how do you know when...

[Lifetime chicken lover]

a hen is ready to start laying?
I have 4 hens (white leghorn, RIR, BO)born in the end of March 2010. And 3 BAs born April 10, 2010. So when can I expect them to start laying? Should they be getting Layena already?- I still have them on Flock Raiser. Does the nesting box have to be in a quiet, dark place?

 

[HorseFeathers]

Hens usually start laying around 21 weeks of age. When they approach that age, switch to layer pellets and make sure there's free-choice oyster shell available (for calcium). They should have a nice dark box (one per every 2-3 hens) in a pretty private place inside the coop, with shavings and/or hay inside it. A wooden egg or golf ball inside each one makes it clear that the next box is where they should lay. When a hen is about to lay, her comb and wattles will get very red. She may spend a lot of time in the next boxes and/or squat down when you approach her (known as the "egg squat"). Her first eggs may be small and/or deformed, but no worries.