I have some beautiful frizzles that are 13 weeks old. And some silkies that are 10 weeks old. How old are they when they start to lay? And should I feed them laying feed? If so, when to start. I need to get the nests ready for them. Since they are small birds, should the nests be small too? Thanks
They should start laying around 16 weeks or so. I think most people start feeding layer rations around 10 weeks (it should give you some guidelines on the feed bag). I start giving mine layer pellets as soon as they are big enough to handle the pellets, but they also get scraps and are free-range. Good luck!! Leah
my frizzles are 20 weeks old and nothing yet. You dont start feeding laying ration UNTIL they start laying, its harmful to them before that.
Since they are not production type birds, don't be surprised if they are 5-8 months old before they lay. Feed layer about when they start. My silkies start to lay a bout 6 months old, but the late bloomers are even older.
Quote:Agreed. They are not production birds. I've had some silkies not lay until they were over a year old.
My silkies didn't start laying until they were 8 & 9 months old. The norm is to feed medicated chick starter for the first 3 months, then chick grower from 3-6 months. It's usually safe to start feeding layer pellets around 6 months of age even if they haven't started laying yet. At that point I'd also give oyster shell free choice.
