Can anyone guess my hens age?

[Daniluchau]

Hello all!
I am a new chicken owner; I got two chickens a few days ago! Unfortunately I do not trust the place we got them from too much because although they seemed sufficiently (barely sufficiently) cared for, my chicken was definitely the victim of some bullying and pecking from other chickens- her feather quality is low right now . She is in the process of regrowing her feathers and I am attempting to supply her with everything she needs to grow stronger. The guy who helped us out at the little farm off of the road said they were 6-9 months of age; I am skeptical because I know some vendors say what they need to in order to make a sale, sadly. She may very well be of this age but I just want to ask you all if you could tell me what age you think she is based on her features? She hasn't laid eggs yet at her new home but its only been two days so I don't think I should be alarmed...should i be concerned? Does anyone have any information or comments about chickens laying eggs after moving homes? I know she is using a lot of energy to grow new feathers so of course I am ok w that lol. We are in the process of extending her run and building a pen in which she can "free" range.
Any comment is appreciated
Thanks to everyone.

 

[JustBabyMargo]

Poor thing! She does look like she could be 6-9 months because she looks really similar to my 10ish month old pullet just a little younger! but it’s hard to tell because she doesn’t look very healthy. I’m sorry about your little hen being in such bad condition but you basically saved her life and will give her the best life she could ever live! Don’t worry about her not laying yet! She will need some time to adjust and that could take anywhere from weeks to months but I would say maybe a month at most? That’s about how long it took for our bantams that we brought in! But it could be later depending on how long it takes her to heal back up! Good luck with your girlie and I hope she heals up quick!

 

[aart]

She doesn't look that bad.
Is she eating/drinking/pooping/moving around OK?

If she was laying before you brought her home,
usually you'll get an egg the first day(one that had started forming before the move),
but not always. It can take awhile for them to acclimate to a new place before they lay again. Her comb and wattles look pretty red, indicating an active layer.
You might want to check her pelvic points:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/

It's almost impossible to tell a birds age after the first couple-few months,
but I'd say she's less than a year.

She's "regrowing feathers"...as in you see pin feathers emerging?

Do you have other chickens too?

 

[Daniluchau]

She doesn't look that bad.
Is she eating/drinking/pooping/moving around OK?

If she was laying before you brought her home,
usually you'll get an egg the first day(one that had started forming before the move),
but not always. It can take awhile for them to acclimate to a new place before they lay again. Her comb and wattles look pretty red, indicating an active layer.
You might want to check her pelvic points:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/

It's almost impossible to tell a birds age after the first couple-few months,
but I'd say she's less than a year.

She's "regrowing feathers"...as in you see pin feathers emerging?

Do you have other chickens too?

Thank you for your reply!
The first day she was not moving around or eating, then when the second chicken was taken out, she started being way more active. now she is scratching, moving, pecking, eating and drinking water which is great for me to see...
I have no idea if she specifically was laying before I brought her because the owner didn't seem to be too involved with the chickens- he just said these lay an egg everyday almost, which is a broad remark.
Yes, pin feathers are emerging in some places but some little spots here and there still look bare, especially under her tail feathers as pictured above.
Thank you for linking the informational article... I will definitely check her vent and pelvic bones to get some answers.
Do you have any ideas on how I can aid her to get healthy? Which parts about her pictures concern you so I could focus on those?
Thanks again!

 

[Daniluchau]

Poor thing! She does look like she could be 6-9 months because she looks really similar to my 10ish month old pullet just a little younger! but it’s hard to tell because she doesn’t look very healthy. I’m sorry about your little hen being in such bad condition but you basically saved her life and will give her the best life she could ever live! Don’t worry about her not laying yet! She will need some time to adjust and that could take anywhere from weeks to months but I would say maybe a month at most? That’s about how long it took for our bantams that we brought in! But it could be later depending on how long it takes her to heal back up! Good luck with your girlie and I hope she heals up quick!

Hello, thank you for replying!
Ok, at lest she is still young so we could make a nice recovery Thank you for the information about your chickens and her age, that is very helpful! I wanted to ask where you got your chickens from (as in what type of place and what age?)? I live in Miami so the nearest "rural" town would be 40 mins away but even there there's like no quality or informed chicken breeders... I researched online and sending chicks through the mail is common? do you recommend that? Later, when I expand my flock, I would like to know if it is a suitable option. I know/think that when they are mailed, they come as chicks so I would have to raise them and I know less about raising chicks! (of course if i choose this option i would immediately dive into research...) The nearest farm farm where they have nice identified and varied breeds is about 9 hours away lol. Maybe I will take a road trip one day...
Any tips or comments?

