How long for a newly introduced hen to lay?

[MIchick]

We received a laying hen from someone a little over a week ago. However, it has yet to lay. It is in a coop with a younger pullet that was introduced a few days later. We have had lots of rainy weather in the last week, and the days are getting shorter here in Michigan, but we thought it would have laid by now. Perhaps we just haven't given it enough time, or maybe the weather has had something to do with it? It's "supposedly" less than a year old, and is a buff orpington. We are new to this chicken thing, and live in the city limits....that's why we only have two (we wish we could have more!). Any thoughts or suggestions?

We got three chicks earlier this spring, and all turned into roosters. We are not allowed to have roosters being in the city. They were exchanged out for the two we have now. We are just ready to have some eggs, and our daughter anxiously checks every morning for an egg! Just wondering what the hold up is.

 

[Den in Penn]

Welcome to BYC.
It takes a while to get over the stress of a move. A couple of weeks to a couple of months to settle in. When you have only a couple the wait for the first egg can be hard.

 

[MIchick]

Thanks! Hopefully, it's weeks and not months!

 

[MIchick]

It's been almost two months, and our supposed Buff Orpington "laying hen" that we bought, still has given us nothing. We added a light in the coop about a month ago, she seems healthy...eats well, looks good. We're thinking that we just got an older bird than what we were told (was told she was about 10 mo old). Any thoughts or suggestions for anything else we can try or that may be the problem? I have done much reading on the subject, and haven't found anything that would seem to be the answer. I heard molting, but there's no signs of that happening other than a few stray feathers here and there.

Also, is there any way to tell the age of a chicken??

 

[Den in Penn]

There is no sure way to tell the age of adult chicken. It is possible that she is just one of those hens who never or rarely lays. And it could be she is older than a year. Is the pullet laying yet?

 

[MIchick]

That's probably why he gave her to us (he traded us our rooster for her).

No, the other one isn't laying either, but she is a little shy of 5 months, so I know it will be a little while before she does. Our third chick (8 wk leghorn), has the makings of being another rooster. That will make 4 of our 6 chickens we have had since spring end up being roos (which we can't have in town). Very discouraging. But they are fun to watch, and we do love them.