Jersey Giant Egg laying

[BoomChickWow]

Question for those familiar with Jersey Giants. I have one JG hen and I love her! She is only about 20 weeks old so I have been surprised that she is squatting when I put my palm near or on her back. She has also been going into the coop during the day and today she was sitting in the nesting box for a while! I have ceramic eggs in there. My question is, could she be close to laying? I thought JGs started at 8-9 months and this seems early. My Partridge Rock and Easter Egger are the same age and have also been going into the coop with her and noticing nesting boxes during the day but are not doing the squatting behavior at all. I thought for sure my Partridge rock would be the first to lay. I will be totally shocked if its my Jersey! Has anyone else had a JG lay that young?

 

[nuthatched]

Chickens are individuals, it's very likely she'll lay sooner than 8 months.

 

[Tstraub]

My jersey giant,Gena,is 25 weeks old and I’m still waiting but I think it’s coming soonShe has been showing interest my olive Eggers and Wyandottes when they lay. Until about a week or so ago she would protest every time my cockerel tried to mount her, but lately she’s been submitting.

 

[BoomChickWow]

My jersey giant,Gena,is 25 weeks old and I’m still waiting but I think it’s coming soonShe has been showing interest my olive Eggers and Wyandottes when they lay. Until about a week or so ago she would protest every time my cockerel tried to mount her, but lately she’s been submitting.

Its the squatting that gets me! If I just go to pet her she instinctively and quickly squats and flattens herself out. She has always let me pet her but this is different.

 

[Tstraub]

Its the squatting that gets me! If I just go to pet her she instinctively and quickly squats and flattens herself out. She has always let me pet her but this is different.

None of my girls have ever squatted for me but all the girls that are laying will squat for the cockerel. I think your jersey has slightly larger wattles than mine but it’s real close and mine have grown quickly over the past few weeks.

 

[AprilWC]

Varies greatly by lines. I've had JGs lay at 6 months and some waited until nearly 10 months.

 

[BoomChickWow]

Question for those familiar with Jersey Giants. I have one JG hen and I love her! She is only about 20 weeks old so I have been surprised that she is squatting when I put my palm near or on her back. She has also been going into the coop during the day and today she was sitting in the nesting box for a while! I have ceramic eggs in there. My question is, could she be close to laying? I thought JGs started at 8-9 months and this seems early. My Partridge Rock and Easter Egger are the same age and have also been going into the coop with her and noticing nesting boxes during the day but are not doing the squatting behavior at all. I thought for sure my Partridge rock would be the first to lay. I will be totally shocked if its my Jersey! Has anyone else had a JG lay that young?

She did it! Its so tiny and perfect

 

[Tstraub]

She did it! Its so tiny and perfect

Congratulations, as luck would have it I believe my Jersey Giant, Gena has started laying as well. I’m not positive it’s her she is my number one suspect in the who is laying outside the nesting box game lol.

At any rate I’m certain I have a new layer in the flock because all my known layers are very good about putting them where they go. I have found 3 eggs in the run over the past 4 or 5 days. It’s either Jersey Gena or Snow White, the Brahma. I think the shell color is too dark to be Brahma.