Chantecler lays 1st egg - 42 weeks 5 days old! - Picture of mature egg

[RedDoorChickens]

I'm in Montana as well and purchased a white Rooster and a Hen from a breeder in WA in Nov. They were both about 5-7 months old...still waiting for our first egg. Very happy with this breed and plan to raise a lot of them! Have 20 chicks arriving in March and have an incubator waiting to start hatching my own. Plan to sell chicks, eggs and meat eventually. These 2 will always be my favorites and have gotten lots of one on one time. Much friendlier then the Brahmas I used to have!!

 

[Silvopoultry1]

I was beginning to think that she was never going to lay!! I have had this lady from her hatch, and knew exactly how old she was. She started squatting about 5 days before her first egg. This picture was taken the day she started laying. She has for all practical purposes no waddle and no comb....perfect for a cold Montana winter.

All my other ladies (other breeds) started laying last year...some laid all winter but this one just plugged along eating and not giving me a single gift.

Now that she has started, she seems to drop her eggs where ever she is at the moment when it comes, even though all the other ladies know where the nest boxes are and use them. I find her eggs all over the yard!

I have even taken to putting golf balls out there again so if she doesn't get that the other ladies are laying in the next boxes she can see some eggs. I have also taken to keeping them in the run rather than letting them free range. It is funny b/c I will see a hen racing back to the coop while the rest are heading over to the compost pile to play on the other side of the yard to lay her egg in the right place - nest box.

Anyway wanted to share this picture b/c not many of us have Chantecler and info on maturity and looks are sometimes hard to come by.

This is an old post, but I just saw it today. It made me laugh! I have Chantecler’s too, and though most started laying around 20 weeks, two held out until this month.. they will be one year old on May 6th!!!!!
Mine all lay in the nesting box, but not two of my buckeyes. They sound like your chicken. One even climbs up on top of the nesting box, lays it there and it rolls off and cracks on the floor.. one lays only on the tractor.. if I pen them up for a week, they with hold egg laying until I let them out and then back to the tractor and all over for those girls. So weird.
Anyway, enjoy your chicken adventures!
Your account of life with them, brought me joy today!