How close are they to laying??

[Reurra]

Well, here is Dragon...all healthy and acting normal. We had a few hours there on Sunday where she was acting like she would not make it. Dont know what it was, but she is fine now! Anyhow, here she is! How close is she to laying? Any guesses?? She is 18 weeks and I suspect she is Jersey Giant crossed with Australorp.







Here is Raven, looking very much Australorp! She is very prim and proper and does not allow the help to man handle her! lol I was worried at first she would be a roo, but I am happy to say she is very much a girl!! She is the same age as Dragon.







Here is Ghost! We call her Ghost because she somehow went from one side of a divider in the brooder, to the other while I was at church! So my son called her Ghost, saying she can pass through walls! lol. She is about the same age as Dragon, but could be a few weeks younger. She has yellow on her feet and Im suspecting she is a blue australorp crossed with a blue Jersey Giant. Both Ghost and Dragon are the same size, but Raven is much smaller by at least 1 lbs. (pay no attention to the derpy looks on Frightful and Crackers faces)

 

[ibarbidahl]

I would say still a few weeks away. You should notice a discernable difference in the color of their ear lobes waddles and lastly the combs.

Within the space of a month this is what I saw:
Week 1 Week 4

So hang in there. Your girls will mature soon enough. Then you'll be here showing off those first eggs!

G/L!

 

[RoosterAddict99]

At around 5 months they're supposed to start laying. My austrolorp girls (Elva, Charlotte, Noel and Gypsy) started laying around 24 weeks. They were a little late starting up. You have very pretty birds and you've picked great names for them!

Good luck!!!!

 

[Reurra]

Thanks for the replies!! Raven I noticed really started to grow some comb over the last week. her ears went from black to red almost over night. Dragon and Ghost are still behind as far as waddle /comb/ear growth so i figured they still had some time. But raven Im really curious about. Im thinking she will start laying some time near the end of September. I got these babies at about a week old on or near May 5th. They may have been a tad older. Here is a picture of them when I got them. Thats Dragon checking out the camera lol.

 

[Reurra]

Raven squatted for me today! She seems to be confused about why she was going it, her little head was bobbing and looking back and forth, but she squatted, and I scratched the base of her tail and up it came! I was really surprised! Then she half shook half shrugged and settled down to roost!

Im getting excited!! I cant wait!!

 

[7 Biddies]

Raven squatted for me today! She seems to be confused about why she was going it, her little head was bobbing and looking back and forth, but she squatted, and I scratched the base of her tail and up it came! I was really surprised! Then she half shook half shrugged and settled down to roost!

Im getting excited!! I cant wait!!

Mine started laying shortly after squatting. In fact, both EEs started squatting earlier this week and I found my first mint green egg today. I expect 2 green eggs in one day *very* soon. So, it won't be long now. Wait until you find that first one ... it's like being 5 years old on Christmas morning. My eyes got huge and I sucked in my breath like a little kid. Pretty much the same reaction today when I found 4 eggs, including the first green one, instead of the 2 brown ones I've been getting.

Exciting times!