I have two 1-yr old Rhode Island Red hens, they both started laying right when expected, around 5 months old. I have since added a Barred Rock and Americauna, both hatched 3/1/13. Today is 8/19/13, they're both 22 weeks old. My Americana has not started laying eggs yet. I hear they start later than some breeds? My Barred Rock started laying eggs in July, when she was around 18 weeks old. She laid 4 small eggs in 4 days, skipped a few days, then a bigger egg, skipped a few days, then laid 3 eggs in 3 days while she was roosting on the top of their smaller coop's pitched roof, so the 3 eggs rolled down and broke. They have a nice nesting box inside this same coop, and a nest inside the large walk-in shed, and she knows where they both are because she's laid in both spots. After the 3 broken eggs (so she's laid maybe 8 eggs total), she skipped more days, then she laid an egg with no shell, just the rubbery outer membrane, then no more eggs after that. She hasn't laid an egg in at least 2 weeks, maybe 3! Is that normal? They get good food - poultry lay mash and grains with appropriate protein, oyster shell calcium supplements, fresh water, greens, tomatoes as a snack, figs as a snack from my tree. And they don't seem stressed, they roam the yard happily all day. I'm not sure why she stopped laying. Except perhaps that maybe she's not quite full grown? They're both 22 weeks.
