Is there a chart?

[tn_artist]

Is there some kind of chart that shows the average age when each chicken breed will start to lay? I know some take longer, but looking up each one and writing it all down is becoming very time consuming.
Thanks

 

[DobieLover]

Is there some kind of chart that shows the average age when each chicken breed will start to lay? I know some take longer, but looking up each one and writing it all down is becoming very time consuming.
Thanks

I wouldn't bother doing that. I have a very mixed flock and none of my girls started laying when "they" said they would. They are animals, not predictable machines. Just look forward to your first egg and every single one after that!

 

[Blooie]

Do you know when you’ll get your first egg? Here’s the secret. Nobody knows! You’ll hover around the coop day in and day out for weeks. Every time a pullet goes into the nest box to explore and check it out, you’ll hold your breath until you’re purple. You’ll imagine that every practice egg song means an egg is finally nestled in the straw, and break your neck trying to catch her in the act, or at least get there to behold it’s glory. You’ll grumble that they aren’t laying yet, and yet worry because they aren’t laying yet.

Then one day you’ll run to the store, get to chatting with a friend or neighbor, come home, and look with hopeful eyes into the nest boxes. BEHOLD! An egg! It might be super small, it might be a bit misshapen, it might not even have a shell, but by golly there’s an egg in there, and you missed the big event. First comes the self-kick in the hiney. Then you’ll start to wonder, “Which one laid it?” It will become the all-consuming question of the week. “Who, who, who.” You’ll haunt the coop even more frequently. But every time there’s an egg left in the nest, you will have missed it by just minutes.

See, I have a theory. I think they get together around the water bucket like gossiping office employees around a water cooler, devising plans and plots to drive their boss crazy. They get paid for the time they spend doing this, but paid in expensive chicken food and gourmet treats rather than a paycheck. And they love it!

“You look like you’re getting ready to lay an egg, Mathilda.”
“Yeah, but I noticed she’s hanging around again today so I think I’ll hold off a few more days. Agatha looks close, though. Hey, Agatha, you laying today?”
“Nope. She tossed the scratch where you all could reach it better than I could. She’s gotta pay for that mistake.”
Then Gladys pipes up, “I laid one yesterday, but I ate it before she came out here. Hehehe.”

See? It’s a conspiracy, I tell ya! Silly doggone chickens!! Charts won’t tell us anything - these little stinkers can’t read and don’t have internal calendars. And when living in a chicken coop with a lot of noisy, stinky companions, they find their fun where they can. Stoopid chickens.

 

[tn_artist]

Do you know when you’ll get your first egg? Here’s the secret. Nobody knows! You’ll hover around the coop day in and day out for weeks. Every time a pullet goes into the nest box to explore and check it out, you’ll hold your breath until you’re purple. You’ll imagine that every practice egg song means an egg is finally nestled in the straw, and break your neck trying to catch her in the act, or at least get there to behold it’s glory. You’ll grumble that they aren’t laying yet, and yet worry because they aren’t laying yet.

Then one day you’ll run to the store, get to chatting with a friend or neighbor, come home, and look with hopeful eyes into the nest boxes. BEHOLD! An egg! It might be super small, it might be a bit misshapen, it might not even have a shell, but by golly there’s an egg in there, and you missed the big event. First comes the self-kick in the hiney. Then you’ll start to wonder, “Which one laid it?” It will become the all-consuming question of the week. “Who, who, who.” You’ll haunt the coop even more frequently. But every time there’s an egg left in the nest, you will have missed it by just minutes.

See, I have a theory. I think they get together around the water bucket like gossiping office employees around a water cooler, devising plans and plots to drive their boss crazy. They get paid for the time they spend doing this, but paid in expensive chicken food and gourmet treats rather than a paycheck. And they love it!

“You look like you’re getting ready to lay an egg, Mathilda.”
“Yeah, but I noticed she’s hanging around again today so I think I’ll hold off a few more days. Agatha looks close, though. Hey, Agatha, you laying today?”
“Nope. She tossed the scratch where you all could reach it better than I could. She’s gotta pay for that mistake.”
Then Gladys pipes up, “I laid one yesterday, but I ate it before she came out here. Hehehe.”

See? It’s a conspiracy, I tell ya! Silly doggone chickens!! Charts won’t tell us anything - these little stinkers can’t read and don’t have internal calendars. And when living in a chicken coop with a lot of noisy, stinky companions, they find their fun where they can. Stoopid chickens.

That is wonderful and well written. You made my morning!

 

[aart]

@Blooie Great 'story'!!

 

[Blooie]

That is wonderful and well written. You made my morning!

As long as I can get you to move away from the charts, pens and papers and get out there to just enjoy them for their quirky personalities and busy-body natures, I’m happy!

@Blooie Great 'story'!!

Thanks, @aart. And I’ve lived every minute of it! Seems no matter how long we’ve been at this, whenever we add a few to the flock we start the whole process over with the new babies.

Edited to get rid of a pesky apostrophe mark that auto correct slid in without asking me! I hate that little dude!

 

[tn_artist]

As long as I can get you to move away from the charts, pens and papers and get out there to just enjoy them for their quirky personalities and busy-body nature’s, I’m happy!



Thanks, @aart. And I’ve lived every minute of it! Seems no matter how long we’ve been at this, whenever we add a few to the flock we start the whole process over with the new babies.

I sit and watch them every afternoon and evening. They are my favorite entertainment, but my daughters keep asking.