Anything I should do to induce laying

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FresheggsDoug

FresheggsDoug

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I have 6 chickens 3 golden comets and 3 sex links. I got them in March 2014. Should they be laying yet. And are there any old time tricks to maybe help them along with this laying process
 
FresheggsDoug said:
I have 6 chickens 3 golden comets and 3 sex links. I got them in March 2014. Should they be laying yet. And are there any old time tricks to maybe help them along with this laying process
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Welcome to BYC! Glad you decided to join our flock. They might be a little young yet. Most pullets begin laying around 6 months, occasionally a couple of weeks or so later, so you should be getting eggs soon. Also, if they are being free ranged, you might want to check the area around the coop just to make certain that none of them have started laying outside the coop somewhere. Also, I would put a fake egg (or even a golf ball will probably work) in each nest box to induce them to lay in the nest boxes. Please feel free to ask any more questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck in getting those eggs soon.
 
Michael OShay said:
Welcome to BYC! Glad you decided to join our flock. They might be a little young yet. Most pullets begin laying around 6 months, occasionally a couple of weeks or so later, so you should be getting eggs soon. Also, if they are being free ranged, you might want to check the area around the coop just to make certain that none of them have started laying outside the coop somewhere. Also, I would put a fake egg (or even a golf ball will probably work) in each nest box to induce them to lay in the nest boxes. Please feel free to ask any more questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck in getting those eggs soon.
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P.S. Golden Comet is one of many labels under which some hatcheries market their Red Sex Links. Are your other three, Black Sex Links? Or are they more Reds, which were sold under the correct label of Red Sex Link?
 
18 weeks would be the very earliest you would expect eggs. You will first see their combs enlarge and redden, and they will start hanging out in the nest boxes (this is called point of lay). When you see these signs, it will not be long.
 
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Glad you joined us!

Most chickens begin laying at 18-20 weeks of age, though this can vary considerably with different breeds and individual birds. Signs to look for are larger/redder combs and wattles, "squatting" when you try to pick them up, investigating of the nest boxes, and sometimes a change in voice.
 
Welcome to BYC!
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We're glad to have you. As Bantamlover21 stated, most chickens will start to lay at around five months old, so your chickens should be pretty close to beginning. Some breeds and individual birds will take longer, while others may start early. For example, my Silver Laced Wyandotte started laying at 4 1/2 months, while my Rhode Island Red waited until about 5 months, one week.
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
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They should be laying any time. You might get them started on layer feed and oyster shell on the side now. When they start to squat for you, the eggs should be coming down the pipe soon!

Good luck and I hope you start to get some eggs soon!
 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC! Hope those first eggs show up soon!
 

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