laid an egg by the time it is 8 months old better be a pet or it will be dinner. That being said 12 to 20 weeks is about right, some won't lay til 6 months. they are not the norm
18 months seems quite a bit long. My girls laid: EE - 20.5 weeks RIR - 23 weeks/6 days RIR - 27 weeks. My girls were hatched at the end of March, which meant that they were due to lay when daylight hours were getting shorter. Interestingly, the RIR who didn't lay until 27 weeks consistently laid 5 or 6 eggs a week during the darker months. Now, with the days lengthening, she's laying for 2 weeks before taking a break. Today was day 14 for her and she laid early enough in the morning that I know she's going to go several more days before taking a break. Yes, I keep a chicken calendar.