How much longer do I have to wait for my 1st egg

[Zwillingsmama]

I have 5 chicken. A SS, BR, EE, OE and BCM. They will be 24 weeks on Monday. I think at least my OE must be close to laying but they have not checked out their nesting boxes. I attached pictures and maybe that gives some clues. I live in the SF Bay Area. Weather is still warm 75 during the day and 50ies at night. Waiting is soooooooooo hard.

 

[PirateGirl]

It's not about how warm it is but about how long the days are, and I'm sure in SF they are getting shorter and shorter. Today where I'm at we only have 10 hours of daylight! Your girls look to be getting relatively close but based on combs/wattles I'd say you've got a few more weeks to go at least. By then we'll be at some of the shortest days of the year, so maybe not until after the solstice in December. You've got 10 hours and 23 minutes of daylight now and shrinking... so it could be awhile.

 

[Zwillingsmama]

I just read that chicken do need a minimum of 12+hours some say even 14h - and would a lamp in their coop be able to supplement and if so where they roost or in the run? Sorry for so many questions - these are my first chicken. Also I checked and nowhere in the US do we have at the moment even close to 12h day light - does that mean there are no free ranging/ pasture chicken eggs produced at the moment??? I assumed they slow down but not stop all together

 

[ChickNanny13]

Combs/wattles look likes they're mature & close. Wait for the squat & do the pelvic measurement .... https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/

 

[Acre4Me]

I just read that chicken do need a minimum of 12+hours some say even 14h - and would a lamp in their coop be able to supplement and if so where they roost or in the run? Sorry for so many questions - these are my first chicken. Also I checked and nowhere in the US do we have at the moment even close to 12h day light - does that mean there are no free ranging/ pasture chicken eggs produced at the moment??? I assumed they slow down but not stop all together

We have 1 light in their coop. It is wired to a timer, and I have the light on for a few hours in the morning (beginning at 5am, I think), then off 9am-4pm as it is daylight, then on again 4-8pm. We only just installed this a week or so ago, so I can't speak to how much of an egg production impact it will have.

We were getting 7-9 eggs a day from 12 hens (although it seems our 3 white egg layers aren't even laying at all..or ever...so really 9 laying hens). As the natural light was reduced and we had not yet installed the artificial light, we had a decrease in egg production to around 3-5 per day. Now with the light on for the past week or so, we are around 4-6 eggs per day. We don't have production birds, so we would never expect a consistent 1/day from each hen anyway. If we get an avg of 5/day through the winter, I'll be happy.

Here is our electric set-up in the coop: The only reason we installed electric is because we had to completely re-do the electric in the barn due to chewed wires and old installation issues from previous owners. Otherwise, it would have been unlikely that we would have installed electric just for chickens. Also, this coop wall is about 24" (yes, 2 feet) behind the barn, so it was conveniently located.

 

[Zwillingsmama]

We have 1 light in their coop. It is wired to a timer, and I have the light on for a few hours in the morning (beginning at 5am, I think), then off 9am-4pm as it is daylight, then on again 4-8pm. We only just installed this a week or so ago, so I can't speak to how much of an egg production impact it will have.

We were getting 7-9 eggs a day from 12 hens (although it seems our 3 white egg layers aren't even laying at all..or ever...so really 9 laying hens). As the natural light was reduced and we had not yet installed the artificial light, we had a decrease in egg production to around 3-5 per day. Now with the light on for the past week or so, we are around 4-6 eggs per day. We don't have production birds, so we would never expect a consistent 1/day from each hen anyway. If we get an avg of 5/day through the winter, I'll be happy.

Here is our electric set-up in the coop: The only reason we installed electric is because we had to completely re-do the electric in the barn due to chewed wires and old installation issues from previous owners. Otherwise, it would have been unlikely that we would have installed electric just for chickens. Also, this coop wall is about 24" (yes, 2 feet) behind the barn, so it was conveniently located.

View attachment 1584528

Great set up thanks for the reply. Just one more question do you have light where they sleep or in the run? I have an upstairs where they roost and than they walk a ramp down where the spend the day. I will have to do solar as there is no electricity but that should work. I already have the door and electric fence hooked up solar.

 

[Abriana]

They look like they are really close to laying—they have bright red combs and wattles.

 

[moniquem]

They are so pretty!

 

[andreanar]

Patience my child, patience! They look close.

 

[WVduckchick]

No males around? I think girls are slower to lay when there isn't a male around. I think mating with a rooster prompts their laying sooner.

Most of them look close (the first looks like a beautiful cream legbar, is she OE mix?) except the BCM. I'd lay bets that she will be last to lay. They are slow as crap!