How old on average are BOs when they start to lay?

[cochicks]

We have two 16 week olds, and I am already getting anxious.

 

[KimberlyJ]

My BO is 21 weeks and is just starting to get a red face, comb and wattles. My older mixed flock started to lay at 25 weeks, so we both have a ways to go. Hang in there!

 

[Countrywife]

should be around 6 months if I remember correctly.

 

[cochicks]

How will I know when they are getting ready? These two are the first I raised from chicks...

 

[alhanse77]

My BO (currently 9 1/2 mo.) started laying at 18 weeks in early Sept. 2010. She regularly laid 6 eggs per week. Her production dropped to about 3 per week during our coldest and darkest months (Dec-Jan). Only recently has her production increased to about 5 per week. On a similar note, we have two EEs the same age, one of which laid her first egg just this week. She is probably 38-40 weeks old. To each hen her own!

 

[SeaShell741]

Mine were about 20-21 weeks when they started. I noticed the doing "egg squats" about a week or so before I found my first egg. They layed every other day for the first 6 weeks or so, then started laying almost everyday. now they're almost a year old and lay about 4 eggs a week.

 

[cluckcluck42]

My Ameraucana hens that are going on 8 months old JUST laid me their first egg today.

woo hoo! Unfortunately it wasn't one of the hens from the breeding group but it was a gorgeous blue colour! I'm very happy. Finding that was a wonderful surprise, it's been a long winter of waiting. I really thought they would have started laying by now but going into season in the dead of winter clearly stalled them.

I have some BOs I am waiting on too, they are 16 weeks as well. The hens are still too pink in the comb but I secretly dream of finding a light brown egg randomly in the coop.

I don't expect anything until April though.

 

[jason_mazzy]

What chickens lay youngest?????

 

[JennH07]

My BO's started laying at 22 weeks, I remember thinking that they were never going to lay. Then their combs got really red, and then came the eggs. I have 3 BO hens 2 Americauna and 2 that I don't what they are, and I get 4 to 6 eggs a day even in this subzero weather. But we have a heat lamp in the coop, so I think this helps with the laying, they don't have to use so much energy keeping warm and can put it to egg production.

 

[sandracollins]

I have heard they are late to lay mine were about 26 weeks ,one laid for 2 weeks then went broody and sat for about 46 days when she hatched 3 eggs I had put under her after she had sat for 25 days and wouldnt move!!!!