Hen Laying Ages?

[cottnCHICKadees]

How old should a hen be before she will start laying? Mine 5 months or a little older. If they are of age, what should be my next steps for getting them prepared? Thanks y'all!

 

[gamebirdsonly]

Each breed is different some take 5 to 6 months before laying and then their some that take up to ten months and some birds don't seem to ever lay. as far as preparing them don't know how to help you there.

 

[krista74]

At 5 months old they should be gearing up to lay in the not too distant future. Are their little faces turning bright red yet? Are their combs and wattles bright red, and sort of plump looking? Do they squat when you stand over them? These are all good signs the first eggs are not far off.

As for preparation, I would make sure there are some nice nest boxes open and ready for them.

As the girls get closer to laying they will start home-making. They will investigate all the nests, hop in and out of them, flick straw around and generally make themselves a little place where they will feel safe laying their eggs.

You might even want to pop some plastic eggs in the nests too, so that when it does come time to lay they understand that is the right place to do it.

I would also recommend putting out some grit and oyster shell which they can have free access to.

Good luck! Let us know when the first egg comes! Krista

 

[ilovemybabies2]

My black sex link was 5 months old. All my chickens are 5 months, there are about 5 that are doing the squat, and the rest aren't. I have the nesting boxes in the coop and they have a golf ball in a couple of them. That is where I have been finding the eggs. Just make sure you have a nesting box, and feed them well.

 

[cottnCHICKadees]

thank you all so much I need to get on the individual nesting boxes then. is there a quick/cheap alternative for laying boxes till I can make it to the hardware store to get lumber and make them the way id like to? someone suggested milk crates to me.

 

[ilovemybabies2]

I used a recycling bin (the orange box to the left, and that's what they lay in and practice to lay in. And that's a laundry basket on the right. They just started laying. We found 3 soft shelled eggs... eaten. one in the coop on the floor, one sitting right behind my husband and I and one in the middle. If you think they might have layed, look around the grass for clues. We saw the barred rock running around with just the shell in her mouth; funny but frustrating! Our black sex link lays hard shelled eggs in the orange bucket.

 

[cottnCHICKadees]

WESOME! so any kind of small bucket will work!?

 

[ilovemybabies2]

i wouldn't go too small. But yeah, in my opinion I think they could use anything. Golf balls for me was the trick. I never trained them for the nesting box, didn't stick them in there to show them. They figured it out on their own. The BR goes in there and same with my other black sex link to practice, I go in there expecting an egg, and nothing. Just practicing.

 

[cottnCHICKadees]

ok so the golf ball is the trick...gotcha! going to get me some boxes and golf balls

 

[ByrdWc3]

Golf ball and a rounded rock worked for our ladies. After the first two eggs were randomly found in the run we finished up the neat box and they have figured it out