Are we doing something wrong????

[elphabafalls]

Each bird will start to lay on their own schedule and don't seem to care that we're getting a bit impatient waiting, haha. It does seem like oftentimes whenever someone posts about this, they'll find an egg shortly after. Coincidence? I hope you know that I am being completely light hearted

Lol, yes I know. You're probably right, though. It's likely to happen the moment I convince myself it never will.

 

[elphabafalls]

i find that the more you want it, the longer they take! before my first one began to lay, i told her that i didn’t care (i do though) if she ever lays an egg in her life. and then the next day she started to squat for me! i mean of course they will lay when they are ready- you’re not doing anything wrong. patience is key! that first egg will be very exciting. you could try posting some pictures of them if you’d like- people can tell you if they are getting close, depending on wattle and comb color and development.

I will post some pics. I just noticed a week or so ago that their combs and wattles were larger and more red. They're looking more and more like big girl chickens!

 

[elphabafalls]

Patience.... 21 weeks is a general starting point but it’s not rule of thumb. They will lay - you have hundreds of eggs coming at you soon esp with those breeds.

We also have 2 Black Sex Links and a Lav Orpington. We rescued the Orpington from horrific living conditions, so we didn't get her for her egg production. She's our "bat crap crazy" chicken AND our "she ain't right" chicken lol. She's gorgeous and so sweet though. With the 8 total sex links and the Rhode Island Red, we're going to be swimming in eggs by the end of 2021!

 

[elphabafalls]

They lay when they're ready. 21-22 weeks and not laying isn't unusual at all.

I would unblock nest boxes now. You don't want them to start laying elsewhere and for that to become a bad habit. Also it gives you time to ensure that they'll continue to roost properly even with nest boxes open.

We're going to unblock them tomorrow. Thank you!! Some people have told us to not unblock them UNTIL the first egg drops, but that didn't make sense so that's another reason I posted tonight. I wanted to ask if I should unblock now when they seem to be getting close for the reasons you listed above. I figure if they start laying under a bush, they may want to keep laying under the bush.

 

[GambaDawn]

Ok, we were in the same boat. that being said, I have also found that the girls do things in their own time, don’t sweat it! I did lengthen the light time the coop and run, run being longer than coop by about 30 min. i Put lights in the coop on a timer and ti seem to get 3-5 eggs a day consistently from m four girls who are laying age now. My four girls are 23 weeks now and are Kai g pretty consisten. Good luck, it will just happen when they are ready!

 

[becks123]

I was so excited too... checking the comb and wattle color daily once they hit "the age"... nothin. Then they reddened and eggs didn't come. I got worried they were laying elsewhere and put a ceramic egg in the nest boxes. A few days later...an egg appeared! Whether it was learning where to lay or the power of suggestion they came and we were happy nothing like your very first and very own chicken raised egg. Yum!

 

[elphabafalls]

I was so excited too... checking the comb and wattle color daily once they hit "the age"... nothin. Then they reddened and eggs didn't come. I got worried they were laying elsewhere and put a ceramic egg in the nest boxes. A few days later...an egg appeared! Whether it was learning where to lay or the power of suggestion they came and we were happy nothing like your very first and very own chicken raised egg. Yum!

I'm going to try the ceramic egg thing. Awesome!

 

[mississippifarmboy]

I know it’s hard when you are waiting but the biggest thing with most hens is natural light hours instead of age.
most of ours regardless of age pretty much stop laying during the short days of winter but will lay like crazy once the days start getting a bit longer.
pullets that are old enough to lay will only lay sporadically too until the days get longer.
by March you’ll be on a roll.

 

[Aapomp831]

We also have 2 Black Sex Links and a Lav Orpington. We rescued the Orpington from horrific living conditions, so we didn't get her for her egg production. She's our "bat crap crazy" chicken AND our "she ain't right" chicken lol. She's gorgeous and so sweet though. With the 8 total sex links and the Rhode Island Red, we're going to be swimming in eggs by the end of 2021!

Lol yes, you will be up to your eyeballs in eggs. We make a dozen deviled eggs once a week - plus we sell about 8 dozen eggs per week. We have mostly sex linked chickens.

 

[RojoMarz]

I don't know how to measure their pelvic spacing. I'm new at this - these are my first chicken children. I've been trying to research and prepare as much as I can, but I've not learned how to do that lol. It's funny you asked about their combs and wattles. About a week and a half ago, I noticed that some of the girls' combs and wattles were suddenly much larger and redder. I was so excited!

Very useful article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/