Free Range Hens reaching egg laying age

[Yardmom]

Pullets can start laying anytime of the year. The start can be delayed due to fewer day light hours, but that doesn't mean they will wait until Spring to lay. I have had several pullets start laying around the winter solstice.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Pullets who are already in lay during months of sufficient sunlight will keep laying through fall and winter. Those whose bodies were not ready until the days shortened won't activate the hormones needed to start until spring.

Could you please explain how two of my pullets started laying in early December at nine months of age? I'm in the northern hemisphere so those were among the shortest fays of the year, less than 10 hours of daylight.

 

[Ridgerunner]

They may have just not made the cutoff point when the hours of light each day allow for the onset of lay.

Nonsense. Nine months old. Hatched in March. Started laying in December just before the winter solstice. Location Northwest Arkansas. My only blue egg layers so there was no question when they started or which ones it was.

 

[Not-so Slick Chicken]

Could you please explain how two of my pullets started laying in early December at nine months of age? I'm in the northern hemisphere so those were among the shortest fays of the year, less than 10 hours of daylight.

You both have different experiences. You live in different areas, and may or may not have the same types of birds.

Some breeds are advertised as laying through winter.
Some birds just will not lay until conditions are right for them.
Domesticated animals have been selectively bred for things their wild ancestors would never do. Some more than others.

My laying pullets are winter hatched, and started laying in spring (at 4-5 months old). They are not yet a year, and went through a moult. Some of them have already started laying again, while others haven't and I don't know if they will.
Their chicks are now 4-5 months old, and not yet laying.
Over the next few months, I'll figure out if I have any winter layers.
My mom always had some winter layers in her flocks.

 

[SourRoses]

Could you please explain how two of my pullets started laying in early December at nine months of age? I'm in the northern hemisphere so those were among the shortest fays of the year, less than 10 hours of daylight.

Genetics!
(and/or light leakage from human activity.

Why does daylight length matter in the first place?
Because the pituitary gland, responsible for releasing hormones that trigger laying, is reactive to light levels.
How reactive? It depends on the genes. And pullets are more sensitive the first year, enough to be triggered by light leakage that wouldn't impact the hens.

We all know that humans bred chickens from jungle fowl that lay only in spring, solely to reproduce... into modern laying machines that work most of the year.
What biological mechanism is responsible for the difference?
The pituitary gland.
Those are the genes we humans screwed with, in stages, over very many years.
That also explains the differences between individual birds.
Some breeds were adapted to northern Europe, laying through the long dark winter. We brought those breeds to the US, crossed this and that.
There are some breeds that quit laying in late summer. Ayam Cemani, Sumatra. Even among those, you find individuals that differ
Hatcheries are especially motivated to produce lots of eggs, so they select for traits that link to pituitary sensitivity.

I sure hope I'm not over explaining this, but it seems I didn't explain adequately the first time.

The majority of pullets will not start laying in the darkest months, not without supplemental lighting (which can be unintentional, it doesn't take a lot of light). Some can start in Jan-Feb as the daylight begins to lengthen again. But most will wait for 13 or so daylight hours.

The topic of daylight and laying has been properly studied, it's not conjecture or anecdotal. Though I'm not the sort to file away a bunch of links, I am certain anyone interested can find them (provided they have access to those sites).

Nonsense.

Not a nice way to phrase it.

 

[kattabelly]

But most will wait for 13 or so daylight hours.

We get less than 13 hours of daylight from mid-September where I am and for a pullet reaching laying age to hold off from that early in autumn, until days start getting longer again, would definitely be unusual.

 

[Not-so Slick Chicken]

We all know that humans bred chickens from jungle fowl that lay only in spring

In lighthearted seriousness, some people don't know that.
I grew up on a farm, but the thought of how farm animals came to be didn't cross my mind very deeply (okay but the only thing that needed to cross my mind back then was "IS THIS HEIFER TRYING TO PLAY WITH ME AM I GONNA DIE" >.>)

 

[SourRoses]

We get less than 13 hours of daylight from mid-September where I am and for a pullet reaching laying age to hold off from that early in autumn, until days start getting longer again, would definitely be unusual.

How much less than 13?
The "or so" I wrote is due to it being biological, rather than mechanical, if that makes sense. They don't have actual clocks, but it's easier for us humans to understand that way.

Here in Florida, by October (twelve and a half hours) if a pullet isn't already in lay, she won't start. But in September with an extra 15 minutes or so she still has a chance.

 

[kattabelly]

How much less than 13?
The "or so" I wrote is due to it being biological, rather than mechanical, if that makes sense. They don't have actual clocks, but it's easier for us humans to understand that way.

Here in Florida, by October (twelve and a half hours) if a pullet isn't already in lay, she won't start. But in September with an extra 15 minutes or so she still has a chance.

11½ hours by the end of September. Less than 11 hours a week into October, less than 10 a week and a half after that.

I've had four pullets start laying this October (one might've been the last few days of September) and the final one from that age group laid her first egg on November 1st, when we were already down to less than nine hours of daylight.

There's a couple from a slightly younger group that, while I'm not expecting it, wouldn't surprise me if they started laying in the next few months.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I apologize for that. I certainly should not have said nonsense.

They may have just not made the cutoff point when the hours of light each day allow for the onset of lay.
Pullets who are already in lay during months of sufficient sunlight will keep laying through fall and winter. Those whose bodies were not ready until the days shortened won't activate the hormones needed to start until spring.
The month pullets hatched matters as far as whether they can begin laying before winter. And the particular genetics of each pullet makes a difference, not just how many months to reproductive maturity but her sensitivity to light levels. Some breeds can lay through darker conditions, while some quit early.

We are obviously talking at cross purposes. All those things you mentioned can have an effect. But you are coming across as this is definite, there is no chance of a pullet doing anything other that follow your rules. I've seen different. I've already mentioned my extreme example, pullets that started laying in early December. No way were they getting whatever minimums you think they have to have.

I was in Fayetteville Arkansas. The length of day when they started was around 9 hours and 45 minutes. No artificial lights, out in the country. You are trying to tell @GooseMoyo who originally asked the question that there is no hope. I cannot give any guarantees, I'm not as definite as you. From what I've seen there is a chance some pullets could start laying eggs at any time. Or they could wait until spring. You just don't get guarantees with living animals.