Does this sound right to you guys?

[Mosherd1]

I just bought 6 EE chickens yesterday. I bought them from a friendly and knowledgeable guy. He told me that they are between 9 and 10 months old. He said that the have not started laying yet but that they should start at anytime. He also said that they just completed molting. I was not under the impression that chickens molt that early? It sounds like them not laying yet is pretty typical of EE but molting at 9 months old seems early. What do you guys think? I have only raised meat chickens before, never egg layers. Thanks,
-Dave

 

[DelcoChix]

Never heard of any poultry molting that young...usually they are around 18 months or so before their first molt. If they are older than you were told maybe this is their (hopefully) first molt and there won't be any egg laying while they are re-growing feathers.
He might have been friendly but not so sure about the knowledgeable part...or honest part.
Good luck!

 

[Mosherd1]

Interesting...Lets say they didn't molt and that he was mistaken because he had 50 chickens running around. If they are biologically due to start laying now, but with the stress of moving and the shortening day length should I not expect eggs till January? They would be about a year old by then. Thanks,
-Dave

 

[Cindy in PA]

Chickens can go through a juvenile molt at 8-9 months old. They usually don't go through a full molt, but you'll see lots of feathers.

 

[Mosherd1]

Chickens can go through a juvenile molt at 8-9 months old. They usually don't go through a full molt, but you'll see lots of feathers.

I see...Since the birds are fully feathered now, if they did go through a molt then they seem to be through it now. Between the move, the possible molt, their age and the shortening days, any chance we get eggs before the days start to get longer? Thanks,
-Dave

 

[lazy gardener]

Interesting that they haven't started laying yet. I know that typically, they are a bit later to start. But my 3 EE started laying at 16.5 weeks, and they were hatched around the first of March. As your girls are older by a month or 2, and would have also been older when the days were at their longest, I'd have expected them to start laying quite some time ago. Just for grins and giggles, ask him where he got these birds. Hatchery? Which hatchery? Did he hatch them himself? Did he buy them from someone else?

 

[Mosherd1]

I will keep everyone up to date. I will try to find out more info from the seller also. Thanks