Chickens tossed an egg?

[ChocolateWingTheRooster]

How old are your birds?

5 and a half months...

 

[aart]

5 and a half months...

And they've been laying already?
Shouldn't be molting then.

 

[ChocolateWingTheRooster]

And they've been laying already?
Shouldn't be molting then.

Why aren’t some laying then? Last week I collected an egg for each (11!) but yesterday as well as today, I only got five...

 

[getaclue]

Shorter daylight hours reduces egg production.

 

[aart]

Why aren’t some laying then? Last week I collected an egg for each (11!) but yesterday as well as today, I only got five...

I'm surprised any of them are laying at 5 1/2 months old.
How long have they been laying?

 

[ChocolateWingTheRooster]

I'm surprised any of them are laying at 5 1/2 months old.
How long have they been laying?

Well, I got my first egg when they were 3 and a half months (from, what I think was the Silver-Laced Wyandotte)... so, around 2-3 months now.

 

[Wolfefarmyard]

Well, I got my first egg when they were 3 and a half months (from, what I think was the Silver-Laced Wyandotte)... so, around 2-3 months now.

That’s impossible I would think, they must older?

 

[ChocolateWingTheRooster]

That’s impossible, they must older.

I ordered them as day-old chicks in early may... They should be 5 and a half months (or maybe 6, I'm dislexic... help me out here....) unless they were not a day old... Or I was wrong or something...

Also, if they shouldn't be laying now... when should they? Someone in my family has had chickens longer than me, and he told me when they are 4 months old, that's when they'd lay. And... well, he was correct...

One more thing, I started them on layer feed when I started to get a couple of eggs from them. Does that have anything to do with it?

 

[ChocolateWingTheRooster]

Shorter daylight hours reduces egg production.

That's probably the problem, here.

 

[Wolfefarmyard]

I ordered them as day-old chicks in early may... They should be 5 and a half months (or maybe 6, I'm dislexic... help me out here....) unless they were not a day old... Or I was wrong or something...

Also, if they shouldn't be laying now... when should they? Someone in my family has had chickens longer than me, and he told me when they are 4 months old, that's when they'd lay. And... well, he was correct...

One more thing, I started them on layer feed when I started to get a couple of eggs from them. Does that have anything to do with it?

Generally speaking hens begin to lay at around 6 months old, sometimes around 5 months old but that is more rare.

I’ve never heard of any laying at 3 months old. I suppose it could be possible in theory, but again I’ve never heard of it before so it would be extremely rare!