I don't post often, read this board regularly. I have been around and raising chickens my whole life, over 40 years. I don't push my chicks or use any medicated feeds. I cull ruthlessly. My laying flock is kept rotated as production lags. Well, enough background. I puschase some Gold Stars from Hoover's Hatchery and they arrived in March. I don't have the specific date, but it was bewteen the 15th and the end. We had some problems with them due to weather and many were lost at arrival. What chicks made it to us have all survived and grown well. To my surprise the first week of July they started laying eggs. No matter how I figure this they were less than four months old when they started. Now we are getting 14-15 eggs per day from 19 pullets. Needless to say I am pleasantly surprised by their progress for such a terrible start when they arrived. Fred
Yayy for eggs! There is no rule book about egg laying just an normal 'average'. Some lay sooner some later. I had an orp start laying at 16 weeks. I also have a jersey giant be over 30+ weeks to lay. It is almost torture when the wait is pushing 30 weeks! LOL Enjoy the eggs!
my two red sex links layed there first eggs yesterday afternoon a couple of days shy of 4 months. Today I found an egg at 7:30 AM from one of my rir's or black sexlink. Same age as the rsl's
Wow, I had better get some hay in the nest boxes. Mine have been squatting for a week or so, their faces are ruddy, combs growing and my first girl to have dewlaps has them in the extreme. red sex links- golden comets, 10 weeks old. The manager of the co-op told me that if you can get them safely outdoors, early, the light cycle prompts them to get busy. He said it should be no later than 16 weeks.
Squatting is not sign of laying. Squatting is a sign of submission to you. You are the top roo. They are squatting waiting for you to mate them. Give them a nice pat and rub down the back when they squat and they will shake it off and move on.
I have 4 EE hens that I got the beginning of March and I am still waiting for eggs. I wish they would hurry up. I want to know what colors they will be laying!!