How old were your chickens when they started laying eggs?

[WMolinaroli]

Hi! I have 4 Rhode Island Red hens and 2 Black Sex Link hens. They will be 4 May baths on August 15th. When will they start laying eggs? I thought it would be 6 months, but a client said hers started at 4 months!

 

[TwistedTayy]

Most breeds are between 4-6 months. Could be longer but usually not sooner. As a rule I just assume 6 months.

 

[SueT]

I only ever had one that started laying at 4 months. Most of those raised in early spring (Feb/March) were more like 6 months. However, those I got later in the year didn’t reach point of lay until the days got too short, and so they didn’t lay till spring. I’ve had more than one batch in that category, so it was more like 9 or 10 months!

 

[MysteryChicken]

Mine vary, between 5-6 months, to about 8 - 10 months of age.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Mine have been just about 5 months in the past, IIRC. These were mostly EE but also Brown Leghorns and Black Australorps. In each case I got them very early in the spring (March) so they came of laying age about August, just as the days were becoming shorter and then fall and winter were coming on. I now have some Speckled Sussexes and Marans that are a little over 3 months old, hoping they will start in the next few weeks, but we'll see. I think it has to do somewhat not only with their age but also with the calendar. In other words, if they hit puberty in the dead of winter when the days are short, they may not start to lay until the days lengthen. I got these pullets with an eye to them hitting puberty during the long days of summer, so I'm hoping for the best.

 

[Cinnamon Roll]

The youngest I’ve had was 17 weeks, between 20-22 weeks seems more common though.