Laying feed

[newchickmomma2020]

I got my chickens in May... the lady at the feed store told me they wouldn’t lay eggs till they were 1 year old so I’ve been feeding them finisher feed that was 16% protein.
a friend informed me that was wrong and to put them on layer feed and they’ll lay eggs. So they’re on layer feed now from a local feed mill. However, when will they start laying eggs from the feed and do they need anything else like the oyster shells I see at tractor supply?

 

[HappyDuckie]

Simply giving them layer feed does not make them start laying. I always give mine a separate feeder of oyster shells. What breeds are they, do you know?

 

[newchickmomma2020]

Yes!! I have 2 cuckoo marans and 3 Rhode Island Reds. I also have 2 Easter egger chicks and 2 Australop chicks. The chicks are about a month old.

 

[ILoveDaffy]

No layer feed until you see the egg.

 

[ILoveDaffy]

Never ever ever use it until you see an egg. Ever.

 

[newchickmomma2020]

Never ever ever use it until you see an egg. Ever.

When should they lay?

 

[newchickmomma2020]

Simply giving them layer feed does not make them start laying. I always give mine a separate feeder of oyster shells. What breeds are they, do you know?

Yes!! I have 2 cuckoo marans and 3 Rhode Island Reds. I also have 2 Easter egger chicks and 2 Australop chicks. The chicks are about a month old.

 

[Chold05]

When should they lay?

Depends on the breeds... Our ISA browns started at 18 weeks but our Cuckoo Marans were MUCH later. I want to say one of our Marans didn't start until 25 weeks or so. That breed is very slow to mature.

We added curtains to the nest box and the girls really seemed to love the privacy. We also put golf balls in the boxes to show them where to do their business. They started exploring them around the 16 week mark, which was a great sign!

They will also do the "squat" when they get close to laying. If you go to pick them up, the will squat down with wings slightly open. Their combs/wattles will also be bright red.

I'm sure your EE and RR will be the first ladies to start based on that. Typically around the 18-25ish week mark

 

[Ridgerunner]

When should they lay?

There is no definite answer. I've had pullets of those or similar breeds start at 16 weeks, I've had some wait nine months. Nine frustrating months. Time of year and other things can have an effect but not that much from my experience. I've had some start laying at the exact time "conventional wisdom" says they won't. Basically they lay when they lay.

If I count right yours are about five months old. Many in those breeds start around 5 to 6 months of age so hopefully it won't be that long before you see your first egg. I wish you luck on that. But I sure can't give you any guarantees.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Yes!! I have 2 cuckoo marans and 3 Rhode Island Reds. I also have 2 Easter egger chicks and 2 Australop chicks. The chicks are about a month old.

Slightly confused - the chickens you got in May are the same chickens as these? Or did you get a second set of chickens and the younger ones are 1 month old?? If you have 1 month old chicks, they should not have any access to layer feed.

Layer does NOT make chickens lay. It contains extra calcium for strong eggshells, that's it. No reason to feed it to chickens that aren't actively laying/close to laying.

I would still supplement oyster shell on the side, as some birds may require more calcium than others.