 

[aart]

Yes, pin feathers are emerging in some places but some little spots here and there still look bare, especially under her tail feathers as pictured above.

If a feather is fully plucked out, it will regrow quickly.
Otherwise the feathers will not regrow until the molt in fall/winter.

Do you have any ideas on how I can aid her to get healthy? Which parts about her pictures concern you so I could focus on those?

Just give her a decent chicken ration and fresh clean water.
I don't see any red flags in the pics.

 

[saysfaa]

It is possible to tell how much she has been laying. At least, if she is a yellow skinned hen. I'm not sure of others.

As she lays, she pulls yellow pigment from her skin in a specific order. It starts with around the vent, then around eyes, then feet and legs. Beak is somewhere between vent and legs but I don't remember where.

The point being, if she has yellow skin and it is all the same intensity of yellow, then she hasn't been laying long, if she has started. And if even her legs are faded then she is much more than 6 months old.

I don't know enough to narrow times much but you might be able to find more info that would let you narrow it down.

It repigments in the reverse order during molts or winter breaks in laying.

And pretty certain diet is influential. But if it is all diet causing little pigment in a yellow skinned bird then she likely has significant health problems because of malnutrition.

Edit to add: I don't see yellow skin but don't trust my perception. Almost all red hens I've seen have yellow legs, that makes it harder to be objective. It might be possible it is lighting and a hen that has been laying a long time.

 

[aart]

It is possible to tell how much she has been laying. At least, if she is a yellow skinned hen. I'm not sure of others.

As she lays, she pulls yellow pigment from her skin in a specific order. It starts with around the vent, then around eyes, then feet and legs. Beak is somewhere between vent and legs but I don't remember where.

The point being, if she has yellow skin and it is all the same intensity of yellow, then she hasn't been laying long, if she has started. And if even her legs are faded then she is much more than 6 months old.

I don't know enough to narrow times much but you might be able to find more info that would let you narrow it down.

It repigments in the reverse order during molts or winter breaks in laying.

And pretty certain diet is influential. But if it is all diet causing little pigment in a yellow skinned bird then she likely has significant health problems because of malnutrition.

Edit to add: I don't see yellow skin but don't trust my perception. Almost all red hens I've seen have yellow legs, that makes it harder to be objective. It might be possible it is lighting and a hen that has been laying a long time.

That takes some skill and good bit of experience,
IME not many backyarders use that technique.

 

[JustBabyMargo]

Hello, thank you for replying!
Ok, at lest she is still young so we could make a nice recovery Thank you for the information about your chickens and her age, that is very helpful! I wanted to ask where you got your chickens from (as in what type of place and what age?)? I live in Miami so the nearest "rural" town would be 40 mins away but even there there's like no quality or informed chicken breeders... I researched online and sending chicks through the mail is common? do you recommend that? Later, when I expand my flock, I would like to know if it is a suitable option. I know/think that when they are mailed, they come as chicks so I would have to raise them and I know less about raising chicks! (of course if i choose this option i would immediately dive into research...) The nearest farm farm where they have nice identified and varied breeds is about 9 hours away lol. Maybe I will take a road trip one day...
Any tips or comments?

Hi! We got most of our flock from Murray McMurray hatchery through the mail as chicks! But I’m not sure specifically where we got the bantams from because my dad went and got them! I just picked them out on craigslist! We live in Oregon and in the country but we aren’t super far away from cities! Those four bantams that we got are supposed to be about 1-1.5 years though! I haven’t had much trouble raising chicks and we are currently raising our second batch of Murray McMurray chicks and our first from Alchemist Farms!

 

[Daniluchau]

Hi! We got most of our flock from Murray McMurray hatchery through the mail as chicks! But I’m not sure specifically where we got the bantams from because my dad went and got them! I just picked them out on craigslist! We live in Oregon and in the country but we aren’t super far away from cities! Those four bantams that we got are supposed to be about 1-1.5 years though! I haven’t had much trouble raising chicks and we are currently raising our second batch of Murray McMurray chicks and our first from Alchemist Farms!

Nice!! Thanks.