Egg Layers

[beckspdxgirls]

I have 6 pullets. They are an Ameracauna, a buff Orpington, a bielefelder, a Columbian wyandotte, a silver laced Cochin and a Rhode island red. When do they start laying, and when do I open the nesting boxes?

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I have 6 pullets. They are an Ameracauna, a buff Orpington, a bielefelder, a Columbian wyandotte, a silver laced Cochin and a Rhode island red. When do they start laying, and when do I open the nesting boxes?

How old are they? Is the Ameraucana truly an Ameraucana or “just” an Easter Egger? (I have EEs, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything.)

I would guess that the RIR and EE would go first, followed by the dual-purpose heritage breeds.

What do their combs and wattles (if any) look like, sizes and color? Are any of them squatting?

Lay start is very variable. Mine started between 5 and 6 months, but apparently this is unusual.

 

[beckspdxgirls]

They're only 8 weeks old, so I have some time to wait! Thank you.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I’m not so sure on the EEs. Mine seem to lay later. I have a couple now that are over six months and still not laying.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

They're only 8 weeks old, so I have some time to wait! Thank you.

Enjoy the next several months, it’s a hoot!

Especially when their voices suddenly change from cheeping to bawking.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I’m not so sure on the EEs. Mine seem to lay later. I have a couple now that are over six months and still not laying.

You’re right! They’re all over the map.

One of the things I love about EEs! They’re such mutts that they’re really unpredictable. Mine was the first and has laid daily almost every single week since then. The Buff Orp and Barred Rock followed several weeks later, still well before predicted dates.