I Need Clues To When My Rir Hens Will Start Laying

[Emron's chicken's]

3 of my hens are 23 weeks RIR hens. but i need more about the clues that give of the estimate time for when they will have eggs. i need your clues and the age of your RIR hens and when they start laying. thank you

 

[bigspringshatchery]

my rirs started laying somewhere between 18 to 20. look for the squat and one thing i do to tell if any hen is getting ready is hold them by the tail and put you hand on her back and ill pull her tail and when you let go she should shake and fluff up her feathers if shes getting close. but not all hens do this. i have br thats never have been laying and dont do this and never have.

 

[goldies99]

they should start to lay around 18 to 20 weeks....so any time now......also the comb on her head should be red.....
the comb will be melon color if they arent laying and turn pretty bright red when they are laying!.......good luck!

 

[Emron's chicken's]

ya but they hate being touched

 

[pgpoultry]

Emron, if your chickens are a bit shy, they will run away and testing for the 'rooster squat' may be difficult.

A good red colour to the 'facial furniture' is certainly a sign of approaching sexual maturity.

Delay in reaching maturity can be a sign of parasites, either internal (worms) or external (mites or lice). Inspect one of the chooks for lice eggs around the vent (grey 'nit' cases that coalesce into blobs that stick fast to the feathers) and mites, and treat if needed. If you haven't wormed your chooks, do so now, as many wormers mean that any eggs laid cannot be eaten for a while.

 

[Nonny]

My girls were late(ish) layers - one started around 26-27 weeks and the other two another month after that.

Our clues were:

Egg squat... one girl started squatting and quivering for a few seconds every time I approached her. This started a few days before she laid her first egg. The other two have never ever done this though, so it's not a reliable way to tell.

Comb and wattles colour and growth... all three had a very noticeable and rapid increase in the size of their combs and wattles, and they all turned very very red as well.

Behaviour... they all started getting really noisy and demanding around me, and one in particular seemed to have the chicken equivalent of PMT. This behaviour settled down again once they started laying.

 

[vclark321]

I have 1 RIR and 2 Barred Rocks. They matured 1 at a time. My RIR was 23 or 24 weeks before she started laying. They would do a 'hit the deck' move and crouch if startled by me. It is along the lines of a cat in heat position. They are hoping you are a rooster bent on the mating process. I would just scratch their backs, they would fluff up and toddle off. From a book I read the scratching helps relax them for passing o' the egg. I hope this helps. Good luck... Also, what a noise they made the day they did! It went on for about 1/2 an hour.

 

[gavinandallison]

Emron's chicken's :

3 of my hens are 23 weeks RIR hens. but i need more about the clues that give of the estimate time for when they will have eggs. i need your clues and the age of your RIR hens and when they start laying. thank you

Their combs and wattles will turn a much darker red, they will squat, and there will be an "egg song" that they all seem to join in with when a hen lays. It is very distinct. But it all takes time, like humans some mature earlier than others, but when that first egg arrives it is a wonderful experience....​

 

[gickelvolk]

We have 6 New-Hampshire Reds, about 5 1/2 months old this week. Our first hen to lay, her first egg on Labor day weekend. The next to lay started a week later. The 3rd during the same week.
The other 3 have yet to lay.

Of the 3 layers, one "sings" while she lays and for a short time after.

The others are quiet right up to laying, then just a quick cackle and they're off from the coop to the garden.

From my reading I understand that laying usually begins around 22-26 weeks for this breed. Your mileage may vary......

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Mine started becoming very friendly and easy to catch, they hung closer to the house and started investigating corners and such, they would also go up to my husbands shop and sit in the guest chair for an hour, then go off..The rooster would start picking up bits of straw and grass and clucking like it was the best thing he'd found yet...even now my hens don't sing the egg song very often but the rooster crows and crows...funny huh.