Marans laying at 14 weeks?

[Gypsy07]

Is this likely? Or are they still too young?

I have seven adult layers and two 14 week old pullets. I usually get six or seven eggs every day but I've just noticed that for the last two days I seem to have had extras. I don't collect the eggs at the same time every day, or even every single day, but I'm sure I emptied all the nesting boxes yesterday evening, and I definitely got nine eggs today.

Another possibility is that my neighbour's chickens are laying in my coop. I've caught them in there before, helping themselves to pellets from my feeders, but I never thought they'd be laying in there too.

So which is more likely?

 

[BarredBuff]

To me it seems more likely that neighbors chickens are laying in your house. My pullets didnt start laying until they were 22-26 weeks old so laying at 14 weeks old seems VERY unlikely to me.

 

[MakNat]

My leghorn pullets started laying right at 16 weeks!!!

 

[bigoakhunter]

Could be neighbors..... But are the recent extra eggs alot darker?

 

[Katy]

I've never had any of my Marans start laying anywhere near that young.....or any chicken for that matter.

 

[Tala]

Pullet eggs are small, that would be the dead giveaway to me. Sounds like a neighbor's chicken is donating some eggs --- which I guess is only right if she's stealing food.

 

[Gypsy07]

Some of the eggs do look much smaller than normal, but my neighbour's hens lay eggs that are smaller than my hens' usual ones anyway. There aren't any darker eggs in there, but the eggs that I hatched my Marans from weren't particularly dark either. They came from a local no-frills utility breeder who just sells them as very good egg layers.

I didn't think they would be laying so young but I wasn't sure what would be a normal age to start. They're as big as all my other birds and filling out nicely, but their combs and wattles are still pale and fairly non-existent.

I've asked my neighbour to keep a count of her eggs for a few days so I can figure it out.

Another possibility of course is just that I'm being dumb and counting wrong. D'oh!

Thanks for the opinions everyone

 

[Mahonri]

I doubt your Marans are laying yet... mine are 17 weeks old and I still check the nest boxes!