Earliest Layed Egg Contest - *No Prize* - Ends 8/22/20

[Chickenhappy8708]

Mine started laying at 24 weeks. No record there. But my other chickens are almost 15 weeks, and one white leghorn is turning bright red in the comb, and its flopping, she just finished a molt, so hopefully soon.
My buff Orphington had me scared she was a cockerel, that's how big her comb is compared to her sister. It is large and red, with a nice pair of wattles growing in. She is the favorite pullet of my white leghorn rooster as well, she doesn't crow, and she gets mated with, so I'm thinking she is just going to lay earlier than Orphingtons should. Now that I said that she isn't going to lay until December.

 

[ChickenEnthusiast2000]

My hen started laying at 7 and half months so is there a competition for the latest laying hen

 

[eggsandhens]

@U_Stormcrow me neither! Mine are barely even looking at the nest boxes!

@Chickenhappy8708 Hey, congrats on the leghorn! I hope she lays soon!

@ChickenEnthusiast2000 I don’t think so, but I’ll give a prize to someone who enters the latest too

 

[Beachcomber]

My mixed flock is 24-25 weeks old now. One of my Sapphire Gems laid her 1st egg (a huge double yolker) at only 15 weeks! My other Sapphire Gem & Black Minorca both started laying at 16 weeks. My Easter Egger started at 22 weeks & one of my Buff Orpingtons laid her 1st egg a few days ago at 24 weeks old.

 

[eggsandhens]

Wow! I think your Sapphire Gem is the winner so far!

 

[Newyorkrita]

I have three Golden Comets, and if they start at 16 weeks, which is the low end of what I understand to be the expected range, that will be tomorrow - no eggs yet - so I doubt i'm winning this. Or even placing top 10.

The Hoover Hatchery "Rainbows" are anyone's guess. Assuming they are like a Freedom Ranger or some of the other mixed breed duals being offered from various hatcheries, they may start two weeks from tomorrow.

Thus far, they seem more interested in kicking all the bedding out of their nesting boxes, then poking thru seeking bugs (which they never find) than nesting, so I'm not bothering to cross fingers.

It will happen when it happens, but best luck (and good health) to any ealry layers that do enter

So when did the Hoovers Rainbows actually start ti lay? I read somewhere on another thread that they had enormous size eggs.

Are you Rainbows multicolored?

 

[Chickensandhorsesforlife]

My entry
Sugar Maple, Very light ISA brown, she was expected to lay at around 18 weeks, and made the 15 week mark almost by the day. My earliest layer by far

 

[U_Stormcrow]

So when did the Hoovers Rainbows actually start ti lay? I read somewhere on another thread that they had enormous size eggs.

Are you Rainbows multicolored?

My Rainbows started laying around 20-21 weeks, the eggs are large and more round than oval, brown (but not deep, rich, or dark brown) in color.

The birds themselves, contra claims on Hoover's websites, are not multicolored. They look like they came off a photocopier as either Orps with lots of RIR in their ancestry, or RIR with some Orp in their ancestry. Rainbows at left, with the dark tails, and just a bit of black markings at the neck. Dark Brahma center, pekin ducks back right, golden comets at right foreground (recognize them by the white in the neck and tails). Some of the Rainbows lean more buff and have less black leakage, almost no black in the tails, others are the darker red with the more pronounced black tails, about 50/50 split.

and for egg reference?

Hope that helps!

 

[Newyorkrita]

So the thumbs up is for the quick reply. And great pictures. Thanks!!

How very disappointing that the birds are not multi- colored. At least some of them.

20-21 weeks not too bad but I can't get over the fact that there are no rainbow colors.

 

[Newyorkrita]

So the thumbs up is for the quick reply. And great pictures. Thanks!!

How very disappointing that the birds are not multi- colored. At least some of them.

20-21 weeks not too bad but I can't get over the fact that there are no rainbow colors.