Hens aged 21 and 23 weeks not laying eggs. Know why?

[cupman]

edit: reworded to be more clear

I have 7 hens that are aged 21-23 weeks. They have not yet began to lay any eggs and I was wondering why. These are my second batch of chickens, my first batch are all adults now, 10 months old and they are laying pretty well. Am I just being impatient with my 21-23 week olds or are there factors that could slow down their laying process?

I've heard the cold can make them stop and many won't start again until Spring. The weather here is pretty mild and none of my other hens stopped laying. Are they just late bloomers or will they only begin to lay come the Spring time?

 

[mtnhens4]

What breed are they? some are later than others. Are their combs and wattles red? are they squatting for you? checking out the nesting boxes?
All of these are sings as to how close they are to laying. Pictures would be helpful to be sure that they are the age that you think they are.

 

[duckinnut]

Not only do breeds differ at POL so do the individual birds. My BOs are prime example,one started at 20 weeks which I thought was extremely early for a BO, the next was at 26 and the third at 28. Just be patient. The holy trinity in waiting for something is vacation,water to boil and a pullet to lay.

 

[pawtraitart]

Pullets that hatched in early spring will typically start laying in the Fall. Pullets that hatch later typically wait until the full onset of spring the following year unless you use artificial lighting. That has been my experience with the breeds I've kept, anyway. You should get eggs soon.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Your first batch came into Point Of Lay during the long light days of mid-late summer. Your later batch came into POL during the darkest days of winter. That alone explains the difference. The different breeds mature differently, as do individuals within a breed, but cold has little to do with it. Light hours is just about the greatest single variable here, I suspect.

Be prepared for most of your birds to go into moult next fall and stop laying altogether. This will be especially true of your present 10 month old birds.

 

[cupman]

Cool thanks, everyone.

 

[aoxa]

20-23 weeks is really young to expect laying.

I have a 31 week old pullet still not laying. Now that is frustrating!

My BO didn't start laying until close to 30 weeks old. My Cochins are 23 weeks and still nothing. Some breeds are just late bloomers.

 

[cupman]

Oh okay then. I was always under the impression 20 weeks was pretty standard for when they all began to lay. I guess there's no big rush because I have 8 layers producing about 6 eggs per day but I'm still antsy wondering what the eggs will look like. I have 3 silver lakenvelders. Two of them have gnarly gigantic combs like my white leghorn but the third has hardly any comb at all. I guess she is just maturing a little slower than her sisters.

Well alright then I guess I'll just be patient and let the hens do their thing.